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Reviews
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
This generation's next visual spectacle, and that's not even the best part
There are times when a film can be so unabashedly creative and original that it can be hard to collect your thoughts or even pigeon-hole it into a genre. Sometimes, perhaps with films such as "Swiss Army Man" (2016) or "The Lobster" (2015), the creative overflow can convolute the tone and diminish the overall impact of the storytelling. However, when filmmakers can strike the perfect balance and deliver something that is a visual spectacle, gut-wrenchingly hilarious, and emotionally impactful, it can be true movie magic. "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is of the latter and it is one of the best films that I have seen in years.
Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Wang who, in a day where her family's laundromat is being audited by the IRS, is sucked into the multiverse where she must work with other versions of herself to save the world. Multiverse narratives seem to be the new hot writing trend in Hollywood and can been seen everywhere from superhero flicks to sci-fi dramas. I think that it will be a real challenge to find one more masterfully created than "Everything Everywhere All at Once".
The film was written and directed by The Daniels and if sci-fi, comedy, drama isn't the best word to describe the film then how about this: CRAZY. We are talking dildo nunchuck-wielding, Mad Max on crack level of insanity, but, they somehow make it work. The action is beautifully helmed, the editing is perfectly chaotic, and the explosion of creativity is expertly realized. I have never seen a movie like this in my life.
Perhaps some of the action relied too much on slow motion and perhaps the first act was slow to start because of exposition but, honestly, the more I try and nitpick the more I realize the choices all serve the tone of the film. The real magic of "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is not the impressiveness of the Multiverse storytelling, but how it is used to serve the overall theme of the narrative. Family, marriage, maturity, parenthood - these are all themes that have countless films under their umbrella, but none of them are like this. Get out and support this film - it deserves your attention.
Grade: A+
Entourage: The Sundance Kids (2005)
A fun yet tense episode with great payoff
Conflict and reward at it's finest. Plus, a classic scene between Drama and Turtle.
Sound of Metal (2019)
If you're a performer, please protect your hearing
"Sound of Metal" is directed by Darius Marder and it explores the tragic story of a rock drummer and recovering addict who begins experiencing hearing loss. I went into this film expecting a musical drama in the vein of "Whiplash" but there is very little music. Rather, it is a psychological drama that follows Reuben, our protagonist, as he comes to terms with his terrifying new reality.
Riz Ahmed has been hit and miss for me since "Nightcrawler" but his performance in "Sound of Metal" is the best I've seen all year. As a musician, I could feel the turmoil he was experiencing as he pounded his drums to nothing but muffled tones. Not only is this a musicians's worst nightmare but as an addict, he lacks the mental capacity to cope with the situation and Ahmed conveys this to perfection. Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci were also fantastic in their supporting roles.
The sound design in "Sound of Metal" plays a crucial role putting you inside Reuben's perspective and the technical team knocked it out of the park. It is haunting listening to his hearing deteriorate throughout the film. Often, the sound switches between a clear audio perspective to Reuben's and the juxtaposition is quite shocking. Their work enhances the emotional attachment to the character and absolutely deservers Oscar recognition.
The only issue I have with the film is some of the pacing drags and often there are jumps in time that are not clearly identifiable. A better balance in plotting the story elements could have led to a more cohesive viewing experience but this is still one of the best films of the year. "Sound of Metal" is available on demand and it is a cautionary tale that is worth seeing for all of my live performing friends.
Grade: A
Modern Family: Message Received (2014)
Fantastic performance from Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Over the seasons you've seen signs of Jay's acceptance of his son's sexuality and also struggling to grapple with it. This all takes it's tole on Mitch who earnestly seeks his father's approval and it boils into a heated and heartbreaking debate between the two. Ferguson's performance feels vulnerable and deeply emotional. Fine work here from the writers for going for the heartstrings with a carefully set up and affecting conversation between father and son.
Tenet (2020)
Nolan creates magic once again...even if your brain melts a little
We went to the movies last night and it felt damn good. "Tenet" is directed by the masterful Christopher Nolan and our first theatre experience since the lockdown was certainly not a relaxing one. If you thought "Inception" was tough to crack then brace yourself for a much more challenging watch but also one that is very rewarding.
"Tenet" explores the idea of time-inversion and the role it can play in both causing and preventing catastrophic events. John's David Washington's protagonist learns the rules of this game and is brought on board to help prevent the apocalypse. The complexity of this story may go without saying but from a visual standpoint - watching it unfold was an absolute joy to watch.
Nolan, yet again, pushes the limits of blockbuster filmmaking with massive and inventive practical effects. The scale and design of the action set pieces are of the highest quality and there are numerous moments when Ludwig Göransson's score swells with the chaos on screen and reminds me of just why I love going to the movies. Hoyte Van Hoytema has worked with Nolan since "Interstellar" and every frame of this film is absolutely stunning to look at.
For a film as epic and complex as "Tenet", we rely on exposition and having the information from the world delivered in a coherent and competent way. While the sound design for the action was incredible, the dialogue was very hard to hear. After reading a synopsis of the film there were a lot of details from the story that I missed and left me confused a number of times. This may be an issue with IMAX but I have seen many similar complaints which makes me think otherwise.
The performances are all very good but because the details of the narrative are so dense, the screenplay doesn't dedicate a lot of time to making you care for the characters. This mostly works for "Tenet" because exploring the time-inversion requires a lot of the runtime but giving us a little more to attach ourselves with the characters could have led to a stronger emotional journey.
Christopher Nolan is one of my favourite filmmakers and movies like "Tenet" just cement my adoration for his work. He challenges the viewer's expectations because doing so leads to pure creativity in both story and visual design. Additional background for the characters and tweaking with the dialogue mix could have had some improvements but "Tenet" is most definitely worth seeing and experiencing on the big screen...just don't forget your mask!
Logan (2017)
Epic Thought-Provoking Drama
"Logan" is directed by James Mangold and it is the last entry in the X-Men series for the legendary Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart. This film is not your typical blockbuster superhero film with tons of action and humour. "Logan" is a slow moving, extremely dark, and gruesome drama with deep thought-provoking themes on grief, family, and perseverance. It is a hard watch, but I am happy to say it is one of the best comic book movies ever made. This movie is a love letter from Marvel, the director, and the actors to all fans of the Wolverine character. Jackson masterfully portrays, once again, a hardened and defeated version of the character who has years of pain and suffering pouring out of him. The violence in the film is incredibly fierce and bloody but it works thematically to show just how sick Logan is of fighting. The narrative at times has some logical errors and the villains are a bit underwhelming, however Mangold and the team have created a extremely compelling story. I honestly could not have asked for a better way for Jackson and Stewart to say goodbye to the franchise. "Logan" is absolute quality and deserves your money this weekend. Grade: A+