"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" - Review

Nicolas Cage is on the ropes. He is courting David Gordon Green for another movie, but his constant workload is getting to him, he's in debt, his wife Olivia (Sharon Horgan, always welcome) is demanding he get his shit together for the sake of his 16 year old daughter Addy (Lilly Sheen) who has grown frustrated with his ego and emotional distance. When he gets an offer from Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), to come to his birthday party for $1,000,000, the Hollywood superstar (haunted by his sub-conscious alter-ego "Nicky" who pushes for him to be a movie star rather than an actor) has no choice but to accept.
He ends up caught up in a plot to kill Javi and rescue the daughter of a President he and his cartel have kidnapped, overseen by two CIA operatives (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz), though the blossoming friendship between himself and Javi causes some tension and friction, all coming to a head in unexpected ways...

The film is burdened, see what I did there, with the legends of Nicolas Cage and his meme-like status; so even out of the gate has expectations for what this project is:
"Of COURSE Nicolas Cage is making this."
"Well duh, that's the most Nicolas Cage movie around!"
"Jesus fucking Christ..."
But here's the thing:
Nicolas Cage has always not only been a great actor, but a self-aware one. He's got a lot of nuance and range to him, and here is not just playing up a party parody version of himself. Well, he does do that in some rather amusing and inspired scenes as "Nicky" (complete with leather jacket and 90s/00s haircut), but the film is actually more about our perceptions of art, public personas VS one's true self, and self-contemplation and reflection.
I know that that all sounds rather heavy, and the film doesn't exactly stray into "JCVD" territory, breaking itself up with some excellent jokes, wonderful banter/rapport and EXCELLENT chemistry between Cage and Pascal (who frequently gets the most pathos for his character). It is a breezy, meta-textual romp and not only a fun comedy in its own right but a celebration and examination of art and Hollywood (there are a few fun discussions about the screenplay within a screenplay, and the marketing it would entail, and a funny Michael Bay's "The Rock" piss take at the end, lovingly observed) but it remembers never to fall to sycophancy and hagiography. It keeps its head on tightly, remembering characters and its love of the medium. As a result it keeps itself from feeling like a vanity project and ironically gives Cage some of his best stuff to date (obviously "Pig" is God-Tier Cage, almost untouchable).
It's very funny too. And Ike Barinholtz gets a few good laughs as a foul-mouthed CIA operative.

"The Lost City" - Review

Loretta Sage (Sandra "Sandy B" Bullock) is a reclusive author, housbound after the death of her beloved husband, who now writes the supremely popular "Dr Lovemore" romance novels, full of adventure and bodice-ripping enticement between her and the sexy "Dash McMahon" (Channing "Channy T" Tatum). But when she fumbles a book tour she is not particularly interested in, Sage is kidnapped by men working for telemogul billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel "Raddy D" Radcliffe), who has found a clue in her latest novel which may lead him to a long lost city of "D", and he wants her to translate it for him, and will not be taking "no" for an answer. Now Dash's model "Alan Caprison" (also Channing Tatum) takes it upon himself to follow her to the jungle and rescue her. Shenanigans ensue.

This is a perfectly fun, 2000s-esque movie which does its job admirably. Sandra Bullock is always welcome in movies, and can carry this sort of movie in her sleep. She has some fun moments of physical comedy, and plays the part of "prickly, coming out of her shell introvert" very well. She's Sandy B! She can do anything! Tatum is having fun sending up his "lovable hunk doofus" persona, and Radcliffe steals the show as the cheery and upbeat villain of the piece, relishing the chance to (as he seems to always be doing now) continue his trend of weird projects to take on. Patti Harrison gets the best laugh as the social media manager for Sage and her team (calling her agent's elderly grandmother "slut" in an attempt to befriend her, and frequently doing cringe-worthy attempts to be "down with the kids") and I enjoyed her in this. It's somewhat refreshing that it's not attempting to follow modern day trends and plays it safe: it's fun, it's amiable and likeable as a movie. Personally I wanted it to have more energy, a frantic kind perhaps, or to be more vulgar, but you'll get exactly what you want out of this cheery and completely inoffensive little piece. It's no "Romancing the Stone" (referenced early on, to get that out of the way), but its characters are sweet enough to endear themselves to you and have a fun time with things.

"The Bubble" Review

COVID is running rampant across the world, but God-damn it the makers of the "Cliff Beasts" series are going to make their 6th movie, virus or no virus. Carol Cobb (Karen Gillan, an actor I'm always happy to see get more work) is reluctant to return to the franchise after the bad blood between her and the cast over skipping the 4th film, but does so to save her career. Reuniting with Lauren Van Chance (Leslie Mann), who hates her; Dustin Mulray (David Duchovny); who is devoted to the films which made his career; Sean Knox (Keegan Michael-Key), the action movie star who's starting to lose his mind; and Howie Frangopolous (Guz Khan), the comic relief in the series, who's huge in Pakistan: she is thrust into a truly hellish production cycle under put-upon producer Gavin (Peter Serafinowicz) and arthouse director Darren Eigan (Fred Armisen), alongside series newcomers Deiter Bravo (Pedro Pascal), a perpetually horny actor with a career as serious as his drug problem, and Krystal Kris (Iris Apatow), a Tik Tok Queen who is making her movie debut...

Alright, the movie is very very funny, enough to overcome its faults: it's too long, it meanders a bit, loses focus and seems to drift a little in regards to what it's trying to say or who it's about. But the ensemble are genuinely great, and it's having fun and getting enough zingers and one-liners to keep it afloat. It's broad in its comedy (stoner jokes, vomit gags, some witty back and forth, something for everyone really) but I was laughing enough throughout to put up with the more awkward moments. Stealing the show personally was Deiter, Pedro Pascal was absolutely relishing the part and having the time of his life (including a very funny sequence where he drug trips a dominatrix mirror, with a celebrity cameo). But all of the characters get their moment to shine. They're fun characters, and even when the movie veers into ludicrousness, it manages to stumble through okay. If you like Apatow's style of comedy, you will enjoy this.
The cameos and supporting parts of the film are great too: Nick from "Britannick" has landed on his feet, which I am more than happy about, Rob Delaney is always welcome, and Maria Bakalova is fucking wonderful and needs more work.

"Morbius" Review

From the writers of "Dracula Untold", "Gods of Egypt" and "The Last Witch Hunter" and "Power Rangers" comes a movie about a vampire which is nowhere near as interesting as any of them.
Dr Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is afflicted with a blood condition which saps his strength, life force and acting ability. Alongside his best friend Milo (Matt Smith) he seeks a cure, finding an unconventional one in the form of vampire bats and their bodies. But it will have completely forseen consequences...

This was a movie nobody expected to be good, and has happily lived down to those expectations. Some were worried this was a forced attempt at a "shared universe" by Sony (which it is), others that it simply looked bad (which is does), and some were worried about this being a miscast trend-chasing project featuring a terrible actor (which is also is), but as with all of these things the truth lies somewhere in between.
What should be a campy, baroque and over the top drama about a vampire doing battle with his evil brother (because you all know Matt Smith is going to be the villain in this) falls flat on its face and crawls for the entirety of the race. Where it wants the hero to struggle with duality and identity, it instead faces that very same quandry: is it a superhero film? Is it an R-Rated "Venom" knock-off (right down to stating the movie's catchphrase but with no punchline, that was cut from the film like many things)? Is it a movie about villains? Is it a movie with a script?
It's a myriad of bad decisions piled on top of each other (tonal inconsistency, dodgy CGI, a refusal to commit to the core camp concept, 2 completely superfluous FBI characters, an over-abundance of bad slow motion effects) but cut in a way which has no heart or soul or life to it. Pardon the pun there, but this movie doesn't feel like a passion project for anybdy involved. Occasionally there will be lines which sound like they could be fun in a "Dashing Derring-Do, Gentleman Vampire" sort of way, but fall flat when delivered by Jared Leto (an actor with the charm of Ansel Elgort dry-humping a dead possum). There are moments when the camera shakes itself out of the soporific stupour of "Shot-Reverse Shot" mentality you would see in a budget TV crime procedural or "Fifty Shades Darker" - one which springs to mind is a corkscrew shot on a subway, but even that just stops halfway through. There's no passion here. I would happily have taken the movie if it had the same strength and energy as this:

But alas, even from its opening (a drudge through a jungle) it is a sleepy and dreary affair. Boxes are ticked, editing is perfunctory at best and outright atrocious at worst (Tyrese Gibson's FBI agent effectively teleports during a supposed chase sequence) and none of this is helped by underwritten supporting cast (Adria Arjona's Dr Bancroft is given lines to say, bless her, and does her best with the material, but leaves little impact, and Jared Harris turns up twice to remind us he's in this) and the dire acting talents of Jared Leto.
I'm not quite sure why he keeps getting cast in movies: he's akin to the kid who gets the leads in school plays because his dad donates money to the school. He's a curious anti-charisma about him, he's something of a weak link even when giving effort. Matt Smith is the only part which threatens to be fun: despite atrocious CGI and a motive undeveloped beyond "I enjoy being evil and somebody has to liven proceedings", he brings a spark and joy to the material. Had he been cast as Morbius, the film would not have been good by any means, but it would have suffered less and be at least charmingly inept. Al Madrigal got a few decent laughs out of me with his lines, and I was thankful he survived the movie. He seemed bored. Oh, and jobbing actor Corey Johnson, whom I rather like, shows up for a little bit.
Those two are the positives.
On the way down I joked about wanting this character in the leading role:

And I think that's got more mileage in my life than anything this movie has to offer.
"What up girl?! Your blood smells DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE! Hey you walking away? Cool, same time next week? Hey beautiful!"
Tyrese Gibson has a robot arm in this, and it never goes anywhere.
It's bad.
The movie's bad, we all knew it would be bad, and it's not even a "Venom" situation where an actor or a weird concept made it fun enough for me to see why people like it.
It's thoroughly charmless, and borderline artless. I'm an avid defender of bad art, but after watching the endlessly fun "X" and the fucking brilliant micro-budget "Red Rocket" this year: there is no excuse for this movie, or reason for Jared Leto anymore. How many people (apart from me) have legitimately great scripts and visions they wish to create? How many actors like Simon Rex are waiting for their chance to absolutely smash it out of the park and show the world what they've got?
It's not "Fantfourstic" bad, but... Fuck at least "Electra" and "Catwoman" are charmingly shitty.

"X" Review

The year is 1979, the place is a farmhouse in Texas. Maxine (Mia Goth) is an aspiring superstar and cokehead accompanied by her older boyfriend Wayne (Martin Henderson), about to make a high class pornographic film . Their cinematographer/cameraman is RJ (Owen Campbell), his quiet girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) is the sound girl, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) is his confident leading lady, and Vietnam veteran Jackson (Scott Mescudi) his leading man.
They settle into the farmhouse of an elderly couple and get to work. But there is something about these people which just seems off, and Wayne never told them exactly what they were doing here. So if they find out, there may be some trouble...

This movie fucking rules.
I went into this knowing absolutely nothing, save that it was the new Ti West - which is enough. Ti West always crafts his movies as love letters to 70s and 80s horror flicks, far more of the former in this case (though I get ahead of myself), and has very much done the same here. He's a meticulous craftsman with a great eye and sense of fun.
The build up is excellent, the setting superb. Little details like the way shots will flicker in between transitions as if a few frames are misplaced, just really add to the tone as well as the dread - in the case of a superb sequence at a lake.
The build up is long, using a lot of shots to show off his skill and add tension and dread. There's one of the barn at night which could be straight out of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the aforementioned fucking fantastic lake/pond sequence (when the dread really begins to ratchet up); the film is what West does best: building dread and atmosphere.
I'll take this moment to say that the editing in this movie is the best I have seen in years, it's got amazing transitions and top tier cuts. The comparisons and contrasts between the porn movie and the events around them are just the beginning, the use of Christian preachers on the television truly elevate it all. If you have the vaguest interest in editing, watch this.
When it all inevitably kicks off, the bloodbath is fun. You know it's going to be a slasher movie, WE know it's going to be a slasher movie, WEST knows it's going to be a slasher movie, so he sets out to craft one perfectly and make you work for it.
I'll also add that I like the performances here: Henderson could easily have just played it as sleazy, but honestly makes Wayne kind of lovable! What was the last thing you saw Henderson in? If I have a flaw with the movie, it's that Ortega is truly excellent and I wish she was in it more...
If you enjoy gore flicks or 70s horror then you'll know if you like this or not.
Personally speaking, this felt like a far better love-letter and homage to horror and the films of old than something like "Scream" or "Cabin in the Woods".

"Red Rocket" Review

A burnt-out, aging porn star by the name of Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) returns battered and bruised to his backwater hometown in Texas. Down on his luck and desperate to climb back up the ladder into the industry that made him what he is, he stays at the home of his estranged wife Lexi (Bree Elrod) and her mother Lil (Brenda Deiss). With only his charm and his once good looks, he attempts to find a way back in, and comes across a young woman named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) who may just be his meal ticket...

This is a wonderfully well observed and seedy little examination of the underbelly of a forgotten industry; and a character study of a complete and utter leech whom we should run for the hills for the moment we see him, yet cannot help but like him and and be endeared by his charm, which makes him all the more dangerous.
Set against the backdrop of the 2016 US Presidential election, this film is all run down industry, dead end towns, poor people and as a result is actually a lot better and far more honest at depicting the cultural divide in America than many of the hamfisted attempts to capture it in more "political" films. There's an awesome opening shot with Mikey contrasted with the fading, dying industry of Texas, and the whole film continues to have these gorgeous moments like that. My favourite image was of the characters smoking cigarettes with American flag wallpapers continuously over the course of the film. I'll let that sink in for a moment and all that it entails...

Yet for all of its impressive work, it's still a gritty and ugly movie at heart, in the best possible way. Think of this as a prequel to "Star 80" (brief side note: WATCH STAR 80!) and you're going to know what you are in for.
This is, at its core, a movie about a truly despicable leeching piece of shit clinging to the coat tails of anything he can to get by.
And I kind of love him.
Simon Rex is one HELL of a find here, and praise is also going quite rightly to Suzanna Son, who is also excellent in this.
I thought this movie was a really fun, genuinely funny examination of a desperate person clinging to fame in the "land of opportunity" at any cost.

"The Duke" Review

In Newcastle, the year is 1961 and Kempton Bunton (national treasure Jim Broadbent) is on trial for the theft of The Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco De Goya. We flashback to Bunton's life leading up to the theft: his hard working and long suffering wife Dorothy (Helen Bloody Mirren, excellent), his long-standing socialist crusades against injustice and the establishment, his sons Jackie and Kenny (Fionn Whitehead and Jack Bandeira), and his frustrations at the world around him.

This was a perfectly pleasant, sweet, but not-too-saccharine, little kitchen sink drama with well observed and lovely performances from Broadbent and Mirren. I could happily just have the two of them noodling and pottling about their home trading barbs with each other.
Whilst the heist itself is not particularly thrilling, it is not attempting to be: it's attempting to be an amiable little film about a nice man and his struggle.