Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

Everything Everywhere All at Once (Amazon Prime)

If you have any drugs left over from the 70’s stashed in your sock draw this is the time to use them. The film is chaotic, the scenes are not sequential. It’s like a Chinese Matrix, but without the pretense. Characters shift  between different parallel universes, called the Alphaverse. In these realities there are alpha versions of themselves. This movie has a little bit of everything for everyone. There is a racoon sushi chef, people with hot dogs for fingers, kung fu, butt plugs (used offensively), google eyes, an everything bagel as a black hole and talking boulders.

The movie starts with Evelyn, played by Michelle Yeoh, and her husband Waymond, played by Ke Huy Quan (Quan played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies) at the IRS office audited by aggressive agent played by Jamie Lee Curtis. It is from here the characters start shifting between realities. Contributing to the turmoil, Evelyn’s demanding father, played by the prodigious James Hong (he has 650 film credits) arrived from Hong Kong and her daughter Joy, played by Stefanie Hsu, is trying to introduce her girlfriend to the family. Though out the movie these characters take on different personas. This film does not take itself seriously and some of the fight scenes are hilarious. Yeoh and Hsu give endearing performances and Jamie Lee Curtis in a fat suit and a platinum wig stolen from Andy Warhol’s closet is over the top.

Putting aside all the chaos this is a story about relationships and of what could have been. The alternate realities give expression to different paths. Relationships are with a mother accepting a daughter, dealing with an aging demanding father and a husband reluctantly serving divorce papers to his unsuspecting wife. This movie is different but worthwhile. At the reduced price of $5.99 how can you go wrong.

The Black Phone

 

The Black Phone

The Black Phone is described as a supernatural horror film. It is more like a gritty ghost story. The film  is about the Grabber abducting teenage boys. One boy, Finney, is trapped in the basement of the Grabber’s home. From the disconnected black phone on the wall he gets calls from other deceased missing boys.

The supernatural part is Finney’s interaction with ghosts, as for horror compared to other movies it was mild. Nothing  in the film makes you cover your eyes or jump out of your seat. As for tension it was more in the rubber band area. No matter how dire the situation you have a good notion of the outcome. The ending is muscular with Finney achieving new heights of bravery.

Mason Thames plays Finney. He delivers a convincing performance of a mild mannered kid transformed into a survivor. Ethan Hawke plays the Grabber. This is one of the most underutilized role of his talents. Aside for his sardonic voice, there only is a brief moment when you see his full face. For the entire film he wears a mask . He is creepy and malevolent; a great actor should be seen. It is never explained why he is grabbing these boys; we assume he is just a psychopathic killer (why not abduct girls). A back story would have made the character more interesting. An appealing character is Finney’s younger sister played by Madeline McGraw. She is clairvoyant and foul mouthed. She has a strained  relationship with Jesus.

The story was written by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King. Good to know the legacy continues. Rather than paying $16 for a movie ticket you may want to wait for a discounted streaming option.

 

Elvis

 

Elvis

This movie is unique not only for the electric performance of Austin Butler and manipulative Col. Tom Parker played by Tom Hanks but for the entire production. The film is not in chronical order, it jumps around depicting Presly’s milestones. Scenes of his impoverished childhood are brief but important showing the influence of gospel music and the frenetic gyrations of parishioners becoming a hallmark of his “wiggling”. Elvis is a bridge between gospel/ R&B and rock and roll. The film has a litany of black musicians  including BB King, Little Richard, Fats Domino and Sister Rosetta Tharpe who influenced Elvis. When a reporter called Elvis the King of Rock and Roll, he replied no Fats Domino is the King.

Austin Butler gives a dramatic and  brilliant physical performance. His Elvis is fragile and insecure. He was a mama’s boy and needed reassurance. But Butler gives a mean rendition of Elvis’s classic songs. He sings some of the early songs but later songs use Elvis’s voice. His dancing is kinetic and mimics the original. Elvis was known for his wicked hips which Butler performs superbly (when Elvis was on the Ed Sullivan show he was filmed from the waist up). Butler said the secret to the dancing is not so much the hips but the ankles. The movie covers the arch of Elvis’s life. The scenes of his demise are brief but powerful. Butler gives a masterful  performance of all his life’s chapters.

Tom Hanks plays Colonel Tom Parker as a cartoonish Svengali. In a fat suit with a floppy jowl, Hanks is in a constant state sweat affecting a nondescript European accent (the real Parker was Dutch). Elvis and Parker had a toxic symbiotic relationship. A critic said showing Mr. Rogers as a scoundrel would detract from the film. On the contrary, Hanks disdainful swindling portrayal defines their complicated relationship. Elvis needed someone, good or bad.

 Besides his mother the other important woman in his life was Pricilla Presley played by Olivia DeJong. She has good chemistry with Butler and depicts the downward spiral of their relationship. Even after their divorce they still loved each other.

Waring to senior citizens, the is a two bathroom movie with a run time of about two and a half hours.

Jurassic Park Dominion

 

Jurassic Park Dominion

Jurassic Park movies are like a slice of cherry pie, you had it before but it still tastes good. This is the AARP version of the franchise. All the veteran actors were in the cast: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. I must admit the film was better than what I expected. Instead of  dinosaurs just stomping around there is an interesting story line. There were still some ludicrous pseudo-scientific theories but they worked into the plot. One aspect of the movie was a head scratcher. They had a dinosaur sanctuary in the Italian Dolomites. What I remember from Bio101 dinosaurs were cold blooded so the ice capped mountains would not be a natural habitat .

As with the other Jurassic Park movies there was a lot of running around and near death escapes. Big dinosaurs ate by bigger dinosaurs. They even gave a nod to evolution featuring a feathered dinosaur (Pyroraptor).  There were new characters. Mamoudou Athie as Ramsey Cole who helps the good guys escape and DeWanda Wise a “Bond” like woman who is beautiful, smart and tough. She is a cargo pilot with fluid allegiances. There is also an evil Steve Jobs type character who runs Biosyn which launches a nefarious  bio scheme.

Rotten Tomato gave the film a 30 rating. Sometimes movie critics cannot get out of their own way. This is not a drama; this is not an Academy nominated film. This is just a fun movie, even with its silliness. The production budget is $185m, the worldwide box office is $625m. As they say money talks and….But the real cool thing about this movie  part of it was filmed in Valletta the capital of Malta.

 

Top Gun Maverick

 

Top Gun Maverick

 Curse is getting long in the tooth, as we all are, but he is still Tom Terrific.  He is one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. This film has surpassed the weekend opening record with a box office of $156m.

 This is not a great movie, but it is fun and watchable. The film is basically a two man story between Tom Curse and Miles Teller. Teller is the son of Curse’s wingman, Goose, who died in the 1986 film. There is history between them. Jennifer Connelly is sprinkled in as the love interest. Their romance is as steamy as lukewarm coffee. 

 Other actors include  Jon Ham as Vice Admiral Beau. He reprises his tight lipped Ad Men persona. Ed Harris has a brief appearance as a stern tight ass admiral; a real stretch for him. There are the other Top Gun pilots talking trash and jockeying for the top spot. In deference to  #metoo there is a female hot shot.

The only other actor from the original film is Val Kilmer. In real life Kilmer is suffering from throat cancer. He talks in a coarse whisper (his voice was created using AI). It is a touching moment when they embrace. Some elements of the 1986 film were recreated. Instead of a bare chested volleyball game, there was a bare chested touch football game (the lady wore a bra). Tom looked great for a 59 year old man child.

 The movie is predictable. There are some surprising twists and turns, but the outcome is  never in doubt. A hallmark of Curse's movies are the stunts. Curse has a reputation for insisting on doing his own stunts. The jet scenes are a major feature of the film. Spoiler alert Tom does not fly the jets himself. The actors are filmed in the jet fighters experiencing crushing G forces; no FX was used. Being crushed by G forces is not flattering and to Tom's credit he is willing to look like a quivering smashed tomato. The Navy charged $11,000 per hour for the jets.

 It is not necessary but you may benefit from seeing the 1986 Top Gun to get some perspective. In a way this is a nostalgic movie linking 1986 with 2022. Tom is not waiting another 36 years for his next sequel, Mission Impossible 8 comes out next year.

 

Cyrano (Amazon Prime)

 

Cyrano (Amazon Prime)

You know when you finally watch a film you intended to watch and your reaction is, ”What the hell”? I had no idea Cyrano was a musical; I am not a musical kind of guy. But in truth is this is a hybrid of a musical and a historical story. The long meaty nose of the original  Cyrano De Bergerac  is replaced by the diminutive height of Peter Dinklage. This is a clever, beautiful and tender movie. The songs are excellent and support the narrative. I have no ability to critique singing, but the songs sounded  damn good. Haley Bennett, who plays Roxanne, clearly is a trained singer. I think Peter Dinklage does speak singing in a singular octave.

Visually the film is beautiful. The period costumes and make up are wonderful. I think for men’s makeup they used Marilyn Mason as their inspiration. The sets are limited to a small town and a battlefield filmed in Sicily.

I enjoyed the film more than I expected. Dinklage gave a heartfelt performance and his unrequited love for Roxanne is palpable. Kevin Harrison Jr. , who plays Christian de Neuvillette, is Roxanne’s tongue tied love interest. Ben Mendelson plays Colonel De Guichi, is totally unrecognizable, another casualty of makeup. The entire cast were excellent.

Unfortunately Cyrano was a victim of Covid. The production cost was $30m with a box office of $6.4m but it has a Rotten Tomato score of 86%. The good news for us it costs only $5.99 to rent.

 

The Northman

 

The Northman

I did not realize Vikings had such bright and shiny teeth, but that underscores my lack of Nordic culture. This film is one of the most brutal and gory movies I have seen in some time. The movie has elements of Norse lore, Shakespearean and Greek tragedy. The plot is simple; Prince Amleth seeks revenge for the murder of his father by his uncle. The story is about the quest for this revenge. Fantasy is in the mix with dead Vikings coming to life with dead eyes and a magical sword that can only be drawn at night. Unless you are a Norse scholar you should brush up on your Viking history. An outstanding feature of the movie is the breathtaking scenery. The story is supposed to be in Iceland but most of the filming was shot in Northern Ireland.

A very buffed Alexander Skarsgard (a.k.a Tarzan) plays Prince Amleth. He is a brooding killing machine, which he does well. William Defoe is Heimer the Fool barely recognizable under his hair; his screen time is brief. Nicole Kidman is the queen and Amleth’s mother. Her character does provide a pivotable twist in the movie. Anya Taylor-Joy (a.k.a The Queen’s Gambit) is Olga the Slavic slave girl who becomes Amleth’s wife. Ethan Hawk is King Aurvandill War-Ravin Amleth’s father; again too much hair and hard to recognize.

The film received a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89. The production cost was about $90m but the worldwide box office was only  $53m; it needed to make $200m to breakeven. For the target male audience, Thor is easier to digest.