NEW THIS WEEK OCTOBER 25, 2024 (IN THEATERS AND ON HOME VIDEO)
NEW THIS WEEK IN THEATERS, HOME VIDEO AND/OR VOD:
THE BEAST WITHIN--"Game of Thrones" alumnus Kit Harrington--who killed it in the recent season of HBO's "Industry"--plays Noah, loving husband and father to Imogen (Ashleigh Cummings) and 10-year-old Willow (Caolinn Springall), who inconveniently turns into a werewolf whenever a full moon rises. Imogen thoughtfully drives Noah to a remote location in some nearby woods on those occasions, even providing him with (live) farm animals to sate his blood thirst. More psychological domestic drama than monster movie, this narrative directorial debut by documentarian Alexander J. Farrell is heavy on Grimm Fairy tale ambiance--Daniel Katz did the spookily atmospheric cinematography--and purposefully keeps Noah's hairy alter ego hidden for most of the film. Told mostly through the eyes of the asthmatic Willow (she's never far from an oxygen tank) who may or may not have inherited dad's lycanthropic genes, it's one of the year's most subtle fright flicks and all the more effective because of that restraint. No extras on Well Go USA's Blu Ray, although a featurette about the film's impressive practical effects would have been a nifty extra. (B PLUS.) https://youtu.be/wKIIMA-4GuU?si=9jLEzg-iuOoOMSAZ
CONCLAVE--When the Pope unexpectedly dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is appointed Dean of the College of Cardinals who are tasked with overseeing the election of a new pontiff. The fact that Lawrence is currently experiencing a crisis of faith doesn't make his job any easier. Complicating matters even further is the incessant jockeying for power among his clerical peers. Old School Italian Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellito) wants to take the Church back a hundred years while devious Canadian Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow) could give Watergate-era Nixon tips on dirty campaign tricks. An early front-runner, Nigerian Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), turns out to have a skeleton in his closet that Tremblay conveniently brings to the surface. And what's up with Kabul Cardinal Benitaz (Carlos Diehnz) whose very existence is greeted with skepticism throughout the Vatican. Based on Robert Harris' best-selling novel, Oscar-winning director Edward Berger's follow-up to 2022's "All Quiet on the Western Front" is another stellar literary adaptation: a hugely entertaining thinking person's thriller complete with a terse string score and judiciously timed jump cuts that wouldn't be out of place in a Blumhouse horror flick. There isn't a single weak link in the Tiffany-plated cast (Fiennes does some of the best work of his storied career), with special mention to Stanley Tucci and Isabella Rossellini as, respectively, Lawrence's sounding-board/best friend and the all-seeing nun who knows everyone's secret. (A MINUS.)
DAAAAAALI!--Six actors are tasked with playing Spanish Surrealist artist Salvador Dali--hence the title's six "A"'s--in wildly prolific French auteur Quentin ("Smoking Causes Coughing," "Deerskin") Dupieux's typically freewheeling, well-nigh unclassifiable new film. Set in what seems to be the mid-1970's, the slender narrative concerns fledgling journalist Judith's attempt to interview an imperious Dali. When he discovers that it's to be a print interview, the Great Man exclaims, "How can you interview Dali without a camera?" Indeed. Rather than just throw in the towel, Judith (a game Anais Demoustier) attempts to interest a movie producer (Romain Duris, very funny) into financing a Dali documentary. Defiantly nonlinear in structure and imbued with a dream logic that would no doubt please former Dali collaborator Luis Bunuel, it's not surprising that, in at its frequent best, Dupieux's movie resembles Bunuel's "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (there's even a priest!). While Dali has had his share of memorable screen portrayals in recent years, most recently Ben Kingsley in Mary Harron's 2023 "Daliland," the corps of actors (including Edouard Baer, Jonathan Cohen and Pro Marmai) Dupieux enlisted all manage to leave lasting impressions. (A MINUS.) https://youtu.be/tKmpCVMxrYc?si=PclFvKEsme-qCmIO
SUMMER WITH CARMEN--While enjoying a beach vacation, BFFs Demos (Yorgos Tsiantoulas) and Nikitas (Andreas Labropoulos) brainstorm an idea for a screenplay that segues into extended flashbacks of Demos' impactful summer two years prior. Aspiring filmmaker Nikitas has been tasked by a French producer to come up with a script for a movie that's "fun, sexy, Greek and low-budget," and first-time director Zacharias Mavroeidis' meta comedy definitely fits the bill. Oh yeah: it's also very, very gay. In fact, all of the present day scenes take place at a nude gay Athens beach where Demos struts his fine stuff in true Herculean fashion. The titular "Carmen" is actually the dog of Demos' ex (Nikolaos Mihas) who's unexpectedly dumped on him one day, quickly becoming his new best friend. Playfully riffing on the perceived "Golden Rules of Screenwriting," Mavroeidis juggles a potpourri of themes both weighty (promiscuity vs. monogamy in gay life) and small (whether or not to feed your puppy table scraps) into a cohesive, well-nigh irresistible whole. Tsiantoulas and Labropoulos give such lived-in performances that you'll truly believe they've been best buds since college, and Theodoros Mihopoulos' sun-dappled cinematography is so phosphorescent you'll be tempted to book a tour of the Greek isles as your next summer vacation. No extras on the Cinephobia Releasing/Dekkoo Films DVD. (B PLUS.)
VENOM: THE LAST DANCE--The best things about "Venom" movies is that they're all under two hours, don't take themselves too seriously and star Tom Hardy. None of them have really been "good," but unlike too many Marvel Corp. Film Products they've all been relatively painless thanks to a lack of pretension. The final film in the trilogy that began in 2018 is pretty much more of the same. Still on the run after being outed in the last installment, Eddie/Venom is pursued by both Juno Temple's Dr. Page who wants to save him and a military honcho (Chiwetel Ejofor) seeking to destroy him. The CGI remains a little wonky--Sony's Marvel entries are cost-cutting endeavors compared to Disney's bank-breaking iterations--but the pace is breezy enough and it's never actively boring. Hardy continues to amuse in the role even if his "American accent" could still use some work.
WE LIVE IN TIME--Director John ("Brooklyn") Crowley's classy British weepie stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield as Almut and Tobias whose star-crossed, decade-long love story highlights all the major events of a couple's relationship: the "meet cute;" marriage proposal; meeting their partners' respective families; parenthood; et al. The fact that Pugh's Almut ("Al" for short) will eventually be diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer isn't a spoiler because Crowley and screenwriter Nick Payne have opted to tell the story in a nonlinear fashion (think "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"). An old-fashioned tearjerker in modernist clothes, it wouldn't work nearly as well as it does without the performances of Garfield (the former "Spider-Man" is less unctuous than usual) and especially the superb Pugh who will break your heart in a million pieces. (B PLUS.)
YOUR MONSTER--While still in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery, Laura (Melissa Barrera from the last two "Scream" movies) is unceremoniously dumped by the smarmy boyfriend (Edmund Donovan's Jacob) she spent five years of her life developing a Broadway musical with. After returning home she receives an even bigger shock upon discovering that a monster (Tommy Dewey looking a bit like the caveman from the Geico commercials) has taken up residence and refuses to leave. A Brooklyn hipster type who effortlessly blends in with his roommate's circle of theater friends, Monster becomes her secret weapon for enacting vengeance on those who did her wrong. (Better watch out, Jacob!) Barrera is more convincing belting show tunes than playing romantic scenes opposite Dewey's gnarly beastie. The first half of writer/director Caroline Lindy's movie plays like a rom-com with cancer before unconvincingly segueing to darkly comic horror terrain. Not even the gruesome climax can save a half-baked premise that simply doesn't play. Maybe the "Phantom of the Paradise"-era Brian DePalma could have made this unwieldy genre mash-up work, but first-time helmer Lindy simply lacks the chops to finesse the tonal schizophrenia. (C MINUS.) https://youtu.be/P_IHICzDn-4?si=_OkTcw_5PfNw79mt
NOW AVAILABLE IN THEATERS, ON HOME VIDEO AND/OR STREAMING CHANNELS:
BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE--Like another recent 36-years-later sequel ("Top Gun: Maverick"), Tim Burton's belated follow-up to his 1988 sleeper hit proves to have been well worth the wait. Winona Ryder reprises her role of Goth teen princess Lydia, now a widowed cable TV host with an angsty teenage daughter (Jenna Ortega's Astrid) of her own. Returning to Winter River, Connecticut for her dad's funeral, Lydia decides to shoot an episode of her "Ghost House" series at--where else?--her spook-laden family home. It isn't long before Michael Keaton's irrepressible Beetlejuice hones in on the action, even serving as a couples therapist for Lydia and her obnoxious producer-fiancee Rory (Justin Theroux). Despite being haunted by fearsome ex Delores (Monica Bellucci) who spends a good chunk of the movie reassembling her dead body piece by piece (they're conveniently stored in separate boxes), Beetlejuice sets his marital sights on Lydia. The climactic "wedding," scored to Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park," ranks among the most demented and hilarious setpieces of Burton's gloriously bonkers career. Also back for the ghoulish festivities are Catherine O'Hara as Lydia's pathologically self-absorbed artist stepmom Delia and the iconic "Shrunken Head Bob." Playing former "B" actor Wolf Jackson who now heads the afterlife police, Willem Dafoe steals every scene he's in. While Burton has had more misses than hits this century, "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" proves he's still got the right stuff. And major props to Burton for making a 2024 franchise tentpole that runs a mere 108 minutes; the original was 92 (!) minutes. (A MINUS.)
FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE--Chen ("The Emperor and the Assassin," "Life on a String") Kaige's 1993 arthouse smash has always felt like the movie David Lean could have made if he'd elected to follow "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dr. Zhivago" with a Chinese-language historical romance. Despite being the first Asian film to win Cannes' Palme d'Or where it shared top honors with Jane Campion's "The Piano," 16 minutes were chopped off the original 171-minute run time by Miramax major domo Harvey "Scissorhands" Weinstein prior to the U.S. release. Finally restored to the "Cannes Cut," Criterion Collection's gorgeous new 4K Blu Ray rendering is a cause for rejoice in all self-respecting cinephile households. Along with Zhang ("Raise the Red Lantern," "Shanghai Triad") Yimou, Chen was one of the leading lights of China's "Fifth Generation" of filmmakers. A member of Mao's army in his youth, Chen frequently referred to "Concubine" as his official mea culpa for having publicly denounced his own father at the time. Spanning fifty tunultous years, this glorious old-fashioned epic--with staggering Technicolor vistas courtesy of director of photography Gu Changwei--boldly uses the wide-screen format to tell a surprisingly intimate story about the lifelong friendship between two wildly disparate orphans (brawny Duan Xiaolou and androgynous Cheng Dieyi) apprenticed to the Beijing Opera as children. During the '40s Japanese occupation, the duo makes the acquaintance of House of Blossoms' courtesan Juxian (Yimou muse Gong Li), inaugurating a love triangle which creates an irreconcilable rift between Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi) and Dieyi (best known for his starring roles in John Woo's "A Better Tomorrow" and Wong Kar-Wai's swoon-worthy gay romance, "Happy Together") who still harbors an unrequited crush on his boyhood pal. The movie heartbreakingly climaxes in the aftermath of Mao's Cultural Revolution when loyalties, and even love, were crushed by government-mandated political dogma. The Criterion disc includes a new conversation between Chinese cultural studies scholar Michael Berry and producer Janet Yang; a 2003 documentary about the making of the film; Chen's 1993 American television interview with Charlie Rose; and an essay by author/scholar Pauline Chen. (A.)
GOODRICH--When his trophy second wife (Laura Beranti) goes into a Malibu rehab clinic for three months to break an addiction to prescription drugs, Andy (Michael Keaton) enlists the aid of adult daughter Grace (Mila Kunis) to help parent his nine-year-old twins (Vivien Lyra Blair and Jacob Kopera). In the process, Andy (nearly) becomes the sort of dad Grace would've liked to had while growing up. Sort of a mash-up of '80s Keaton films "Mr. Mom" and "Clean and Sober," writer/director Hallie Meyers-Shyer's formulaic dramedy is blessed with an A-list cast that helps sell even the hokiest cliches. National treasure Keaton is worth seeing in anything, of course, and Kunis, Andie McDowell, Carmen Ejogo and Kevin Pollak provide stellar support in mostly underwritten roles. (C PLUS.)
GREG ARAKI'S TEEN APOCALYPSE TRILOGY--Unlike some directors who eventually outgrow the mantle of "enfant terrible" (e.g., Francois Ozon), Gregg Araki never fully discarded that bratty appellation. Starting with "The Living End," his $20,000 critical and commercial breakthrough, Araki was officially designated as poster boy of the nascent Queer Cinema. Following the success of his 1992 provocation in which two gay men--one who's been recently diagnosed as HIV positive--hit the road for a "Clyde and Clyde"-style crime spree, Araki has consistently pushed the envelope. The fact that the Criterion Collection is releasing Araki's self-described "Teen Apocalypse Trilogy" (1993-'97) shouldn't be terribly surprising. After all, Criterion previously gave Araki predecessor John Waters their bells-and-whistles treatment with lavish renderings of zero budget Waters underground classics like "Mondo Trasho," "Pink Flamingos" and "Female Trouble." Araki's stories of teen alienation, hazy/fluid sexuality and hyper-aggression might not feel as shocking as they seemed at the time, but they're no less transgressive or in-your-face gnarly.
1993's "Totally F***ed Up" was Araki's winking avant garde homage to John Hughes' '80s high school movies. Loosely plotted and episodic in nature, it artfully delineates the lives of six gay Los Angeles teens (4 boys and a lesbian couple). Besides introducing actor James Duval who would become Araki's designated creative muse, starring in all three of his "Apocalypse" films, it was also the only Araki movie to world premiere at Lincoln Center's tony New York Film Festival.
Although 1995's "The Doom Generation" was semi-facetiously marketed as "A Hetero Movie by Gregg Araki,"
its Queer bona fides were unmistakable. Jordan (Duval) and Amy (Rose McGowan) impulsively pick up a sexy hitchhiker (Jonathan Schaech's amusingly monikered Xavier Red) who temporarily upends their relationship by sleeping with both of them. He also takes the couple on an increasingly violent joy ride that eventually brings them to the attention of the F.B.I. After Jordan is killed by neo-Nazis crackers, Amy and Xavier drive off together, destination unknown although it looks an awful lot like the abyss. (Parker Posey does an unforgettable cameo, too.)
If Russ Meyer had directed a bi, mixed race "Very Special Episode" of "Beverly Hills 90210," it might have looked something like Araki's Hellzapoppin "Nowhere" (1997). Dark (James Duval again) and Mel ("The Craft" breakout Rachel True) are an L.A. high school couple in an open relationship who inadvertently get caught up in alien abductions, bad acid trips, suicides and rape on a day when the world is predicted to end. Working with the biggest budget of his career until then, Araki went for broke in the gonzo casting department. Ryan Phillippe, Heather Graham, Scott Caan, Chiara Mastroianni, Guillermo Diaz, Debi Mazar, Beverly D'Angelo (clearly having a ball playing Dark's reprobate mom), Christina Applegate, John Ritter (as seedy televangelist "Moses Helper"), and even former "Brady Bunch"-ers, Eve Plumb and Christopher Knight.
All three films on the Criterion box set include juicy audio commentary tracks: "F***ed Up" (with Araki, Duval and actor Gilbert Luna); "Doom" (Araki, Duval, McGowan and Schaech); "Nowhere" (Araki, Duval, True and sundry costars). There's also a new conversation between Araki and Richard ("Boyhood") Linklater; a documentary featurette on the trilogy's Pop Art-influenced visual style; "James Duval's Teen Apocalypse Trilogy," an affectionate catching-up hangout between Araki and Duval; Q&As with Araki moderated by "My Own Private Idaho" auteur Gus van Sant and Andrew Ahn; a "Doom Generation" comic book; trailers; and an essay by critic Nathan Lee. (A.)
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE; THE SEVENTH VICTIM--After immigrating to the U.S. from his native Russia in 1911 (he was seven at the time), Val Lewton attended Columbia University before landing a job as editorial assistant to uber-producer David O. Selznick in the early 1930's. By the time he entered films, Lewton was already a published author of ten novels, six non-fiction books and a book of poetry, sometimes under pseudonyms. In 1942, he was put in charge of a special RKO production unit specializing in low-budget horror movies. The films bear Lewton's personal stamp more than that of their individual directors, and their influence has been formidable. Accordingly, the Criterion Collection has just released a box set featuring two of Lewton's most celebrated and iconic films.
"Zombie," director Jacques Tourneur and Lewton's follow-up to the previous year's "Cat People," ranks among the most poetic horror movies ever made. As Canadian nurse Betsy Connell who goes to Haiti to work as the live-in caretaker for Jessica (Christine Gordon), ailing wife of wealthy planter Paul Holland (Tom Conway), Frances Dee takes her place among Lewton's many proto-feminist heroines. The natives believe Jessica is one of the walking dead, and her lifeless appearance confirms their suspicions. Is she merely insane as her husband insists, or is her zombie-like appearance the result of a voodoo curse placed on her by Paul's mother (Edith Barrett) for having an affair with her brother-in-law (James Ellison)? We never know for sure, but the film places as much validity in voodoo as in a belief in "God." Pretty transgressive for 1943, right?
Refreshingly, the native islanders aren't mocked for their beliefs and religious practices. In fact, they're the only ones who understand what forces reign supreme while the hapless whites wallow in confusion and terror. Since Lewton was an avowed Bronte superfan, it's not surprising that the movie reads at times as "Jane Eyre in the West Indies." The narrative is set up like a Greek tragedy with a homestead ravaged by infidelity, sibling rivalry and meddling in-laws. There's even a one-man Greek chorus (Black Calypso singer Sir Lancelot) to explain the plot in song. Because this is arguably the most visually striking of Lewton's productions, the lyrical quality of the long silent passages, sepulchral lighting, shadows, music and exotic settings all contribute to making this one of the masterpieces of the horror genre. Lewton, Tourneur and cinematographer J. Roy Hunt truly created the ultimate "beautiful nightmare."
In her screen debut, Kim ("A Streetcar Named Desire") Hunter plays Mary Gibson in "Victim," a young woman who leaves college to search for her missing older sister, Jacqueline (Jean Brooks), in Greenwich Village. It turns out that Jacqueline has fallen under the spell of devil-worshippers who are trying to force her to commit suicide for having disclosed their existence to a psychiatrist (Tom Conway again). Hunter falls in love with Brooks' husband, Gregory (future Ward Cleaver Hugh Beaumont), but he won't leave his wife because he thinks she needs his help and loyalty. Stylishly directed by Mark ("Valley of the Dolls") Robson, this spooky noir horror film features delectably sinister creatures (e.g., a one-armed, piano-playing female devil-worshipper) and smart, strong-willed women. A shower scene--albeit bloodless--is shot and edited in a manner that anticipates "Psycho." The double suicide that ends the movie is perhaps the most depressing moment in the history of screen horror. Lewton aficionados will appreciate its existentialist nature as well as smart dialogue scenes about free will vs. fate (a familiar Lewton motif). The John Donne quote that begins and ends the film ("I run to death and death meets me as fast, and all my pleasures are like yesterday") could be interpreted as the thematic inspiration for Lewton's entire horror cycle.
The Criterion set includes 4K and Blu Ray copies of both titles as well as a plethora of extras including commentary tracks; the 2005 documentary, "Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy" with, among others, director-fanboys William Friedkin, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis George A. Romero; an interview with historian Sara Smith; audio essays from Adam Roche's "The Secret History of Hollywood" podcast with pertinent info about the casts, crews and production history of both movies; excerpts from "The Origins of the Zombie, From Haiti to the U.S.," an episode of PBS' "Monstrum" series; the original theatrical trailers; and essays by critics Lucy Sante and Chris Fujiwara. (A.)
JOKER FOLIE A DEUX--Todd Phillips' eagerly anticipated sequel to his 2019 "Scorsese-pastiche-meets-D.C. Comics" blockbuster finds Arthur Fleck/Joker (Joaquin Phoenix reprising his Oscar-winning role) imprisoned in a state mental hospital while awaiting trial for the murder of five people. (His lawyer, gamely played by the wonderful Catherine Keener, claims that her client is innocent because of a split personality disorder.) When a lovestruck fellow patient (Lady Gaga's Lee Quinzel aka the future Harley Quinn) makes her romantic intentions known, sad sack Arthur is understandably smitten. Their perverse "love story" forms the foundation for a Brechtian musical with Dennis ("The Singing Detective," "Pennies From Heaven") Potter pretensions. Heavy on standards ("If My Friends Could See Me Now," "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," et al), the eclectic soundtrack is the main draw of a movie that probably looked better in concept than it does in execution. The overriding flaw is that not a whole lot really happens plot-wise---a problem for a film that runs 138 minutes--and, even worse, Gaga is sorely underutilized. While her live wire intensity makes "Folie a Deux" eminently watchable, it's yet another movie suffering from the dread sophomore jinx. Maybe they should have just left well enough alone. (C PLUS.)
MOTHER--When Albert Brooks' "Mother" opened on Christmas Day 1996, awards pundits all seemed to agree that it would be the movie that finally won Debbie Reynolds an Oscar. (Shockingly, she'd only been nominated once previously for 1964's "The Unsinkable Molly Brown") Apparently AMPAS disliked Debbie as much as they did Brooks since she wasn't even recognized for her career-defining performance. Brooks' sole nomination was for his supporting turn in James L. Brooks' "Broadcast News." (I still find it mind-blowing that he didn't even rate an original screenplay nod for 1985's "Lost in America," the best American comedy since "The Graduate.") The movie's set-up is deceptively simple. Twice-divorced fortysomething sci-fi author John Henderson (Brooks) moves back in with his Sausalito, California mom (Reynolds' Beatrice) hoping to cure his writer's block. The fact that Beatrice makes passive-aggressiveness an Olympic sport is immediately signaled when she introduces John to a neighbor as, "Oh, this is my son; the other one." (John's kid brother Jeff--Rob Morrow from "Quiz Show" and "Northern Exposure"--is the apple of Beatrice's eye despite being a preening narcissist.) Picking favorite funny moments is probably a Sisyphean task, but Beatrice's description of the ice crystallizing over her orange sherbet as a "protective layer" is something I've been quoting for nearly 30 years. Although Reynolds was actually Brooks' third choice to play Beatrice (both Doris Day and Nancy "Just Say No" Reagan turned him down), it proved to be remarkably fortuitous for all concerned. Not only did Reynolds' bravura performance help make "Mother" Brooks' top-grossing film, but Carrie Fisher, Reynolds' daughter, was instrumental in getting her ex, Paul Simon, to rewrite the lyrics to "Mrs. Robinson" for the movie's soundtrack ("Here's to you, Mrs. Henderson..."). Despite being the antithesis of "prolific" ("Mother" was only the fifth of seven movies Brooks wrote, directed and starred in over 45 years), I've been championing him as a national treasure since his short films which aired in the early days of Saturday Night Live. And while I'm delighted that the Criterion Collection is honoring him this month with dual releases of "Mother" and "Real Life," Brooks' 1979 feature debut, there are, sadly, precious few bonus features. Separate interviews with Brooks and Morrow, an affectionate essay by critic Carrie Rickey and the '96 teaser trailer directed by Brooks are the lone supplements. (A.)
PIECE BY PIECE--Oscar winner Morgan ("50 Feet From Stardom," "Won't You be My Neighbor?") Neville's LEGO musical-biodoc about Pharrell Williams is arguably one of the year's most original, visually striking films. Beginning with hip-hop prodigy Williams' 1970's childhood in Virginia Beach's Atlantis Apartments and continuing through his recording career with the Neptunes and A-list collaborators like Missy Elliott, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, the movie is so airbrushed--smoothing over any potential rough edges in Williams' bio--that it borders on hagiography. No matter how true to life it is, Neville's rise-and-fall-and-rise-again narrative structure makes it seem like a movie you've seen many times before, although probably without animated LEGOs. (C.)
SATURDAY NIGHT--The 90 minutes leading up to the October 11, 1975 premiere of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" form the basis of director Jason ("Juno," "Thank You for Smoking") Reitman's nostalgia-fueled, rambunctiously entertaining love letter to what would become a cultural benchmark. Behind the scene players Lorne Michaels (Gabriel La Belle) and NBC programming executive Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), cast mates Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien) and sundry others are just some of the real-life personages indelibly portrayed here, with special mention to Nicholas (Cousin Greg from HBO's "Succession") Braun who does double-duty as both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson. The frenetic pace beautifully captures the pressure cooker environment everyone was working in as network censors threatened to derail the show even before its inaugural broadcast. Reitman--in his best film since 2009's "Up in the Air"--captures this signature, singular moment in pop culture history with palpable affection and prodigious wit. (A.)
SMILE 2--Writer/director Parker Finn's follow-up to his 2022 sleeper hit is that rare horror sequel that doesn't
suck. In fact, Finn actually ups his game here by going deeper--and arguably harder--with a more ambitious and vividly imagined spook-fest. He also dabbles in Cronenbergian body horror this time although it's pretty hard to top Coralie Fargeat's "The Substance" in that regard. As Taylor Swift manque Skye Riley, Naomi (best known for playing Jasmine in Guy Ritchie's 2019 live-action "Aladdin") Scott is a more convincing Swiftie than Saleka Shyamalan was in "Trap" this summer. While prepping for an international concert tour, Skye finds herself stalked by the same frozen rictus grins that terrorized Sosie Bacon in the earlier movie. Could it have something to do with the dark secrets buried in the pop diva's past? The only holdover from the original cast is Kyle ("Strange Darling") Gallner who's joined by the always welcome Rosemarie ("Rachel Getting Married") DeWitt, Raul Castillo, Ray Nicholson (yes, Jack's son) and Drew Barrymore playing herself in an amusing cameo. Although the more niche "Terrifier 3" sold a lot of tickets last weekend, "Smile 2" will probably be scaring the bejesus out of teenage girls until "Wicked" arrives at Thanksgiving. (B.)
SPEAK NO EVIL--Unlike most English-language remakes of transgressive Euro thrillers that inevitably manage to lose something in translation even when they're helmed by the original directors (e.g., Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" and George Sluizer's "The Vanishing"), James ("Eden Lake") Watkins' slick gloss on Christian Tafdrup's bleakly nihilistic Danish shocker is nearly as disturbingly effective as the original. (It might be even more impactful if you haven't seen the 2022 original.) When Ben and Louise (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis) accept an invitation from the friendly couple (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi) they met on vacation to spend a weekend at their country home, things quickly escalate from mildly disturbing to flat-out terrifying. As good as McNairy and Davis are in their unofficial "Halt and Catch Fire" reunion, the movie truly belongs to a superb McAvoy whose tour de force performance turns from rakishly charming to menacing on a dime. (B.)
TERRIFIER 3--Set five years after the grisly events chronicled in 2022's "Terrifier 2," Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is back to wreak ho-ho-ho mayhem, this time on Christmas Eve. Art--wearing a Santa costume--is once again accompanied by his partner-in-butchery, Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi), and their #1 target is the franchise's "Last Girl Standing" (Lauren LaVera) who's still suffering from PTSD. Following in the hallowed footsteps of extreme horror progenitor Herschell Gordon Lewis of "Blood Feast" and "Two Thousand Maniacs" fame, writer/director Damien Leone continues forging his own gruesome path with impressive practical gore effects that belie the film's Poverty Row budget. If your taste runs more towards denatured "PG-13" Blumhouse horror flicks, this will probably have you running for the exit after 15 blood-soaked minutes. But for true genre aficionados, it's a bit like an early Xmas present. (C PLUS.)
TOTEM--A family birthday party forms the backdrop for Mexican writer/director Lila Aviles' deeply felt sophomore effort (2019's "The Chambermaid" marked her auspicious filmmaking debut). Told principally through the eyes of a preternaturally wise 7-year-old (Naima Senties' Sol), Aviles demonstrates an astonishing control of pacing and mood. Because the party is for Sol's terminally ill painter father (Mateo Garcia Elizondo) who may not live long enough to blow out the candles on his cake, everyone, particularly her flibbertigibbet aunties, is walking on eggshells. Observing all the frenetic activity surrounding her--and this is a supremely immersive film--the intrepid Sol often seems like the oldest and wisest person in her grandfather's sprawling, chaotic home. Aviles' use of small visual cues (ghostly images in silhouette, strategically placed jump cuts, long takes) give form to Sol's inchoate feelings. Despite the potentially maudlin subject matter, the tone is never funereal or remotely sentimental. (Aviles has too much respect for her audience to shamelessly tug on our heartstrings.) Instead she's made a humanist masterpiece that, in its artistic rigor and piercing soulfulness, recalls Victor Erice's coming-of-age classic "The Spirit of the Beehive." The only extras on the Janus/Sideshow/Criterion Channel Blu Ray are an interview with Aviles and the theatrical trailer. (A.)
TRANSFORMERS ONE--Like last year's unexpectedly sanguine Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, the first fully animated "Transformers" movie in 38 years manages to breathe new life into Hasbro's 1980's IP. Oscar-winning director Josh ("Toy Story 4") Cooley's origin story introduces Optimus Prime and Megatron when they were still worker-bee robots bonding over mutual contempt for the elite Transformers who rule their home planet Cyberton. Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) embark upon a mission to retrieve the lost Matrix of Leadership, hoping to restore the Energon they need to survive. Besides heavy-hitters Hemsworth and Henry, the vocal cast--including Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi and Laurence Fisburne--is as impressive as the frequently stunning 3-D-style computer animation. Along with sprightly action sequences and wise-cracking comedy, the film even manages to serve up some genuine emotion. Who knew Transformers could be so expressive? (B PLUS.)
THE WILD ROBOT--Director Christopher ("How to Train Your Dragon," "The Croods") Sanders has described his animated adaptation of Peter Brown's kid-lit staple as "a Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest." What he didn't mention was that the narrative plays an awful lot like a cross between Brad Bird's 1999 cult classic "The Iron Giant" and Pixar masterpiece "Wall-E." Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o voices titular service robot Rozzum Unit 7134 (aka "Roz") who, after crash landing on a remote island, immediately begins searching for a master to serve. In short order, she becomes surrogate mom to an orphaned gosling (Kit O'Connor's Brightbill), as well as making friends with a veritable menagerie of critters including opposum Pinktail (Catherine O'Hara), fox Fink (Pedro Pascal) grizzly Thorn (Mark Hamill), and beaver Paddle (Matt Berry). What's most interesting about a film intended for very young children is its assiduously unsentimental attitude about mortality. ("Death's proximity makes life burn all the brighter" one sage critter opines) The gorgeous backdrops--sunsets, changing seasons, sea vistas--have a near painterly precision while the animal designs are, disappointingly, a tad on the conventional side. (B.)
---Milan Paurich
