Author Archives: filmtoppings

11.12.23
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The Marvels

Carol Danvers gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe.

The best way to make a good Captain Marvel sequel is to bring in the other superpowered women in her world — her “niece” who hasn’t seen her in years, and Jersey City teen who’s Carol’s biggest fan. Right away, Nia DaCosta’s directorial energy shines in the pace and editing, but what truly strengthens the experience is the chemistry between Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani. The three blend together naturally, particularly Larson and Vellani, with Larson’s loving presence shining through as does Vellani’s excitement over seeing her hero in the flesh. Though Carol and Monica get to have some heart-to-heart, it doesn’t feel like Rambeau’s character gets more interestingly developed than in WandaVision. The villain Dar-Benn is one of the film’s greatest faults — though Zawe Ashton is strongly cast and the character’s motives are clearly established, her actions don’t feel menacing or personal enough to warrant the audience’s hatred of her as a villain.

Despite mostly strong visuals, the action scenes (besides a great opening one) feel like more derivative versions of other action scenes in the MCU except for the “switching places” aspect, and the latter ones feel in fact messy and rushed. The film also isn’t too concerned with making its emotional themes stick, and most of the heart rests in the natural talent the three stars already bring and the love they share for each other in the story, but Kamala Khan’s family makes for great supporting characters and comedic reliefs, as well as the adorable Flerken cat Goose. The rules and devices that come into play, feel either incoherent or underdeveloped within the flow of the story, resulting in the film sometimes feeling like a less realized version of a great movie. That said, there’s heart, energy, and fun in this film, and even some delightful musical moments, although DaCosta’s passion isn’t felt as much when some other of its critical ideas feel standard and undercooked.

10.28.23
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The Holdovers

A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go.

Directed by Alexander Payne, who won Oscars for writing Sideways and The Descendants, The Holdovers is destined to be an instant classic. It’s my new favorite Payne movie, and shows Paul Giamatti as an expert actor in both the comedic and dramatic fronts, yet a very different performance from his Sideways role. He plays a resentful yet timid and lonesome soul who finds an unexpected companion over the Christmas break. Da’Vine Joy Randolph should be a frontrunner to get nominated for Best Supporting Actress as a woman dealing with unthinkable grief but still attempting to be a voice of warmth and reason for those around here. Dominic Sessa delivers a sensational and heartbreaking and breakout performance as a savage teenager devoid of his parents’ love, who is the center of the film along with Giamatti’s character. Payne’s direction is his most magnificent, delivering the 1970s sets and soundtrack with a feeling of grandiose. He digs deep into these broken misfits who have lovable souls underneath their pain, characters we’d often be quick to judge but soon would stand up through thick and thin as audience members. It has something for everyone, whether you want to laugh and feel connected, or a little poignant emotion too. Comedy and drama fans, this is one of the best of the year, and a highlight for both Payne and Giamatti’s careers as artists.

09.28.23
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The Creator

In a future where humans have gone to war with artificial intelligence, Joshua, an ex-special forces agent, is recruited to hunt down and kill the “Creator”, who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war.

Seven years after the release of his last film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Gareth Edwards arrives with what feels like a visionary action film that feels parts Blade Runner and Avatar. The visual effects come together seamlessly to create a world that’s set in the distant future but might not be so far-fetched considering attitudes on AI in these times. The humans, robots, and hybrids all blend together in the frame and the robots’ movements look so smooth you’d believe they look exactly like that as they interact with other items in the screen. Not to mention the pitch-perfect cinematography from Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer that creates a mood that’s stunning yet violent, in-camera yet out of this world. John David Washington makes becoming one of the generation’s coolest action stars look effortless, and Allison Janney is surprisingly great, as well as the always delightful and nuanced work of Ken Watanabe. Madeline Yuna Voyles delivers a great breakout as a powerful AI child, though her relationship with Washington’s character doesn’t really click until later on, and even then feels a little derivative.

Though structurally you will occasionally encounter familiarity, the film takes a unique approach to the conflict between humans and artificial life, and visually it’s like nothing out there right now. Though the plot turns may be predictable for many viewers, it has a flare and liveliness to the action that not many other action movies this year had. More importantly, it feels even more special today as it’s one of the only theatrical action/sci-fi blockbusters of this scale without any source material/IP that’s been released in the last few years, and that’s worth commending and supporting. But whenever this had been released or viewed, Gareth Edwards’ inspired direction solidifies him as someone who’s in love with the worlds his movies imagine as much as the stories they tell on the page, and The Creator would make you want to invest in anything he puts his stamp on next.

09.26.23
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Dumb Money

Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop into the world’s hottest company.

A true story released only two years after the real events happened has the potential to be concerning, but Dumb Money takes a ridiculously fun approach to its outrageous story. In order to tell such an insane turn of events that actually happened, you need to match that with a style that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the soundtrack and comedic tone of the film very much understand that. Similar to The Big Short, it also does a great job of making financial talk sound accessible and engaging. It also frames the Gamestop short squeeze as an underdog story, and ordinary people gathering knowledge about finance and investing as a positive incentive. Everyone is great, from Paul Dano who plays the film’s lead rebel and hero, to funnier roles like Seth Rogen and Sebastian Stan. America Ferrera gives the film a lot of spirit and Anthony Ramos, Myhal’la Herrold, Talia Ryder and Shailene Woodley are also very entertaining. However, Pete Davidson is sure to get the most audience reactions as hands-down the funniest and most memorable presence in the film. With a cast this awesome and a style this entertaining, it’s hard to find much that doesn’t work about what Dumb Money sets out to do — or a reason not to watch it in theaters.

09.21.23
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A Haunting in Venice

Hercule Poirot attends a seance at the suggestion of his friend, mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver, who wants to expose a medium as a fraud, but a murder occurs and Poirot must get to the bottom of what seems to be an impossible deadly truth.

Though Kenneth Branagh has seemed to find a formula that works in his slew of Agatha Christie-based films in which he directs himself as the iconic detective, he also wisely ditches the CGI-heavy look of the last two films for a more intimate setting within a darkly lit Venice palazzo one stormy Halloween night in 1947. Though the cast has more weak links this time, Jamie Dornan, Kyle Allen, Jude Hill, Michelle Yeoh and others deliver interesting performances, with Tina Fey being as cocky and entertaining as you’d expect her to be as a writer in the 1940s who’s friends with the Hercule Poirot. It embraces some of the visual and tonal aspects of gothic horror but cleverly doesn’t fully indulge in the genre and remains a solid Whodunit murder mystery, although the pacing still has its slow moments. As I said before, the less “obnoxious” or massively cinematic style helps it better establish a darker mood and a murder mystery that feels contained and believable, and delving just enough into the concept of spirits to feel unique compared to the last two, without throwing too many supernatural elements at you. In other words, it’s another delightful Poirot mystery that never quite surpasses the description of satisfactory, but still fun enough for a watch.

09.18.23
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Golda

Golda focuses on Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir as she faces internal and political pressures during the Yom Kippur War, as she fights for her dignity and the existence of the state of Israel.

Helen Mirren shows up as she always does and disappears into the role of Golda Meir in this biopic, elevating what would’ve been a very slow, by-the-numbers historical film otherwise. Besides some amazing make-up work on her, Mirren emulates the spirit of a fighter, who was balancing personal health and guilt struggles with the weight of making decisions that could determine the fate of her reputation and her country’s fragile existence forever. She captures Meir’s cocky but patient, empathetic, and demanding spirit very vividly. Camille Cottin also does a good job as Meir’s personal assistant who becomes family to her, but unfortunately, she’s the only member of the supporting cast who feels interesting or soulful, though Liev Schreiber has a solid scene that he shares with Mirren.

Though Mirren’s performance carries the film, it also struggles with its pace, as some of the decision-making scenes feel repetitive, and even with its 100-minute runtime, it could’ve been more engaging. But it’s also a huge step up from Hollywood’s last big take on Israeli history, 2018’s 7 Days in Entebbe, which was a disaster. Though Golda isn’t that much more memorable or a necessary theater watch, the outstanding lead performance makes it a much easier watch and I’d even argue it’s a great gateway into Israeli history, and thematically strong about people making sacrifices and battling for Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state, while being respectful to the soldiers and their loved ones involved in the Yom Kippur War.

08.25.23
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Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo is based on the true story of racer Jann Mardenborough, who wins a series of Nissan-sponsored video game competitions through his gaming skills and becomes a real-life professional race car driver. Though the spectacle is strong with this film, the overall execution is muddled and mostly carried by David Harbour’s performance as Mardenborough’s trainer. Harbour is excellent as a hard but deeply encouraging mentor figure who develops a camaraderie of sorts with Jann, and the story of a gamer achieving the impossible and fulfilling his dreams becoming a real racer has some fun to it considering its a true story, but there’s also dragged out “sports underdog” cliches and a muddled execution. Blomkamp’s directing is fashionable but often jarring, with headache-inducing editing during the racing scenes that clearly look expensive but lack the adrenaline of Ford v Ferrari and Rush. Archie Madekwe is solid in the lead role, but the supporting cast doesn’t feel as interesting or human, with the exception of Harbour and a strong Djimon Honsou. The first two acts though are dragged out and the montage-style pacing feels frustrating and uninteresting, with weird video game-like edits that are supposed to feel meta but instead take you out of the scene.

Gran Turismo has enough references for fans of real-life racing, and racing scenes for fans of action and sports, and the third act is a fun and significant improvement over the first hour and a half of the film, but may not warrant a watch unless you’re strictly looking for sports and spectacle.

08.20.23
by

Blue Beetle

When recent college gradaute comes across a valuable piece of military tech designed by Kord Industries, he suddenly gets attached to a sentient scarab and becomes its host. He must use his new suit to discover his identity and fight for his family.

Blue Beetle has no concern with scale or world-building like the other last few DCEU films, but feels effortless in building beautiful family dynamics among the Reyes family that give our lead character a real soul and a reason to fight. It’s lovely to see such a supportive family with no strings attached in a superhero film, and see Jaime as a college graduate going through relatable life issues. But the character could’ve easily still fallen flat in the script had the film not struck gold with its casting. Xolo Mariduena is a ray of light and as Jaime. Not a moment goes by where you don’t feel his charm and energy as a magnetic and empathetic presence, but as Jaime learns, he isn’t the same without his family. He’s surrounded by a cast of fantastic performers as the family. George Lopez in particular is absolutely hilarious as his Uncle Rudy, not to mention a scene-stealing Adriana Barazza as his grandma. Belissa Escobedo is also a breakout as Jaime’s sister Milagro who is an incredibly layered and likable character, and these actors come together to build a support system that helps Jaime understand the importance of family while cheering him on on his own journey. Bruna Marquezene is also great as Jenny Kord and adds a lot to the film, and Harvey Guillen has a small but hysterical role. Susan Sarandon is well-cast as Victoria Kord, though her lines and motives are riddled with superhero corporate baddie cliches.

Though the cast helps make the movie as soulful as it is, the visual look of the film can be underwhelming. The 80s campy feel is appreciable but the quality of the CGI and the lighting choices are uninteresting, and occasionally questionable. That being sad, the cheeky energy converts enough into smiles and emotion that the audience feels for its lead characters, making Jaime Reyes potentially one of the best DCEU protagonists, and worth a watch for fans of superhero films.

08.04.23
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

For years, Raphael, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo have been trained in the ways of ninjitsu by their father Splinter, and have been told not to leave the sewers for fear of what the humans will do to them. But the turtles decide to foil a dangerous plot and become the heroes New York City needs.

After numerous iterations, the Ninja Turtles franchise finally has an installment that understands the tone this IP deserves to feel lively and memorable. The turtles are voiced by actual teens, so they really get to feel youthful and like genuine characters (as much as mutant turtles can), and perhaps animation was the best way to go all along. The live-action designs of the characters in the past always looked too silly or creepy, and the style always helps this film live up to the mayhem suggested in the title. The Spider-Verse-inspired animation style of 3D graphics and 2D coloring gives the film a teenage feel, but more than that, something imaginative, wild, and fresh that doesn’t demand to be taken too seriously like the Michael Bay-produced live-action iteration. The dynamic “camera movements” and hip-hop soundtrack gives the film a constant energy that always put a smile on my face. The packed voice cast is also great, particularly Jackie Chan as Splinter, who may secretly be the heart of the film. Chan gives the talking rat a soul that makes him unique beyond what could have been the typical strict parent in an animated movie. Ayo Edebiri is also lovely as April O’Neill, an aspiring teenage journalist who befriends the turtles instantly and is a refreshing departure from the hyper-sexualized it-girl April from past iterations. Ice Cube is a very entertaining villain whose personality and understanding motivations make it easy to enjoy his cliche evil plan. The only character I didn’t quite enjoy was Maya Rudolph’s Cynthia Utrom, not because of the voice performance but rather the generic archetype and motives that had nothing to elevate or make her feel necessary.

I’m surprised to say that I finally find the Ninja Turtles to be great, but this movie is incredibly funny and booming with imagination and heart. Though it does draw a lot tonally from the recent iterations of Spider-Man, it’s hard to complain when the animation and script are this much fun.

07.23.23
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Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s new film tackles the story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. Aside from being the most immersive and devoted filmmaker of our time to the cinematic experience, Nolan is known for often trying to top himself with his ever-growing ambition, style and scale. Oppenheimer is his equivalent to Lawrence of Arabia or Amadeus, a three-hour historical epic that shifts time periods, perspectives, and color styles consistently. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, with the practical sets and effects sticking out, and the creative choices during the explosion scenes managing to awe and surprise. Ludwig Goransson’s arresting score may have topped even his work for the Black Panther films and Tenet, and the intricate editing is commendable. But one thing Nolan should also be appreciated for here is his writing, that packs a level of sophistication about history, human nature, science, and what it’s like to be a genius who may have the ability to unlock horrific powers. It’s a film that focuses on the new era the atomic bomb marked for the world, because of the destruction such immense power and its knowledge could cause in the hands and ego of mankind in power. Will such an invention cause scorched earth, or the end of the earth?

Cillian Murphy gives a performance that may end up defining his image as a celebrity and actor. The transformation is unreal and his eyes give so much to Oppenheimer’s mannerisms and attitudes towards the scenery. The film has an Avengers-sized supporting cast of named actors, some even being Oscar winners who only show up for a scene or two. Among the standouts are Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Jason Clarke, Jack Quaid, and Benny Safdie — and some A-listers who aren’t even in the trailer so I won’t reveal them in case you don’t already know — but Robert Downey Jr. gives a career standout of a turn and really manages to own all his scenes while giving sides of him we hadn’t seen before. Though there is an incredible amount of story and dialogue that’s given to you at a quick pace, and it feels like this for the whole 3 hours, I also respect that the film sees its audience as intelligent and eager to learn such information. It has something for buffs of history, Nolan, or simply visual grandeur. It’s Nolan’s most stylistically challenging yet mature achievement and one of his best written films as well, but not just that, it may be one of the best directed movies I’ve ever seen. It’s a monumental study of an era in the world and the man behind that name, shown through Nolan’s beautiful eye for the gorgeous, yet unimaginable (in this case), possibilities of human endeavors.