Mickey And The Bear
In Mickey And The Bear, writer/director, Annabelle Attanasio, finds herself in some familiar indie movie territory, telling the story of a young woman just turning 18, but finding herself at a crossroads. She is desperate for something more than what she has in her tiny town, but she is also tied down by her sense of obligation to help her father, who is an addict and suffers from PTSD. The young woman is Mickey, played by Camila Marrone and her father is Hank, played by James Badge Dale. The two of them are excellent, and their dynamic feels almost disturbingly real. They’re so good, it elevates some of the moments where the film doesn’t quite stretch beyond some of the tropes you see in indie dramas like this. It touches on its themes in a way that is sensitive and human, and it ultimately resonated with me quite deeply. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s very good, and worth seeking out.
Uncut Gems
No one does controlled chaos quite like the Safdie brothers, and their new film, Uncut Gems, highlights this even better than their latest grimey crime film, Good Time, which was one of my favorite films of 2017. The way they build tension with overlapping dialogue, frantic camera work, and propulsive music and editing is exhilarating to watch. Adam Sandler is as terrific as you have heard, tackling a meaty, scummy character that is endlessly fascinating to see how he navigates a million different things. It’s a damn thrilling film, though I might be in the minority in the sense that I prefer Good Time over this because I had a stronger emotional connection with the relationship between the brothers in that film whereas with Uncut Gems, you’re just watching one guy going on a path of self-destruction, which is still very compelling. It’s a hell of a good time, and I highly recommend it.
Charlie Says
How the latest film from Mary Harron – director of American Psycho – managed to slip right on by not only with little fanfare, but middling reviews at best is beyond my understanding because I thought this was pretty outstanding. We have not really gotten an empathetic look into the Manson girls and what drove them to do what they do, and to a degree, I can certainly understand that, considering the heinous crime they were apart of. But there is something really interesting explored here in how Charles Manson (played wonderfully by Matt Smith) was able to manipulate and control these young, vulnerable women to do whatever he wanted. I think Harron did a wonderful job here, and it’s disappointing to me that it didn’t seem to resonate with others as much as it did with me. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to give it a chance. Sure, seeing the Manson Family get their just deserts in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is fun and all, but to me, this is much more challenging, interesting, and in some ways, necessary.
Little Women
I know I’ve seen the other adaptations of Little Women, but I don’t remember much of it, so I am not totally aware of some of the changes that Greta Gerwig has made for this. The one thing that does set this aside is the structural difference, which is nonlinear, with lots of flashbacks and flashforwards. I’m not entirely convinced that this way of telling the story was necessary, but the film overall is so relentlessly and overwhelmingly warm, pleasant, and endearing that I ultimately didn’t mind. The cast is absolutely phenomenal, but Florence Pugh and Chris Cooper were big standouts to me. The characters are so delightful, and it was wonderful spending time with them. Gerwig really outdoes herself here, and while it’s weird that she’s doing a Barbie movie next, I can’t wait to see what she’s got up her sleeve.
Togo
This feels like a long lost Disney classic from when they used to make live action movies that weren’t just retreads of animated films, and frankly, Togo is so much more deserving of a theatrical release than almost every live action Disney film from the past decade. The Lady And The Tramp was a whole lot of nothing, but Togo is easily the best new release on Disney+. Shocker, Willem Dafoe plus a dog is a winning combo. I spent pretty much the entire last half hour in a puddle of my own tears. It’s wonderful, beautiful, and the connection between Willem Dafoe and Togo, the dog, is just so touching. Plus, there’s just something inherently funny about the film essentially being a cinematic middle finger to Balto for being given so much credit for the 1925 serum run. Anyway, great movie, good for the family, the dogs are lovely, not a lot to complain about here.
Spies In Disguise
So, this was a surprisingly fun and entertaining exploration of cyclical violence with a pointed condemnation of America’s post-9/11 foreign policy. OK, it’s not necessarily that deep, but it does touch on themes that are much more interesting than I would have ever expected for a movie where Will Smith plays a spy that turns into a pigeon. It’s precisely as silly as you’d expect, but it all works. Sure, some of the gags don’t land, DJ Khaled adds nothing whatsoever as a little side character, but for the most part, I had a pretty good time with this. It’s energetic, the visual comedy is engaging, the animation is stylish, and there’s some cool spy action. I kinda doubt I’ll remember much after a month or two, but I don’t have much to complain about here. Kids will have a good time, and get a good message out of it, and parents won’t be hating themselves while they see it. It’s pretty good.
That wasn’t everything I’ve seen, but it’s ones that I thought were worth giving a quick write up on. I hope you find something worth checking out here. Keep an eye out for part two in the coming weeks!