King of Comedy (1982) Review

Title: King of Comedy
Year: 1982
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: US
Language: English

In 2019 Todd Phillips Joker shocked audiences and impressed critics worldwide with its seemingly "unique" vision of the clown prince starring Joaquin Phoenix. Nominated for many Oscars, a great number of people pointed out that the film was cross between Martin Scorsese's classics; Taxi Driver (1976) and King of Comedy (1982). I had seen Taxi Driver before, but not the latter. Thus I found myself enticed to watch King of Comedy. 

Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a passionate yet unsuccessful comic who craves nothing more than to be in the spotlight and to achieve this, he stalks and kidnaps his idol (Jerry Lewis) to take the spotlight for himself.

Years before Cape Feare (1991), De Niro manages to perfectly capture the fractured mind of a mentally ill, and possibly challenged, creep of a man. King of Comedy will make your skin crawl in a way that only the most eerie of horror flicks will do. Pupkin is wounded and painful to watch; we try to sympathize with our main character, but ultimately he is a lost cause. 

Unlike other Scorsese films, like Goodfellas (1991) & Hugo (2011), King of Comedy is not a fun movie, infact its pretty unpleasant to watch. A satire, Scorsese's principle targets are television and the cult status of celebrity. Paul D. Zimmerman's screenplay is critical of audiences who cling onto every famous person they possibly can. He challenges the power of television and critiques its contribution to the downfall of society. 

King of Comedy was a decent movie, but, like Joker & Taxi Driver, it is far too depressing to watch a second time. Luis Bunuel could make similar satire and leave you not feeling like complete crap. Watch a Bunuel film instead. 

Unspooled (2018-Present) Review

Podcast: Unspooled
Year(s): 2018-Present
Star(s): Amy Nicholson & Paul Shcheer
Country: US
Language: English

Amy Nicholson is the host of the Earwolf podcast, The Canon, and critic for KPCC's Film Week. She has had a lengthy career as the cheif film critic for L.A weekly. According to her Rotten Tomatoes profile "Her interests include hot dogs". Paul Scheer is an actor, director, comedian, writer and producer. He is a recurring actor on Veep, hosts the podcast How Did this Get Made? and is just generally ridiculously busy. Together they co-host a new favourite podcast of mine called Unspooled. 

Unspooled is a podcast that explores American Film Institutes 2007 list of the "Greatest American Films of All Time". The co-hosts seek to dissect each picture, talk to industry experts, and examine if the "classic" deserves to be on the list. 

A professional film critic inspired by- and on the level of- Pauline Kael, Amy Nicholson provides a great deal of depth regarding each picture Paul & her review. She gives a cup of critical analysis, a teaspoon of history and a pinch of trivia to give Unspooled's audience a greater understanding of the film in question. I consider myself well versed in Chaplin, having published lengthy essays about his career, but even I found new information in the Gold Rush episode. 

While Amy's role seems to have a more objective/informative approach, Paul Scheer is the subjective/opinioned based half. Scheer is not afraid to say how he feels about a film, often to hilarious degree. "Fuck The Deer Hunter! It's fucking bullshit" Caution; Paul does a lot of swearing, he's not for the faint of heart. Having great chemistry together,  they are equal parts education & entertainment, keeping me interested throughout the episode. 

Though the guests are a smaller piece of the episode, I rather enjoy when they come on. My favourite guest so far, admittedly having only heard 15 or so episodes, is Kevin J. Goff. He is the great grand-nephew of oscar winner Hattie McDaniel (Gone with the Wind). Overall, Unspooled is a great podcast that I now look forward to every week, so I thought I'd write a review and share this discovery with my readers. Please go to earwolf.com/show/unspooled to hear the podcast for yourself!

Guns Akimbo (2020) Review

Title: Guns Akimbo 
Year: 2020
Director: Jason Lei Howden
Country: US
Language: English

Perhaps the most violent film of 2020, Guns Akimbo is literally two hours of guns ablazing with brief moments of comedic relief. Daniel Radcliffe's character is supposedly a pacifist who has never shot a gun in his life, yet can mow down hoardes of baddies without breaking a sweat. In minutes he is as good of a shooter as the deadliest assassin in the real-life "game" that he is forced into. Oy! 

Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) upsets the wrong crowd of people & wakes up with guns bolted to his hands. He must survive a deadly competition that is watched by millions of people online. 

Guns Akimbo will appease those with the highest ADHD. It's an energetic constantly moving film that will eventually have you numb to the obscene amounts of violence contained within it. Clearly inspired by Call of Duty & Grand Theft Auto, this is a picture that runs out of ideas very quickly & becomes stale within about 30 minutes. Run, shoot, run, shoot, repeat. 

The message about how we should be humane or...not enjoy video game violence...is lost in a film that glorifies violence to a shocking extent. We get it, it's a modern day Running Man, albeit with none of the charm (aside from the english homeless guy) and ALL of the action tropes done unironically. Rushing from scene to scene, Guns Akimbo's themes regarding cyberbullying is never explored beyond brief dialogue. "Do you people like seeing this!? You're sick!" 

If you enjoy mindless bloody action that is filmed like every other action movie ever made, then you may enjoy Guns Akimbo. I was dissapointed, even though I spent $0 watching this movie. Aside from the funny segment involving a homeless man, Guns Akimbo is repetitive and boring.  

Zero Stars

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) Review

Title: Discreet Charm of the Bourgeousie
Year: 1972
Director: Luis Bunuel 
Country: France
Language: French

Part of a trilogy of films about journey that began with The Milky Way (1969) and ended with Phantom of Liberty (1974), Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel at his very best. It's a remarkable work of art that, like The Exterminating Angel (1962), is a satire meant to deconstruct social order. Bunuel has a unique distaste of the upper class & this is his way of rebelling against a system of oppression. 

This is a plotless series of dreams centered around six middle-class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together.

Once deemed anarchistic and surreal, Buñuel’s tendency to interrupt a narrative line had become Oscar-worthy by the time of the film’s release. Discreet Charm looks, sounds, and feels like a Golden Hollywood picture, as there is beauty and glamour in every frame, but Bunuel subverts our expectations and turns the traditional formula on its face. 

As the film becomes increasingly incoherent, it also becomes more entertaining. Lunacy is at the forefront as our senses give up trying to make sense of the events in this picture. Twisting and turning our expectations around every corner, Bunuel challenges his viewers to be less complacent with their movie going experience. He also asks us to challenge nonsensical Bourgeois values.

Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie is a picture that acts as both a serious dissection of class values, and a hilarious satire that will have audiences bursting in fits of laughter. It is a fine picture that will entice multiple viewings. If the Criterion edition wasn't so expensive, because it's out of print, I'd own it by now. 

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The Exterminating Angel (1962) Review

Title: The Exterminating Angel
Year: 1962
Director: Luis Bunuel 
Country: Mexico
Language: Spanish

Luis Bunuel was one of the most strange and entertaining film-makers to watch. The Exterminating Angel (1962) is a great example of his absurd surrealist style that often challenges social norms & redefines what a satire can be. Made during the end of his eighteen year career in Mexico (he would also have a long career in France) the film was made with complete artistic freedom. Of his 22 Mexan productions, though I admit I have not seen all of them, this one is my favourite. 

In this, guests at an upper-class dinner party find themselves unable to leave.

Structured around a devestating social party, Bunuel transforms the civilized ritual of dinner, which has a countless number of rules depending on class, into a means of exposing pure human savagery. Slowly, as the film goes on, all humanity is stripped from our guests and we see the former bourgeoisie as animals. 

Religion is mocked  by show­ing how fear and desperation spawn a belief in false myths and fetishes; it's quite interesting how the film starts in a living room and ends in a church. The injustices of our social order, which is defined by class and religion, are exposed for all to see. One wonders why Bunuel's earlier Virdinia (1961) was banned, but not this. 

I found myself entranced by Exterminating Angel; there is much to dissect and analyze in each frame. The cinematography by Gabriel Figueroa is top notch. I love how he uses the spaces given to trap the actors & give a sharp divide between insiders and outsiders. The camera emphasizess the invisible barrier & creates a chaotic atmosphere of uncertainty. With any other director/cinematographer this crazed film would not work as well. Only Bunuel could pull this off. 

Now, Voyager (1942) Review

Title: Now Voyager
Year: 1942
Director: Irving Rapper
Country: US
Language: English

Considered a "Woman's Picture" in the 1940's Now, Voyager was one of the biggest melodrama hits of Hollywood during World War Two. Director Irving Rapper's picture in an unapologetic soap opera about how true love often gets distracted by social conventions and how female self empowerment is a force to be reckoned with. Admittedly, not my favourite Better Davis picture (All About Eve), but I still found a lot to enjoy in this flick. 

In this, a frumpy spinster (Bette Davis) blossoms under therapy and becomes an elegant, independent woman.

Made during a time when mentally & physically ill people were being mass executed in Europe, Now Voyager manages to give a sweet, sentimental, nearly ahead of its time view on those who need mental wellness. Claude Rains (Casablanca), though a bit too dependent on Freud, treats a fractured Bette like a human being, who in turn treats Paul Henreid's (Casablanca) daughter with affection and humanity. 

Though I initially was unhappy about the third-act and where Heinreid & Davis' relationship went, Now Voyager is also one of the rare Golden Hollywood movies that allow women to be strong, courageous, and single. Granted, the lengths Davis goes to achieve her bittersweet ending is a bit disturbing examined too closely. She tracks down his daughter & then forces herself to be in a mother/doctor role. It's a little bit weird. What does Henried's wife think about this secret? Eh, it's the 40's. Bad fictional marriages weren't allowed to fall apart, as also noted in David Lean's Brief Encounter

Now Voyager is an affectionate film that will have you begging Henreid to be with Davis. This picture is the stuff of love and dreams, yet also of what we want & cannot have. The final sequence is breathtaking and will have you using the remainder of your tissues. They don't make em' like these anymore! 

1917 (2019) Review

Title: 1917
Year: 2019
Director: Sam Mendes
Country: US
Language: English

Eat your heart out Dunkirk! Sam Mendes 1917 is a force of cinema to be reckoned with. I particularly like how it's one of the only American Made World War Two films to show a non-white male on duty. Though brief, as in one scene, we see a Sihk soldier on the battlefield. Again, its a small cameo, but I love how representation mattered to Mendes and I hope that future war films show the diversity of our heroes who fought for our freedom. 

 As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers (Dean Charles Chapman & George MacKay) are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.

Impossible to avoid comparisons to Stephen Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, 1917 is similarly a journey that unfolds in an episodic fashion. Across a vast expanse of pummelled earth and ruined cities, the cinematography is captured by master cinemaographer Roger Deakins. Together Mendes and Deakins seek to show the film in one sustained long take, the purpose of which is to keep the audience engaged and not take a break from the harrowing reality unfolding in front of our eyes. 

A film of grand technical achievement, it is remarkable to see Deakins' frame pass through an array of different light, from overcast skies to candlelit bunkers, portraying remarkable imagery in each shot. A pristine presentation; Deakins work is complimented by gorgeous set design, excquisite costuming and a foreboding omnipresent score by Thomas Newman. 

If there is anything negative to say about 1917, it's that the technical achievement of the film may outweigh the emotional quality of it. Some audience memebers may be lost in trying to figure out where the cuts lay, rather than getting into the minds of our characters. I have little ill to say about this feature though; I would certainly watch it many times in the near future. 

Honey Boy (2019) Review

Title: Honey Boy
Year: 2019
Director: Alma Har'el
Country: US
Language: English

At TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) one of the films I wanted to see was Honey Boy, but alas the only screening offered during my trip was way too early for anybody on a vacation. It started at 9am. I was about the same age as Shia LaBeouf when I first saw him on the Disney Channel hit show Even Stevens. I was drawn to his personality; watching the show frequently until he moved on and uh...well I tried watching his filmography but Michael Bays' Transformers was so terrible. I am glad that Shia has obtained better roles with Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) & Honey Boy (2019)

In this semi-autobiography, a child actor navigates his stormy childhood in attempt to find inncr peace in his adulthood.

With Honey Boy, LaBeouf has invited his audience to participate in a private, personal form of dramatic therapy. He lays all his cards on the table in attempt to confront his emotional and psychological hangups; giving a "tell all" without the boring head documentary that we've come to expect from filmed confessions. 

Director Har’el, along with her two credited editors (Dominic LaPerriere, Monica Salazar), has structured Honey Boy with several sharp cuts between the two periods in time. There are dream sequences of reconciliation that also help capture the characters' inner turmoil. Honey Boy is a smart, well written film that works on multiple levels and is a complex character study of a fractured mind.

This picture is a hard watch, especially for those who are survivors of childhood trauma, but it is a worthwhile viewing that may help one find peace in their own lives. I was impressed by LaBeouf's willingness to put himself out there; to make peace with his demons once and for all. 

Color Out of Space (2019) Review

Title: Color Out of Space
Year: 2019
Director: Richard Stanley
Country: US
Language: English

Color Out of Space was originally a bizarre HP Lovecraft novel that was deemed to be unfilmable due to its strange nature. Though, like anything considered as such, cinema will find a way to put it onscreen.  Made on the cheap by SpectreVision, this picture is both of pure horror and bone tickling humour. It reminds me of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, especially with how outlandish many of the violent scenes are. 

In this, a secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.

Color Out of Space begins with the appropriate mood and stark seriousness one expects from Lovecraft, as the run-time goes forth we find ourselves in a fever dream that seemingly switches mood and tone at random. Nic Cage brings a frenetic energy that evokes the best -and worst- of his acting range. It's very hard to tell if this movie is good or so bad that it's good. Either way you'll find it difficult to turn away from the screen. 

Director Richard Stanley brings Lovecraft to life by creating an uncomfortable and transient atmosphere, with inspired production design by Katie Byron and cheap looking, though perfect for this picture, CGI. The the phantasmagoric, hallucinatory quality of the original text is perfected here; though it loses-and gains- from straying from super serious Lovecraft to having more comedic elements like Tommy Chong as a neighbour. 

I like Color Out of Space, I put it in my top 10 of 2019 simply because its such a different vision from anything I have seen lately. No major studio, or even Netflix, would be brave enough to release this strange artifact of cinema & thus I feel it will gain a major cult following in the years to come.

Invention for Destruction (1958) Review

Title: Invention for Destruction
Year: 1958
Director: Karel Zeman
Country: Czecheslovakia 
Language: Czech

Karel Zeman was an ecentric Czecheslovakian film-maker who believed in the power of fantasy in cinema. Like the grandfather of film, Georges Melies (A Trip to the Moon)  he innovated by using astonishing practical effects to turn his childhood stories into vivid daydreams onscreen. Upon witnessing Invention for Destruction (1958) on the Criterion Channel I was blown away by how unique his vision was. There is truley nothing like a Zeman picture. 

In Invention for Destruction, an evil millionaire named Artigas (Miroslav Holub)  plans to use a super-explosive device to conquer the world from his headquarters inside an enormous volcano.

Basecd on Jules Verne's eerie and foreboding Facing the Flag, Invention for Destruction is both 2D and 3D, using forced perspectives and impressive effects to a most artistic execution. Combining live action with various forms of animation, such as stop-motion, cut-outs and traditional hand-drawn, Zeman gives us a world of endless imagination. I was thoroughly impressed by the splendid visuals; they don't make cinema like this anymore! 

Invention for Destruction brings your childhood stories to life, adapted to the screen in a way that adults would also find enthralling. Zeman's picture is an adventure film with all the fixings: mad scientists, evil lairs, deadly sharks, creeping octopus, a protagonist who must save the world and a damsel in distress. Every image created onscreen feels both modern & futureistic. Some images fall on borderline steampunk. 

After watching countless films, this reviewer can become accustomed to the norm and forget about how magical cinema is/can be. Zeman's Invention for Destruction brought back my sense of awe and wonder. I am inspired and I would love to see more films like this. 

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) Review

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog
Year: 2000
Director: Jeff Fowler
Country: US
Language: English


OH DEAR GOD, WHO DECIDED TO MAKE THIS!?? Sonic was a very popular character created by Sega as a mascot to rival Nintendo's Mario. A gaming icon, the series of video games starring the blue hedgehog have sold over 80 million copies. His star was brightest during the Sega vs. Nintendo console wars of the 1990's, then slowly fizzled throughout the 2000's. Lately he has been relegated to being just another character in Nintendo's Smash Brothers series. He's such a blip in the mainstream nowadays that does not deserve a film in 2020.

After discovering a small, blue, fast hedgehog (Ben Schwartz), a small-town police officer (James Marden) must help it defeat an evil genius (Jim Carrey) who wants to do experiments on it.

You've seen a family friendly road trip movie right? This is the exact same forumla, down to the misunderstanding that causes a fight in a saloon. I'd argue that if you replace Sonic with a flying squirrel you'd get Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) None of it is original, none of it is fun & the main actor is wearing far too much tan. At best, and looking at his IMDB page I find myself correct, he is a small part tv actor that should be nowhere near a feature film.

Filled with jokes that could only work 20 years ago, Sonic the Hedgehog's script feels like it was written in 1995, put on a shelf, and then just recently dusted off. In this Sonic loves his... BEAN BAG CHAIRS!? That's not even a thing people enjoy in 2020. Jim Carrey provides some comedic relief, but he's been doing that zany mad character since forever. He isn't the same box office draw as he was in The Mask (1994)

Sonic is a movie that will wind up in the $5 Walmart bin upon its immediate home video release. It's a film that won't appeal to children, because they haven't grown up with the character, and won't appeal to adults, because the material is so shallow. Why did I watch this?

Zero Stars

Birds of Prey (2020) Review

Title: Birds of Prey
Year: 2020
Director: Cathy Yan
Country: US
Language: English

Suicide Squad (2016) was one of the worst films to come out of Hollywood in decades. A jumbled bumbling mess, even everyone's favourite villain Joker (Jared Leto) was made out to be a fool. Since then Warner Bros. has done their best to wipe the slate clean, even hiring MCU's James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) to "reinvent" the brand. Birds of Pray is a spin-off of a spin-off that pulls no punches and whole heartedly deserves it's "R" rating. 

After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) joins superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Bell), Huntress (Mary Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save a young girl from an evil crime lord

Director Cathy Yan's picture is all over the place; jumping around in time and giving us a story structure more appropriate for adhd children who've had too much sugar. It's hard to tell if this was a smart planned choice, putting us in the mind of our "protagonist" who is an inconsistent narrator at best, or if its sloppy direction. I would love to think the former, though its understandable if some audience members are turned off by flashbacks within flashbacks & fastforwards that come at seemingly random moments. 

Filled to the brim with neon and flourescent colors, it's nice to note that Birds of Prey is visually coherent (albeit a bit too reminiscent of Suicide Squad) & has a style that matches its #metoo themes.  I loved the climactic battle in the abandoned funhouse, albeit I found myself rolling my eyes when I heard "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"  by Adona. Its soundtrack is as dull as its visuals are inspired.

Margot Robbie is fantastic as Harley Quinn, and its nice that she's being transformed into a feminist character rather than being sexualized. Quinn has a disturbed little sister quality that older women and little girls will enjoy seeing onscreen.