Tag: Jacob Tremblay

Twofer Review – ‘Doctor Sleep’ and ‘Midway’ – One Sings, the Other Doesn’t


*Note: The title is just a metaphor; neither of these films are musicals.

Written, Directed, and Edited by Mike Flanagan, based on the novel by Stephen King
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, Roger Dale Floyd, Cliff Curtis, Zackary Momoh, Jacob Tremblay, Henry Thomas, Carel Struycken, Robert Longstreet, Catherine Parker, Met Clark, Selena Anduze, Danny Lloyd
Soundtrack: The Newton Brothers

I’ve said it before, and hopefully this is the last time I’ll feel compelled to mention it, but I’m not a big fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Maybe that sounds crazy to you, but Stephen King isn’t a big fan either (to say the least), so I suppose I’m in decent company (not saying I’m right; it’s just my opinion, man).

Now we have Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep, which is based on the
2013 Stephen King novel of the same name, which itself is a sequel to King’s 1977 novel The Shining, but 2019’s film of Doctor Sleep is also a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film of The Shining.

So now that no one’s confused, let’s continue.

Doctor Sleep is one of the best films of 2019. Am I saying it’s an all-time great? No, but it’s plenty captivating, truly horrifying when called for, and overall it admirably juggles its multiple source materials.

The story is rather sprawling, and by that I mean it’s a movie that very much feels like it’s based on a novel; and if you’re totally unfamiliar with The Shining (which is hard to fathom given its cultural permeation) you may struggle to climb aboard, but, other than a touch of third act squiffiness, Doctor Sleep is a solid piece of intelligent entertainment from tape-to-tape.

If I have one substantial criticism (if you can even call it that), it’s that, I wouldn’t say anybody does a bad job in their performance, everybody is fine if not above average, but I didn’t feel like anyone in the cast was indispensable in their part. Perhaps it’s a huge credit to writer/director/editor Mike Flanagan, but I think he could have made this movie with a near-infinite combination of actors and we’d still have the same quality result.

If you’re a huge fan of Kubrick’s Shining, perhaps you won’t find Doctor Sleep to be up to the same standard that I do, but for me it’s very much a Blade Runner 2049 situation, where I respect the original but find the sequel more compelling.

Your mileage may vary, but I recommend it highly.

Rating: ★★★★☆



Directed by Roland Emmerich
Written by Wes Tooke
Cast: Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Luke Kleintank, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Keean Johnson, Nick Jonas, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tadanobu Asano, Darren Criss, Brandon Sklenar, Jun Kunimura, Brennan Brown, Jake Weber, David Hewlett, Mark Rolston, Eric Davis, Peter Shinkoda, James Carpinello, Hiromoto Ida, Hiroaki Shintani, Russell Dennis Lewis, Geoffrey Blake
Soundtrack: Harald Kloser & Thomas Wanker

I probably should hate this movie.

Given that I was a history major, you might think that I should hate it, too.

For some reason though, I just can’t get that riled up about it. I think it’s because:

A. I had extremely low expectations going in (after all, it is a Roland Emmerich joint)
and
B. It might actually be more factually accurate than its 1976 predecessor (which is a fine film with a great cast, but I’m not going to pretend it’s some ultimate triumph of cinema, given how much footage it cribs from other sources), so, while I could quibble with the history of it, I always expect a certain amount of Hollywood exaggeration, so that’s not really what I take issue with.

The biggest problem is that I think the movie means to be taken seriously, but so much information is fed to my eyes and ears that is to the contrary that I can’t help but conclude that Midway is a $100 million cartoon.

Now, you read that and probably think I’m referring to the visual effects, which I am, but only partially. This movie could have been successful with the effects it has. What truly makes it cartoonish is a script with severely lacking dialogue, and a number of sub-par performances (Not to go full ‘Murica here, but can we get some Americans to play our American heroes!? Hugh Laurie playing Dr. House is the exception, not the rule).

Anyway, it’s not all terrible. Patrick Wilson in particular is extremely likable (as usual), and there are some sequences that are actually effective (there’s a submarine scene that might be the best set-piece in the film).

In the end though, Midway is essentially a big-budget Redbox movie. Not the worst thing ever made, but largely a waste.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
I noticed as the film was starting that there were a couple of Chinese production companies with their names on Midway, and I wondered what impact that would have on the story told. Let’s just say they make sure the audience knows that 250,000 Chinese civilians were killed in Japanese reprisals for the Doolittle Raid. Sad? Yes. True? Yes. Did it need to be included in this film? Probably not.

Twofer Movie Review – ‘The Predator’ and ‘White Boy Rick’ – On the Hunt

Full disclosure, it’s been such a down year for movies (especially compared to last year) that I may be overrating both of these, but what are you going to do?

Directed by Shane Black
Written by Fred Dekker & Shane Black, based on characters created by Jim & John Thomas
Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Augusto Aguilera, Yvonne Strahovski, Jake Busey, Niall Matter, Brian A. Prince
Soundtrack: Henry Jackman

Shane Black films are notoriously difficult to market because he has such a specific tone (and often suffers from studio interference), The Predator being no exception, but I think his fans get largely what they expect from him with this one, as the movie feels like a mix of John McTiernan’s 1987 original with another film from that same year, The Monster Squad, which seems appropriate given that Black and [Fred] Dekker wrote that one as well.

It’s a shame that the title is such soft reboot nonsense, because this is a legitimate sequel, keeping at least Predator and Predator 2 in canon (I’ve still not seen Predators even though everybody tells me it’s alright; I’ll get to it eventually).  Certain fan service moments feel a bit cringy, but overall I can’t fault Black and Dekker for wanting to make a movie for existing fans, while also putting their own stamp on it (and I really appreciated Henry Jackman’s adaptation of many pieces from Alan Silvestri’s scores from the first two, giving the film a nice throwback feel at least in the music).

Now, I’ve seen at least one person call the movie “a mess”, and I can understand why they would say that, because there are a number of elements that shouldn’t necessarily be in the same film together, but, nevertheless, I had fun, which is all I really wanted (and if nothing else it’s a more satisfying experience than Predator 2).

And I’m so glad it’s R-rated.

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Directed by Yann Demange
Written by Andy Weiss and Logan & Noah Miller
Cast: Richie Merritt, Matthew McConaughey, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, YG, Taylour Paige, Danny Brown, IshDARR, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Kwon Haynes
Soundtrack: Max Richter

The synopsis for this movie is in big, bold letters right on the poster, so there’s no need to waste too much time on it, but suffice it to say it’s a story worth bringing to the silver screen.

White Boy Rick effectively rests on the shoulders of two actors, newcomer Richie Merritt and old hand Matthew McConaughey, and they carry it with aplomb.

Sure, the true life story is actually interesting, and I can’t think of a supporting actor who truly sticks out like a sore thumb, but without these two guys executing at the level that they do, the film would be much worse off.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention director Yann Demange (if he wasn’t already he’s definitely a director to keep an eye on now), who manages to bring together an entertaining yet poignant movie out of some pretty dark and dour material.  I’m sure some people will try to argue that the movie glorifies crime (like always), but I think it’s akin to Goodfellas in terms of a frank look at the lifestyle, the reasoning, and the consequences.

Lastly, composer Max Richter continues to do outstanding minimalist work, and his score for White Boy Rick is pitch perfect, appropriately apportioning synth-wave and traditional sounds with the right touch of melody and dissonance when needed.

And, again, I’m glad the movie’s R-rated.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Movie Review – ‘The Book of Henry’ – Maybe I’m Crazy

Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Cast: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, Dean Norris, Bobby Moynihan, Geraldine Hughes, Wass Stevens, Donnetta Lavinia Grays
Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

Sometimes the world throws interesting parallels your way.

Just on a bare surface level, you could compare The Book of Henry to Gifted, in that they both center around highly intelligent children (albeit ENTIRELY different plots and tones), but the comparisons don’t end there.  You’ve also got directors returning to more independent roots after not-so-great uber-mainstream projects (Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 for Marc Webb, Jurassic World for Colin Trevorrow), and two comediennes I don’t particularly care for in supporting roles (Jenny Slate and Sarah Silverman, respectively).

But hey, enough about me.  The real question is whether or not The Book of Henry actually works (aka “Should we have any hope for Star Wars: Episode IX?”).

Well, apparently to the contrary of every published critic out there, I really dug this movie.

Is it perfect?  No.
Is it “believable”?  No.
Do I care?  Obviously not.

I found the movie entertaining based on the performances, the story, the moral dilemmas, the beautiful Westchester setting, and the fact that it was unafraid to make bold narrative decisions (huge spoilers, can’t talk about it; have to see for yourself).

I’m usually the first to say “No” to a movie that so prominently features children, but Jaeden Lieberher is a wonderful young actor, as his turns in St. Vincent and Midnight Special will confirm, and he’s joined here by the critically-acclaimed Jacob Tremblay and even reality TV alumnus Maddie Ziegler as kid actors putting in good shifts.

Even before all that though, the movie won me over right away simply for having a main title sequence, which I was just thinking this week about how much I miss those (*cough*), but, again, enough about me.

I don’t know what else to say to convince people this is worth seeing, maybe I shouldn’t even try, but what I do know is that I found the movie heartwarming, funny, and intense, which is an odd combo, it’s a different combo, but, as I said before, I give Henry credit for taking risks, and for trying to do something at least somewhat original in these dark days of IP overload.

Maybe that’s not worth anything to you, but I appreciate it.

Rating: ★★★★☆