The Holdovers
Comedy equals tragedy plus time. It’s a well-worn adage in the world of comedy, and comedic writing, the notion that the best comedy comes from a place of pain, not joy. It’s an adage that Alexander Payne has honed throughout his career as a writer and director, and it applies to his latest film The Holdovers.
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Pain Hustlers
The Placebo effect: when a concentrated, harmless pill produces the same intended effects as the real thing because of the psychological belief that it is the real thing. You can’t get sick from a placebo, and you can’t take too much of them but it won’t make you any better (here’s my disclaimer that I am not a licensed physician – I just play one on TV). Why mention placebos in a review of Pain Hustlers, the new film directed by David Yates, beyond the film’s medical subject matter? Because, much like a placebo, the Netflix film functions as a concentrated, harmless piece of content that produces the same intended effects as a real film with something – anything – interesting to say.
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Perfect Days
Hirayama can’t help but look up. When he steps out of his apartment, when he’s on his lunch break in the park, and at any other random moment throughout the day when something catches his fancy, he’s noticeably looking up. But why is he so compelled to look up? After all, he literally cleans toilets all day. The answer lies at the heart of Wim Wenders’s newest film Perfect Days, set in Japan despite the director’s German heritage.
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The Taste of Things
Hear me out: The Taste of Things is a film that deserves to be seen in a crowded theater. Not because it’s a hysterical comedy like Bottoms – though it certainly has plenty of witty comedic moments – and not because it’s a film about finding community like Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. Actually, it is a communal experience in the way it elicits the rawest emotions from those that are drawn into its spell.
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The Promised Land
I was reminded early on in The Promised Land of There Will Be Blood, a similar film not only in sensibilities but in themes – a film that, in this reviewer’s opinion, ranks as one of the greatest ever made. Both films take place in the distant past. Both films concern rugged, dauntless men who seek to tame the wild country. Both films feature exquisite technical elements and impeccable acting across the board. But The Promised Land manages to differentiate itself to become its own statement before long.
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Flora and Son
John Carney knows his lane, and he sticks to it. Just as Guillermo del Toro has mastered films with fanciful horror, and Miyazaki has cornered the market on wistful animated fantasy for all ages, Carney has breathed new life into independent musicals, with lovely films like Once, Sing Street, and Begin Again. None of the above-mentioned films necessarily break the mold in terms of characterizations or drama, but there’s a lived-in tenderness, along with a number of catchy songs, to each of them that breaks through. His latest, Flora and Son, coming to select theaters on Friday, is no exception.
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El Conde
In his still young career, Pablo Larraín has already made a name for himself by re-contextualizing the lives of famous figures throughout history. Though he’s certainly made other notable films, his best known work – Jackie and Spencer – examined specific periods in the lives of people like Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana, while adding in elements of additional genres to make a less straightforward biopic. His latest, El Conde, which translates to “The Count” and hits Netflix on Friday, attempts the same formula but mashes in one too many genres, ultimately failing to measure up to his already high standard.
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Gran Turismo
Before we can get started with the film proper of Gran Turismo, we’re treated to a miniature commercial on the history of the PlayStation game that the film is based on. Its creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, went to painstaking detail to recreate the feeling of driving a race car, to give players the most realistic experience possible. But why include this bit into a film at all? After all, we as viewers are experiencing an extra degree of separation from reality – we’re watching someone play a simulation of a real race. Because, first and foremost, Gran Turismo feels like a glorified commercial for intellectual property, and a true-life story second.
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Strays
Hey kids, remember the Homeward Bound films from the mid 90’s? Those movies were all about real cute and cuddly animals as they faced the perils of nature to get back to their owners who definitely loved them, but not enough to keep track of them. Well guess what, kids – those animals are all dead now. And those films left out a lot of the likely harsh realities that they faced on those journeys, and ignored the inherently bizarre behavior that animals naturally exhibit. Want something more realistic, for the real world of 2023? Take your kids to see Strays.
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The Monkey King
I have no problem whatsoever with a film moving at a quick pace. It happens especially often with children’s entertainment, an unfortunate byproduct from filmmakers who play into a kid’s supposedly short attention span. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a film targeted to younger audiences that chooses to value action over character building, but there is a way to do both, by building character through action. Netflix’s newest animated film The Monkey King tries to achieve this, but fails to provide any characters worth rooting for. The film moves at such a breakneck speed that, for anyone that’s not giving their full attention (this is a Netflix film after all), it can be jarring to lose focus even for a minute.
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The Movie State 