It’s hard to imagine who was asking for a film about a Neil Diamond tribute band, but this true story works due to its immense charm. Hugh Jackman shines as Mike Sardina, a misfit who dreams of bringing success to his Neil Diamond show. His charisma and excellent passion for music shine in the role. Kate Hudson gives one of her strongest performances as the band’s other half — together they’re “Lightning and Thunder”. Claire faces great tribulations but her resilience and desire to not be made small by those around her define her character’s journey.
Craig Brewer directs the music performance scenes with a power that anchors the film, and though it doesn’t set out to reinvent the biopic, it works well thanks to its underdog energy and emotion. This drama about the convergence between music, love, and the strength to carry forward, has touches of strong humor but will also tug on your heartstrings, and may also make you curious to learn even more about the true story behind the duo at the film’s center — and listen to some Neil Diamond hits — after the movie ends.
The Safdies’ bold filmmaking style has reinvented storytelling since they entered the scene in their expert use of handheld camerawork and overlapping dialogue to build tension, and Josh Safdie’s newest film is not only his grandest, but also one of the year’s must-watch movies that subverts most modern categorizations. If you had trouble rooting for Adam Sandler’s lead in Uncut Gems, Timothee Chalamet’s portrayal of Marty Mauser is almost as slimy, smooth-talking, and utterly self-centered. Not to mention, it’s the best performance of his entire career, devoting so much physicality in every moment to a character who desires to not only be great, but to be celebrated for his greatness. That’s exactly what causes him to make choices that are hot-headed, self-destructive, and often awful to others. Chalamet is loud but oddly charismatic, energetic, and layered. So why, through it all, are we secretly hoping for our unlikable protagonist to get what he wants, even if we know he might just squander it? Marty hustles, lies, insults, and risks it all to reach his ultimate goal of being the best ping pong player in the world, and Safdie’s direction as certain scenarios open rabbit holes of crazy and unwanted situations captures the exhilarating and hysterical chaos of it all.
Odessa A’zion delivers a spectacular breakout performance, giving her character of Rachel a kinetic unpredictability and standing out as a pivotal role in the story that’s impossible to look away from. Gwyneth Paltrow gives much heft to her character, a lost and washed-up but passionate actress looking to be heard in what she feels is a stuck situation in her life, and Kevin O’Leary also shines in a role defined by authority, vanity, and a coldness that looks down on Marty as he approaches him. Tyler, the Creator also stands out as a friend of Marty’s who shares some of the craziest scenes of the film with him. Safdie does an outstanding job of capturing the dirty and rugged look of 1950s New York, with madness increasing as characters yell over each other with the camera up in their faces, or sometimes bad or desperate situations escalate to much, much worse. The script, camerawork, and editing are working together in unison in every moment to create an intense and nail-biting flow that never stops. Not to mention, Daniel Lopatin’s booming score and the brilliantly selected soundtrack enhance every moment in which they’re present.
Chalamet’s performance that vivdly brings the titular character to life is just as fascinating as trying to piece together the greater poetry of the story. The magnitude of Marty’s ambitions are underscored by his entitlement to his gifts and destiny, and his willingness to deceive and toss those close to him aside. This make it fun to predict whether or not he’ll find the success he’s looking for; if he does, at what cost? And if he doesn’t, which of his egregious mistakes will be his downfall? In expected Safdie fashion, it’s overwhelming direction and sound design contribute to a nail-biting watch that resonates as a wickedly structured character study, an absurdly shocking comedy, and one of the one of the most epic dramas of the year.
Mona Fastvold’s latest endeavor is almost impossible to describe, but will certainly cast its bizarre spell on many viewers. Amanda Seyfried gives her most potent performance yet, portraying a woman whose faith and guidance becomes relentless in the face of tragedy and hardship. The film brings to light the story of the Shakers, a religious group whose form of worship and communion were rather unique, and compliments the musical element of the film, as their worship is practically in very visceral song and dance. Lewis Pullman and Thomasin McKenzie also greatly stand out here.
The cinematography and the editing make the film almost dream-like, to evoke the state of divinity the worshippers must’ve felt, but also touches on intense and difficult imagery that tests the characters and their surroundings to the brink. Though it’s a slow burn that may lose some for various reasons, it’s also captivating and singular. It works not just as a biopic but as a fascinating experiment that boasts a tremendous leading performance from Seyfried. The film is darkly beautiful and visionary, and it’s impossible to resist its hallucinatory trance.
There’s something pure in seeing the healing nature of art and how it helps people through tough times — but watching a character embrace stand-up comedy means both the audience within the movie and the audience of the film, as in us, gets to laugh, if the movie’s well-written enough. Is This Thing On? hits all the right notes thanks to its funny and vulnerable script and pitch-perfect casting of its two leads.
Will Arnett gives far and away the most wonderful performance of his career, never letting his signature goofiness get in the way of something raw and delicate. The way he finds joy through a new hobby, and many who find that comedy puts just a little beneath his wings, feels so cinematic. Laura Dern is terrific and gives so much to the character’s complexity, and at times the story is very much her own.
Cooper’s direction knows when to be showy and when to close in very intimately, while the script does a great job portraying the complexities of love, even as its practicality and patience fades, and sometimes even reignites. What thankfully subverts expectations is that neither character going through this divorce is “unlikable” or acting in a way that feels to irrational or hard to sympathize with. They can be flawed and distant, but very much easy to care for and understand. Arnett and Dern are splendid together and feel so perfectly matched every second we see them both on the screen. The film has just the right amount of silly yet smart laughs, which never compromise the film’s truthful humanity and intelligence.
Noah Baumbach’s largest film in cast and scale isn’t his best work or even close, but certainly one of his most ambitious. George Clooney stars as the titular Hollywood actor seeking to reconcile with his daughters as he is about to be given a lifetime achievement honor in Europe. Jay’s relationship with his manager Ron is the film’s real heart here, with Adam Sandler not only stealing the entire film but giving one of the best performances of his entire career. Ron is torn between his devotion to his client and dear friend, and the heartache of missing out on time with his wife and kids. Sandler gives the character a dimensional charm, conflict, and vulnerability. Laura Dern is also outstanding as Jay’s publicist, also frustrated as she’s desperately trying to fulfill the impossible role of chasing Jay around and covering for him.
Many other familiar faces give very strong performances here, although Baumbach’s directing here stands out even more than his writing this time around. The film’s approach to memory and distance is very interesting, as is the idea of this “king” finally spending time with ordinary people who perceive him as a legend of sorts. However, the main storyline between Jay and his daughters doesn’t quite have the emotional weight that’s needed, with the themes being a bit too obvious and the film just lacking enough screen time with his youngest daughter to feel the way the movie wants us to about the main father-daughter relationship here. A performance moment and line delivery from Clooney in the film’s final moments, however, elevates the entire film and brings the themes full circle, even if it takes that long for them to really hit hard. Jay Kelly doesn’t live up to the excellence of Baumbach’s best storytelling like Marriage Story, but is still big yet introspective, with Clooney and Sandler standing out together, and the latter’s performance resonating in particular.
In Hamnet, Chloe Zhao seeks the beauty in stillness, and in our flow through the world around us. The film serves as an almost anti-biopic, focusing on the most legendary poet’s inception of one of the most legendary plays ever, though the film isn’t told through William Shakespeare’s eyes — he’s only over mentioned by name once. The center of the film is his wife Agnes, as their love begins a family and interacts with art and time. Jessie Buckley gives a performance that packs such a punch to the gut and demands such dedication in every scene. The relentless devotion of a mother to fight for her kids is on full display in Buckley’s Oscar-worthy turn, as is the anguish of distance and loss. Paul Mescal also digs into a deep devastation as Shakespeare; for him, unlike Agnes, mere love is not enough to satisfy him as he pursues his artistic endeavors in addition to his familial duties. Noah Jupe and his brother Jacobi Jupe, who makes his acting debut, are both incredible in different roles that will stick with you long after the film ends.
Zhao’s filmmaking brings you into an environment that’s calm and safe yet devastating and Earth-shaking, like a lullaby that opens you up into vulnerability, and perhaps even tears. The cinematography by Lukasz Zal is daring and continues to surprise and stun, while Zhao’s deep connection to nature is ever present. The score by Max Richter is captivating and no small part in this masterful experience. Ultimately, the film is about the relationship between love and patience. When people love in such sweeping, and even different ways, love takes its time through hardship, space, creation, and death. Love is tender yet ferocious and enduring in Zhao’s eyes, and her transcendent and meditative film takes us on a profound journey that we may not emotionally disembark for long after it ends.
Brendan Fraser gives an empathy, softness, and delicacy to the lead character, an actor who joins a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He’s the beating heart of the film and allows the audience to connect with every one of his decisions. The movie’s Lost in Translation-like cultural differences raise interesting questions about the titular company and the effect they have on clients, whether positive, negative, or both. The concept is not only unique, but fascinating from a deeper level, and allows for an emotional patience.
However, the film’s editing lacks the same patience as Hikari’s direction, rushing from and to plot points instead of letting the story’s pace and certain scenes breathe and feel more meditative. The supporting cast is really great here, particularly the outstanding Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, and Akira Emoto. Every part, no matter how small, possesses a special key to the film’s heart. The film embraces its themes about the beautiful risk that comes with living life to the fullest by being there for and with others. However, the final act finds a messy resolution that’s slightly confusing from a thematic perspective. The film works best when it’s subtle, and least when it’s in your face, but thankfully it’s charming, gentle, and will likely work well for everyone who chooses to watch it.
Joachim Trier once again is drawn by the quirks, faults, and excellences that drive people towards and away from each other. Sentimental Value is very much about the need to express oneself and tell one’s story, often through art, or discover oneself through it.
Renate Reinsve shines in a role both subtle yet demanding though never reminds you it’s such. Meanwhile, Stellan Skarsgard finds himself in one of the most powerful roles of his career. He gives a richness to his role, the distant father who in most films would be painted as a humiliation, but rather Trier and co-writer Eskil Vogt make Skarsgard’s character’s journey just as valid as that of his daughters, never trying to make the audience judge whether any of these characters are “better” or “worse” than one another.
Elle Fanning’s character enters this world with fascination, and her character is filled with empathy while avoiding predictable tropes the role could’ve easily fallen into. The film often lets us inhabit a space with these characters in long scenes of reflective — and introspective — dialogue, though sometimes the story takes time to pick up between acts. Once the final act comes, though, it pieces together everything the film had to say about individuals’ need to be spoken and heard through emotional intimacy — with art often being the only way — in a big and resonant manner.
This accessible and matter-of-fact historical drama is engaging and makes good use of its runtime and central cast. Rami Malek inhabits the role of Douglas Kelley quite well, a psychiatrist brought to assess the mental state of Nazi prisoners convicted of war crimes leading up to the Nuremberg trial. Russell Crowe gives one of his strongest performances in recent years as Hermann Goring, one of the most evil and infamous figures of the Nazi party responsible for carrying out many of the Reich’s atrocities, including Hitler’s plan to conquer Europe and murder millions of innocent Jews and others the party deemed inferior. Crowe’s performance emulates a manipulative coldness that’s hard to read, as the film examines how such ego would respond to losing such immense power, and Malek’s character attempts to find the man’s weaknesses. Michael Shannon gives an excellent performance as Justice Robert H. Jackson, who leads the charge in the trial and remains the film’s most passionate and likable character, though Richard E. Grant does effortlessly steal the screen later on, too. Leo Woodall is solid, but his and Colin Hanks’ characters are slightly underwritten.
The film’s main distracting element is the color-grading that’s oddly dull and dry, even for a film of such hefty subject material. The movie does do a great job, however, of showing the importance of the Nuremberg trials in a broader historical context, and ensuring that such evil would never be enabled again. It also powerfully connects the rise of Nazi ideology to history that followed, including McCarthyism and other far-right movements in America. It’s an interesting watch, if not one of the most resonant recent films about WWII or the Holocaust and their aftermath, led by an all-star cast.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You digs deep into the darkest corners of the human souls, of the ugliest thoughts that plague our minds, and the crippling anxiety and depression that traps us in the most banal of existences. Rose Byrne gives one of the most demanding, devastating, and furious performances of the last decade, as a woman suffocated by the horror and weakness of her being, confined by the truths of her situation and lacking the strength to find meaning or love in any of it. The remarkable filmmaking and camerawork allows us to pinpoint exactly how Linda interacts with her surroundings, without having to imagine any of what she’s feeling. The dread that anything is about to go wrong, that it’s all your fault, and that this excruciating guilt is forever. The feelings are so tangible to the audience, yet their roots of why she feels responsible for the life she hates are intangible and ambiguous for much of the film.
Byrne’s character channels universal struggles, including with motherhood, while taking them to the most extreme depths and circumstances. However, we’re never brought to think that she’s a bad person, simply someone who’s isolated and unable to cry for help or carry herself along with those around her. As Linda is inconvenienced with a gaping hole in the roof of her house, the hole metaphorically grows and becomes one with her.
The final few minutes are haunting and left me dumbfounded. The nightmarish imagery and dark humor play off each other to create a final product that’s arguably more stressful than any horror movie could be. This movie left me dumbfounded and at a loss for words, one of the most anxiety-inducing, uncomfortable, and emotionally raw films I’ve seen in a while. It’s a one-of-a-kind film, with an astounding and unforgettable lead performance, that shook me to my core.
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