Movie Review: “They Shall Not Grow Old”

***** out of 5
99 minutes
Rated R for disturbing war images
Warner Bros. Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

Typical documentaries have a tendency to come with their own agendas. In the case of Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, Jackson has set out to show us World War I as never before: in remastered, colorized, 3D. Never one to shy away from technical accomplishments, it’s an incredible sight to see. Adding in sound effects and enhancing the overlying interviews, Jackson skips the usual filmmaking narrative for an immersive experience about a war that still seems to have an air of mystery surrounding it.

Cutting down 100 hours of footage and 600 hours of interviews with 200 WWI vets — of which 120 made the cut — They Shall Not Grow Old feels like a behind-the-scenes exposé. Some of the footage looks so good you’d swear it was happening now. There are no dates, names, or locations throughout the entire film adding authenticity and anonymity. There’s also some surprising aspects when you hear how many lied about their age, at least one as young as 15.

They Shall Not Grow Old is a marvel of a technical achievement — Jackson didn’t even receive any payment for making the film. And it shows he put his heart and soul into shining a long overdue spotlight on the men of WWI and works as a loving tribute to his grandfather, Sgt. William Jackson, to whom the film is dedicated.

Movie Review: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

**** out of 5
142 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action
Walt Disney Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com
 
Most folks have all kinds of stories involving the Star Wars films. Mine is pretty simple. I was not the Star Wars fan I am now prior to my wife buying me the original trilogy on Blu-ray. She couldn’t believe I didn’t own them, and truth is, back then I didn’t love them. One one hand, these films are not as personal to me, but I at least came to realize what I’d been missing.

And while I may not be a fanboy — I know plenty — my life has become pretty steeped in its pop culture. As I write this, I’m wearing the fleece BB-8 jacket my mother-in-law made me. So as far as The Rise of Skywalker closing out a nine film story arc goes, it works extremely well at both providing some fun moments of fan service and trying to wrap  up a world that spans 42 years of Episodes and spin-offs, TV shows, holiday specials, video games, and comics.

A mysterious broadcast has been heard throughout the galaxy. The phantom Emperor — Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) — is scheming something big and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is tracking him down. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is trying to piece together her training while confronting her past. Meanwhile, the Final Order is on the rise under the tyranny of Supreme Leader Ren, in spite of a mole feeding information to the Jedi resistance. A definite end is nigh for both camps as the ultimate duel inches closer.

Considering the amount of backlash unleashed upon Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, insurmountable expectations were placed upon co-writer/director J.J. Abrams’s shoulders. Returning to the helm without missing a beat, fans get more of that nostalgic Star Wars tone he brought to The Force Awakens, while trying to tie up all the loose ends brought on by TLJ. How you feel about The Rise of Skywalker comes down to one thing: how you felt about The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

On one hand, it almost feels like TLJ barely exists. Skywalker continues to build upon both films, but at the same time, the tone is so much more Force Awakens, you would never be confused if you happened to skip TLJ. That’s no slight to Johnson, it just feels like Abrams — along with co-writer Chris Terrio and producer Kathleen Kennedy — took the high road and continued making the series their own. Whether some like it or not.

We’ll never get to see how George Lucas would have ended his own franchise, but that’s what he gets for selling out to Disney. Granted, we might have never seen any more Star Wars films had it not been for the media conglomerate.  At the end of the day, the cast and crew give it their all and that’s about all we can expect. I encourage everyone to head out to see it so they can make up their own minds.

The cast and crew swing for the fences. They know they’ll never be able to make everyone happy, but damn if they don’t try. From here on, there are no more Skywalker movies in the pipeline and we all should just be ecstatic that a finale even exists. The Rise of Skywalker is the culmination of most people’s entire cinematic lives so far. This is it, folks, it’s really over. You won’t find any spoilers here. I would never do that and neither should anyone else.

The Rise of Skywalker is probably the epitome of “critic proof.” So the best advice is to gather up your friends, head on out to the theater, buckle in tight, and bid farewell to one of the biggest franchises on the planet.

Movie Review: “Jumanji: The Next Level”

**** out of 5
123 minutes
Rated PG-13 for adventure action, suggestive content and some language
Columbia Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

Let’s be honest, no one was clamoring for a Jumanji reboot. Then, with its hilarious cast and director, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle became a huge hit in 2017. So it should come as no surprise that now we have Jumanji: The Next Level. Thankfully, almost everyone has returned — a couple of the first film’s writers have been replaced by director Jake Kasdan — to deliver a sequel that follows the two most important comedy adventure rules: bigger and funnier.

It’s Christmas break and the gang — Spencer (Alex Wolff), Martha (Morgan Turner), Bethany (Madison Iseman), and Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) — are headed home from college and other excursions. While they make plans to meet, Spencer regresses to his reclusive ways and takes another trip inside Jumanji to deal with his insecurities. Everyone bands together to head into the game to find Spencer, but little do they know that Jumanji has its own plans and the rules, and players, have changed. Now — along with Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito), and Eddie’s lifelong friend Milo (Danny Glover) — they’ll have to relearn everything from their first adventure if they want to get out alive.

No one should ever walk into a film like Jumanji expecting to find much meaning. It’s pure escapism from start to finish, just like the first one. As for characters, it doesn’t really do much in the way of deepening relationships, but it does offer some of the cast the opportunity to play new characters. Kasdan is having just as much fun with a few bigger set pieces — one feels like Jurassic Park meets Mad Max — and the screenplay moves things along at a clip. It definitely earns its two-hour runtime which sounded excessive. But with the cast’s rapport and ability to play off each other, Jumanji: The Next Level makes for a super fun two hours. And right now, that’s exactly the kind of entertainment we need most.

Movie Review: “Knives Out”

*** out of 5
130 minutes
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including brief violence, some strong language, sexual references, and drug material
Lionsgate

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

With as much shade was thrown at The Phantom Menace, at least it wasn’t released in the age of social media. Poor Rian Johnson was sent through the ringer over The Last Jedi, and while that may not be the best Star Wars, it’s far from the worst. The man deserved a break and what better way than to make a safe, fluffy film that’s as far removed from a galaxy far far away as he could get.

Knives Out is not Johnson’s best film. He’s never made a horrible film, but to make it clear, this is The Brothers Bloom Johnson, not Brick/Looper Johnson. It’s simply Agatha-Christie via Wes Anderson-lite, playing fast and loose with a decent story with no warmth, heart, surprises, or laughs. While it’s an interesting endeavor to be sure, it’s far from the masterpiece it’s being heralded as.

Crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is dead. The day after his 85th birthday no less. With his wealth up for grabs, of course everyone is suspect. Could it be his embezzling daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette)? Or Walt (Michael Shannon), his resentful son in charge of his publishing?

Maybe Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), his daughter who doesn’t know that her husband, Richard (Don Johnson), is having an affair? Possibly a grandson or two: the alt-right extremist Jacob (Jaeden Martell) or estranged Ransom (Chris Evans)? Or maybe, just maybe, his beloved caretaker, Marta (Ana de Armas)? Fear not, viewers, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is here to crack the case by credits end!

With a seemingly never-ending list of stars, you’d expect Knives Out to be a lot more fun. Or at least as much as Lionsgate’s marketing team is trying to prove. While I’m never afraid to be arbitrary, unfortunately, Knives Out is all quirk with no bite. Johnson ensures every cast member — aside from a small few — chews scenery to their heart’s content. At least they’re having fun, maybe for someone else it will be more infectious. With a two hour plus runtime, the shenanigans start to wear very thin by the 90-minute mark.

At least Plummer, Craig, and de Armas are consistently watchable. And the big twist isn’t saved for the end. So it turns the whole whodunnit aspect in a new direction and becomes more of a will-they-get-away-with-it? For anyone who enjoys a good battle of the classes with a heavy dose of entitlement run amok, Knives Out features a dysfunctional family who are at least more enjoyable than your own may be.

Just check expectations going in and you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did. Maybe I’m getting a case of the year-end screening bah humbugs, but it takes a lot more to make me laugh than just Captain America cussing and an overlong film filled with just two hours worth of smirks.

Movie Review: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

**** 1/2 out of 5
108 minutes
Sony Pictures
Rated PG for some strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

The entire crux of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a stuffed animal. While we never see journalist Lloyd Vogel’s (Matthew Rhys) “old rabbit,” we don’t need to. It’s brought up during an interview between Vogel — a fictionalized version of Esquire writer Tom Junod, whose 1998 article, “Can You Say… Hero?” is the inspiration for the film — and Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks).

Yes, Mr. Rogers has found the way to a pessimist’s heart, and it’s bound to hit hard with audiences. Whether you grew up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, or didn’t — I did not — it still strikes a chord.

My now two-year-old loves her stuffed Dory, I had Kermit, and my wife, Tigger. While it never punched hard enough to make myself cry, based on the sniffs and whimpers heard at the screening — perfectly timed for the evening of World Kindness Day — spoke for themselves. Something made all the more surprising once you come to realize the film isn’t even actually about Mr. Rogers. It’s actually based on Junod’s article which is way more about himself than dear old Fred. It’s also from director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) who clearly loves writers, warts and all.

Vogel has a chip on his shoulder and uses that to his advantage with his award-winning Esquire exposés. He’s estranged from his father, Jerry (Chris Cooper), and just wants to keep his home life isolated to his wife Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson), and son Gavin (played by triplets Jordan, Naomi, and Zoey Harsh). But acceptance and understanding comes calling after his editor assigns him to a “fluff piece”: interviewing Mr. Rogers. Now, Vogel gets more than he was looking for as life lessons are learned and heart strings get pulled.

For anyone worried about Hanks performing a caricature, fear not. Once we jump into the first scene you’ll quickly realize that no one else could ever have brought such an icon to life. The film oozes sincerity and never tries to make you think Mr. Rogers may be more than a facade. A great exchange between Vogel and Joanna Rogers does let us in on him being more human than folks may believe. We learn he does have a temper and doesn’t mind banging it out on some piano keys when needed. And who can’t relate to that?

The film plays out like a feature length episode and works all the better for it. Heller isn’t scared to get a little surreal here and there. Transitional scenes are sets right out of the TV show and they come into play for more than just recreating the WQED world of imagination. The rest of the cast all perform admirably, and most will still be surprised to see Hanks in a supporting role. But it’s absolutely going to earn him an Oscar nomination regardless. And with how earnest the film is, prepare for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood‘s title called out for a Best Picture nomination, too. It could stand to get overshadowed, but it’s every bit worthy. This is a film worth being neighbors with and you’ll be glad you stopped by.

Movie Review: “Frozen II”

** 1/2 out of 5
103 minutes
Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements
Walt Disney Pictures

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

If you want to be “whelmed” by a movie, just go see Frozen II. It pains me to not speak highly of the sequel to such a classic. Six years ago, Frozen cemented Disney Animation Studios as more than just Pixar-lite. But with Frozen II, not all that glitters is gold.

The entire voice cast (Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad), directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee — Lee also single-handedly wrote the screenplay again — may have returned, yet Frozen II falls prey to a Disney sequelitis cash cow. And just because it manages to squeeze out an ear worm — “Into the Unknown” — one good song is not enough.

We start with a flashback where young Anna and Elsa are being told a bedtime story by their father, Agnarr (voiced by Alfred Molina). He tells the girls that once upon a time there was a fight between Arendale and the tribe of Northuldra after a dam was built as part of a peace treaty. This enrages the spirits of earth, fire, air, and water causing a wall to encase the forest and their father barely escaped, but not without the help of an unknown savior.

Elsa is hearing strange callings and has to follow them, unintentionally awakening the elemental spirits, forcing Arendale to evacuate. Now, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven are off to find out how to save Arendale after the troll leader, Grand Pabbie (voiced by Ciarán Hinds), says that he sees no future for Arendale. Once again, Elsa winds up taking off on her own, leaving Anna behind to fend for herself while (film) history repeats itself.

After listening to the new Kristen Anderson-Lopez/Robert Lopez collection, I thought to myself, “This… is not great.” Hoping maybe the songs would be better in context, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. But no, these are the laziest, most unmemorable Disney songs in ages. Even Kristoff’s big ’80s power ballad should have left me rolling on the floor, but instead lands with an eye-rolling thud.

Unfortunately, all we get is a film that goes through the motions while heavily lacking any kind of emotion. Start with a plot where all the loose ends get tied up exactly as the opening scene implies they would, add a pinch of one new cute critter destined to sell toys, wrap it up with cloyingly unmemorable expository singalongs, and it’s clear that money is the only reason this film exists.

There was no need for Frozen II and it never earns its existence. Most fans obviously won’t care, but I do. The first Frozen finally put the final smash on Disney’s glass ceiling — and caused my wife and I to bond with new friends — but Frozen II is a super odd mix of too adult for some youngsters — no matter how hard Olaf (voiced by Josh Gad) tries to annoy us — and too clichéd and lazy for adults.

It also ends with what I’m sure Buck and Lee are hoping to be some kind of cliffhanger, but leaves you scratching your head instead. All Frozen II really manages to do is show how unnecessary sequels can be and in this case, they should have left well enough alone. One sequel was one too many and it’s time to let it go. I know the box office will make sure a third film happens, let’s just hope they can learn from this and figure out a better way to keep the next venture from being so middling.

Movie Review: “Ford v Ferrari”

***** out of 5
152 minutes
Rated PG-13 for some language and peril
20th Century Fox

Article first published at TheReelPlace.com

It doesn’t happen very often. The breathtaking feeling you get when walking out of a perfect film. Such was the case with James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari — the racing film I never knew I needed. While it definitely isn’t what you’d call an action movie, the racing scenes are top notch and leave your jaw on the floor at every, err, turn. It certainly helps to have two of the best performances of the year bringing larger-than-life personalities — Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby — to the big screen. Matt Damon (Shelby) and Christian Bale (Miles) may not sound like first choices for co-starring opposites, but they play so spectacularly off each other that I wouldn’t mind them in plenty more things together.

Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) has big plans for Ford Motor Company. He’s been informed by Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) that Ferrari has gone bankrupt and Ford wants to merge. Unfortunately, that means Enzo Ferarri (Remo Girone) would also be giving up his racing division, Scuderia Ferrari, in the deal. Ford wants to use this as a way for Ford to try and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. When Enzo shuts Ford’s deal down, Ford turns to Shelby for help creating their first sports car. Problem is, Shelby needs Miles’ help and he’s “difficult, but good.” Sure enough, the two car conglomerates — along with Shelby and Miles — are in for the ride of their lives to come up with a car to win Le Mans and beat Ferrari at the race Ferrari has won five years running.

The last time I walked out of a screening so enthralled was The Departed. While this has a long way to go to the finish line — we’re only halfway through November — I can’t see too many more films coming together so precisely. Everything from the acting — Caitriona Balfe as Ken’s wife, Mollie nearly steals the show from Damon and Bale — to the screenplay, editing, cinematography, and sound design. Perfection. Mangold has an impressive history of making every film unique — maybe aside from The Wolverine and Logan. But you’d never guess this was from the man who directed Knight and Day, 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, Girl, Interrupted, and Cop Land.

With Oscar season upon us — and my own voting imminent with the Utah Film Critics Association — it’s nice to see a heavy hitter finally come out of the woodwork. It’s been a fun year, but it’s about time it got kicked into high gear. When blockbusters have been more memorable than artsies, something’s amiss. And while I may not have the chance to see all the artsies, it’s fantastic when a Hollywood film gets to play double duty and have it both ways. Ford v Ferrari should not be missed and make sure you see it on the loudest — if not the biggest — screen possible.