The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) Review

Title: The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Year: 2002
Director: Ron Underwood
Country: US
Language: English

One of the biggest box office bombs in the history of cinema, Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) had a budget of $100 million and only grossed $7 million worldwide, a staggering stupendous loss of $93 million. Panned by critics and moviegoers alike, its reputation is that of one of the worst movies of all time. I remember seeing this movie in theatres at the time and, even though I was 10, I knew something was clearly very wrong. 

After his successful night club is blown to flaming bits, Pluto (Eddie Murphy)  and his band travel across the moon looking for clues as to who is behind the arson.

Eddie Murphy is a generally appealing actor, but his type of comedy doesn't really fit with in a sci-fi setting. The sexist "jokes" ("give her even bigger boobs") feel even more dated than they usually are. Murphy himself doesn't really seem into the role, playing the part more conservatively and delivering the uh..."comedy" in a far too subdued manner. In Pluto Nash we get Murphy on ritalin, when we need Murphy on cocaine. 

Randy Quaid as a sex robot must be one of the most humiliating roles of all time. Whatever dignity he had died with Pluto Nash. The pace of the film is perplexing; sometimes going the speed of light, while other times dragging to a snail's pace. Some of these scenes (fast to slow)  are within minutes of each other. 

I'm not saying anything new with this review; Adventures of Pluto Nash is as bad as you've all heard. Unfortunately, it's not quite "so bad it's good". The awfulness is just a gigantic waste of time. Thank goodness Murphy redeems himself in roles like Shrek (2001), Coming to America (1988), Dolemite is My Name (2019) etc. 

Toy Story 4 (2019) Review

Title: Toy Story 4
Year: 2019
Director: Josh Cooley
Country: US
Language: English

Toy Story (1995) was the first feature length film comprised entirely of CGI (Computer Generated Images) Considered one of the best animated films of all time, it was nominated for several academy awards. In 2005 it was inducted into the national film registry due to being a "historically signifigant work of art". Toy Story 2 (1999) would have similar critical and commercial success. Toy Story 3 (2010) would become nominated for "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards. Toy Story 4 is presently the fifth highest grossing animated movie of all time. 

When a new toy called "Forky" (Tony Hale) joins Woody (Tom Hanks) and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.

With a run-time of 100 minutes, one would think Toy Story 4 is a breeze to get through, but I found myself eager to get through this movie. It feels 3x as long. Perhaps its because Toy Story 4 doesn't feel like it goes anywhere. Every 20 minutes Woody and the gang have to go back to save Forky (a spork that is unsure if its trash or a toy). We escaped the Goosepumps inspired Dolls, but uh oh! We forgot Forky! Hey wasn't Forky with us? Oh no (insert another  reason to go back to save Forky) 

Forky this. Forky that. 

The humor surrounding Forky gets old once they recreate the same joke the 100th time in a row. "I'm trash!" (Forky attempts to jump in the trash, Woody saves him). Why does it have to be forced to be a toy? Why can't it be trash? Can anything "live" once a human decides its a toy? Why is the RC controlled skunk they used in the film not a "toy" when the RC controlled car is? Woody comes off as a huge dickhead in Toy Story 4. It's hard to root or care for anybody. 

I can see why children would like it and I'll admit there are two characters (Ducky and Bunny) that are hilarious. Despite the positive criticism the film  recieves, I found myself more annoyed than entertained by Toy Story 4. It's just not for me.

Lucy in the Sky (2019) Review

Title: Lucy in the Sky
Year: 2019
Director: Noah Hawley
Country: US
Language: English

Lucy in the Sky is the first film I watched at the Toronto International Film Festival in Sept, 2019. It played at the Princess of Wales theatre, an impressive looking place that was obviously designed more for broadway shows than cinema. Every seat in the building looked like it would be a great seat. Having been impressed by Black Swan (2010) nearly a decade ago, I was looking forward to the next "Natalie Portman slowly goes crazy" movie. 

Astronaut Lucy Cola (Natalie Portman) returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space, and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.

Lucy in the Sky was completely buried at the Toronto International Film Festival. Audiences hated it, Critics destroyed it, and keyboard warriors were astounded that movies about women going crazy could be made. I fall somewhere in the middle. On one hand, Lucy in the Sky gets a decent amount of mileage off of trippy-visuals and Beatles inspired musical montages. On another, the storytelling can be fairly lackluster. 

I've never seen a movie so undecided on aspect ratios. Every 10-15 minutes director Noah Hawley  changes the size of the screen, for seemingly no reason. I also didn't appreciate that the film turned a big overwhelming existential problem ("who am I in the Universe") to something more domestic ("I'm mad at the guy I'm cheating with"). It lacked creativity and didn't deliver in terms of scale. Hawley was far too concerned at getting the "true story" details right than exploring the haunting frontier of space. 

I feel like Lucy in the Sky had enourmous potential, a better film could have easily been written, but the director was too inexperienced in film to realize his mistake. The picture is nowhere near the quality of Portman's other "go crazy" movie Black Swan (2010)

Midsommar (2019) Review

Title: Midsommar 
Year: 2019
Director: Ari Aster
Country: US
Language: English 

In 2018 Ari Aster made waves among the horror community with his impressive debut feature Hereditary. A critical success, it won the hearts of critics and moviegoers alike. In addition, it was a box office success earning $80 million. Impressive, considering the film's budget was only $10 million. With Midsommar (2019) Aster sought to not only repeat his achievement, but surpass it. 

Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. One Summer she goes with his friends to a midsummer festival in a remote village in Sweden. Their carefree holiday slowly becomes incredibly disturbing as time passes. 

Most "horror" movies take place in the shadows and in tight spaces, whereas Midsommar is unique because it is full of colour, most scenes take place in the bright daylight and we are treated to open fields as far as the eye can see. The score consists of chantlike singing, accompanied by gentle violins and animal skin drums. Much of Midsommar's quality is that it subverts expectations by having the visual motif of something out of Sound of Music. 

The terror comes from the fear of pre-Christian practices, as our characters witness customs that are quite foreign and they are unsure of what comes next. One could point to Wicker Man as a source of inspiration, but that film was not as complex in its character study. The crumbling relationship between Dani and Christian only add to the isolated and distressful feeling of the film, the inevitable "break-up" ensures for a memorable climax. 

Midsommar is quite an impressive film that has reinvigorated my interest in horror. Aster, along with Jordan Peele (Get Out), seem to have rebuilt the genre to once again be more phychological than pure gore. Once again a critical and commercial success, I look forward to Asters' films in the future. 

Joker (2019) Review

Title: Joker

Year: 2019

Director: Todd Phillips

Country: US

Language: English

It's almost insulting to compare Joker (2019) to any other comic movie before it, as Todd Phillips' "controversial" (in quotes because the media is entirely responsible for making up the fake controversy surrounding the film) goes above and beyond what is expected of the genre. It's the pinnacle; nothing in Marvel or DC has ever or will ever reach its level. We might as well call it a wrap and put Hollywoods' resources to better use. 

In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime.

Clearly inspired by the pictures of Martin Scorsese, Joker is reminiscent of Taxi Driver (1976) and King of Comedy (1982). I would call it "homage" rather than a rip-off as this film goes off in its own unique direction becoming a critique of mental health, society at large and of the media. Todd Phillips dares to point out that the media is complicit in the deterioration of society's mental health and the media responds by attempting to incite a theatre shooting. 

Joker makes everyone, including the viewer, the  villain. Unlike, say, Avengers, Joker portrays violence pretty realistically. It's shocking, gruesome, hard to watch. It feels like a punch in the gut, which is how violence should make you feel irl. Phoenix's character is grounded and steeped in realism. Unlike Heath Ledger's impersonation in Dark Knight (2008 there are no catchphrases or funny moments, there is nothing to "like" about this man. 

The set design, lighting and cinematography deserve a great amount of praise as well. They add to the unsettling atmosphere and give Gotham an implied "upper class vs. middle class" civil war that is slowly more obvious as the run-time goes by. Joker is a must see if you can handle feeling like crap afterwards. 

El Camino (2019) Review

Title: El Camino
Year: 2019
Director: Vince Gilligan
Country: US
Language: English

Poor Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) In Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad he was a tragic character not completely in control of his own fate. He would get constantly beat up; by Hank Shrader, by Walter White, by Tuco, by the white supremacists etc. His character arc consisted of him constantly being beaten down, until (Breaking Bad TV Show spoiler) he was ultimately saved by Mr.White on a last minute whim. He was perhaps the unluckiest man on tv. 

After escaping the white supremacists, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron PAul) goes on the run from the police and tries to escape his own inner turmoil.

Considering Breaking Bad already felt like it was made for cinema, El Camino doesn't feel like that much of a transition. Gillian uses his mastery of cinematography and lighting to establish a visual language that is part noir and part western. Though it isn't as thrilling as Breaking Bad had the tendency to be, El Camino is meant to be a redemption story, bringing Pinkman from victim of circumstance to master of his own fate. 

Part in the present, part in the past with the creepy Todd (Jesse Plemons), each scene assists with establishing the next and the rebuilding of Pinkman's character. Themes of luck, fate, morality and circumstance weigh heavily on the viewer, keeping us in deep thought as we find ourselves engaged throughout the 2hr run-time. 

El Camino is an excellent epilogue for Jesse Pinkman, a film that scratches an itch the fans' had without compromising itself by being too heavy on fan-service. Aaron Paul gives us a great performance. Lets hope he is featured in even great roles from here on out. 

It Must Be Heaven (2019) Review

Title: It Must Be Heaven
Year: 2019
Director: Elia Sulieman
Country: Palestine
Language: French

Best known for Divine Intervention (2002), which won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, Elia Sulieman is a Palestenian director who's cinematic style has been compared to Jaqcues Tati and Buster Keaton. I was at the Q&A for his film It Must be Heaven at the Toronto International Film Festival. Sulieman has a great sense of humour, saying "If you don't like this film, I have a brother...and he's big!" He also appeared to be a big film buff as he jokingly claimed he "stole from a lot of sources" for his movie. 

Elia Suleiman's unnamed character travels to different cities and finds himself in quite odd and hilarious scenes. 

A dash of Keaton, a sprinkle of Tati, and a pinch of Python can be found in It Must Be Heaven. It's an abusrd picture made of vignettes that comically compares Sulieman's hometown of Nazareth to the rest of the world (mainly France and New York). Each vignette starts with an observational shot, then shows Sulieman's reaction to it, and then edits back and forth between the two. The funniest can be seen in the middle of the film when police officers are trying to measure the length of an outdoor cafe and Sulieman is in the middle, quietly drinking his coffee. 

In It Must Be Heaven Sulieman is satirising the security and policing that happens everywhere in the world, while pointing out that the West take such matters incredibly casually. We take our freedom of movement for granted. The vignettes about the US demonstrate how preposterous it is that people can buy automatic weapons in the super-maket. Certainly can't do that in Nazareth. 

It Must Be Heaven is a healthy mix of comedy and politics. One can get something out of this film, even if they know nothing about Palestine. This is a picture that deserves serveral viewings and perhaps a trip to the library. 

Devil Between the Legs (2019) Review

Title: Devil Between the Legs

Year: 2019

Director: Arturo Ripstein

Country: Mexico

Language: Spanish

Early September 2019 my wife and I went to Toronto International Film Festival for the first time. We saw four films; Devil Between the Legs, A Hidden Life, Lucy in the Sky and It Must Be Heaven. Devil played at the Bell Lightbox at 9:15pm. I quite liked the theatre, as it had an elevator butler and very high quality seating. The distance between the seating and screen made it so pretty much every seat in the house was a good one. After Devil I was able to meet the director Aruro Ripstein for a Q&A. It was a memorable experience. 

Beatriz (Silvia Pasquel) and the Old Man (Alejandro Suárez) have been together for decades. A retired homeopathic pharmacist, the Old Man now divides his time between their Mexico City home where he shuffles around in his housecoat, raging against Beatriz, and paying secret visits to his mistress. Beatriz, when not bearing the brunt of the Old Man's tirades, sneaks out to take tango lessons.

Devil Between the Legs feels like what would happen if Luis Bunuel remade Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). It's a bold and innovative picture that treads a fine line, narrowly avoiding being too offensive or off-putting to be enjoyable. Ripstein does what very few have thought of in cinema; put the erotic desires and impulses of a geriatric couple in their 70's at the forefront of this drama-comedy. 

Even if you're, like me, a bit confused about what to make of the picture, I can certainly attest that Devil Between the Legs is quite memorable. The cinematography and set design seem to be quite in sync with the deterioating condition of the couple throughout the film. The weird dynamics within the picture are complimented with a strong script that brings our characters to a more sympathetic and endearing light. A poor director/writer would have made us detest these people, but instead we see outselves within them. 

Mynarski Death Plummet (2014) Review

Title: Mynarski Death Plummet
Year: 2014

Director: Matthew Rankin

Country: Canada 

Language: N/A 

In my view, the most interesting "new" director on the scene has to be Matthew Rankin. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada he is an expirimental filmmaker that, judging from his short films, social media, and website (http://www.rankino.com) has an eclectic taste for the strange. In addition to being nominated for several awards, his film Tesla World Light (2017) won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Short Film at the17th Jutra Awards. 

Mynarski Death Plummer (2014) is an avant garde film about the last few minutes about the life of Winnipeg's World War Two hero Andrew Mynarski. 

Rankin's short film is both innovative and familiar (to cinephiles). It has the aesthetic of a Dziga Vertov (Man With a Movie Camera) mixed with the immersive emotive storytelling of Douglas Sirk. Using a combination of trippy animation and camerawork reminiscent of the silent era, Rankin gives Mynarski immortality; making the hero's sacrifice a spectacle to behold. 

Though only 8 minutes long, Mynarski Death Plummet hits you in the gut as it overloads your senses. Its a positively overwhelming, undeniably great film experience that seeks to put its audience beyond the norm of cinema. A visual feast, I found myself in awe of Rankin's psychadelic war-time spectacle. 

Rankin's short film was so enticing that I had to watch it five times in a row. It floored me. It is such a remarkable tribute to a hometown hero. For those attending the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, I must advise you to see Rankin's first feature length film The Twentieth Century. I feel like eventually, 5-10 years from now,  people will be using the term Rankin-esque to refer to weird Canadian pictures.

Modern Romance (1981) Review

Title: Modern Romance
Year: 1981
Director: Albert Brooks
Country: US
Language: English

I watch movies like Modern Romance (1981) and thank the Lord that I didn't stay in the dating pool for too long. At 19 (2010) I met my wife at University, we remained good friends until we started dating at 22 (2013) , we got engaged when I was 24 (2015) and got married when I was 25 (2016). Since then I haven't had the desire to date or flirt; good riddens to that! Modern Romance shows the ugly side of fleeting feelings, in a fairly comedic way. 

Robert Cole (Albert Brooks) , a film editor, is constantly breaking up with and reconciling with long-suffering girl friend Mary Harvard (Kathryn Harrold) , who works at a bank. He is irrationally jealous and self-centered, while Mary has been too willing to let him get away with his disruptive antics.

I'd say Modern Romance is a fairly accurate portrayal of how neurotic behavior, combined with crippling insecurity, can destroy a person and their relationships around them. Brooks' goes farther than Woody Allen ever dared, creating a character that is incredibly familiar; you've either met this type of person in your own life, you've been that kind of person or you are that kind of person. I'd like to think I've outgrown Brooks', but I know a little bit of that neurosis creeps up every once in a while. 

While packing quite a deep punch, and having a small horror element, Modern Romance works incredibly well as a comedy. I love the songs throughout the film that keep reminding Brooks of his ill-matched romance. He turns on the radio and hears Along Comes Mary by The Association. He goes on a date with a different girl and She's Out of My Life by Michael Jackson plays. I've seen this gag plenty of times on The Simpsons and am happy to know that it stems from this film. 

Modern Romance is a great comedy; easily the best Brooks' made, even though I do love Lost in America, Defending Your Life, and Mother. All great comedies have a great deal of truth in their biting satire; this film depicts the true nature of people who are hopelessly stuck in hapless relationships to a tee.