Consumate Comedian

 

Actress Catherine O'Hara has passed at 71. This multifaceted comedian and two time Emmy Award winner started in the legendary Second City Television troupe that included John Candy, Eugene Levy, Martin Short and more. She transitioned ro films seamlessly in such projects as Home Alone, Best in Show (as part of a repertory group in this, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind  etc), Beetlejuice, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. She also did well-received TV series as Schitt's Creek and The Last of Us.  Her range as an actress grew from her comedic mimicry in SCTV to dramatic roles as a consumate performer.

 

NO OTHER CHOICE and Its Lethal Conscience

Director/co-writer Park Chan-wook (Oldboy) has made a fascinating thriller/drama that combines various genres with devastating results in No Other Choice, a convoluted exercise in auteur cinema.

Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is a manager at a paper plant leading an idyllic life with a loving wife and two children. When he is laid off after a corporate merger and must scramble to pay his bills and mortgage, he is faced with the possibility of an uncertain future. Desperate and at his wits’ end, Yoo centers on a possible job opening at another paper plant, but with  other candidates vying for his precious job, he decides to eliminate his competition.  With each targeted executive, the situation gets more precarious and outrageous, and when the police begin questioning and his wife suspects something is wrong, what will he do?

The film asks, “What lengths will a man go to ensure his family’s well-being?”  There are Hitchcockian influences in Chan-wook’s ability to make his audience complicit in a crime with a morbid sense of humor.  The film borders on dark satire with Yoo’s bumbling attempts to commit murder which alternate from suspense to perverse comedy.  And yet the audience follows and even watches with a guilty fascination at his horrible plans, on the one hand hoping he can be successful and still feeling a sense of revulsion before, during and after a murder.  Byung-hun is triumphant in a challenging role, displaying a distressed husband and father who will stop at nothing to protect his family despite his ineptitude.

Shot with stunning imagery, those who are new to Chan-wook will find a master filmmaker spinning a tale about questionable morals that entertains and questions at the same time.  (The film works even in Korean with English subtitles.)

****1/2 of ***** stars

 

The Edge of Sanity in 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE

The apocalyptic series (beginning with 28 Days Later) has another installment, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which takes the franchise in a new direction with a horrifying yet intriguing premise.

Spike (Alfie Williams), from the previous film has been pressed into a gang of young survivors led by the fanatical Jimmy (Jack O’Connell), preying on other survivors of the plague.  Spike is desperate to escape from the murderous thugs when they come upon Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes repeats his fine work) who is working to make contact with an alpha male who is infected with the rage virus.  Is it possible to get through to his subject, dubbed Sampson, and what will happen when the doctor and the gang cross paths?

With minimal zombies this time, the film, well directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman) from a script by long time writer Alex Garland links directly with 28 Years Later and focuses on two subplots, the marauding gang and the doctor’s self-sufficient existence.  The gang members conduct ritualistic, one-on-one battles to the death and show no mercy to their victims.  Spike is our surrogate protagonist caught up in this vicious circle and horrified by the vicious, merciless acts.  Meanwhile the good doctor’s efforts to find a way to communicate with Sampson prove fascinating and offers a glimpse at possibly dealing with the infection.  It offers hope for an uncertain future especially with its revealing, touching ending.  There is also a nice callback that sets the stage for the next film.

Beautifully shot with memorable vignettes and tone of the Mad Max films, this is a better film than its predecessor and looks to steer the series to a more promising story arc.    

 **** of ***** stars (for purists)

 

Chalamet Supreme in MARTY SUPREME

Loosely based on a true story, Timothée Chalamet soars as a ruthless competitor in Marty Supreme, a high strung drama that reaches lofty heights before coming down to earth.

In New York, 1952, Marty Mauser is a frustrated table tennis star in the making who wants to be world champion. Selling women’s shoes and hustling all the time, he struggles to get resources to fly overseas for championship competition. Traversing the globe, he advances from semifinals to finals as he battles top players.  When the next championship is hosted in Japan, Marty is desperate to attend.  Resisting calls to commercialize or ‘sell out’, he begins to understand that the realities of his sport sometimes mean humbling himself and swallowing his pride.  Just as he realizes what is truly important in his life, can he find redemption and prove his worth?

Directed and co-written with gusto and frenetic energy by Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems), the film never slows down in its 2 ½ hour runtime. The sharp screenplay is intelligent and full of memorable moments.  Imaginative, fluid camerawork with handheld shots heighten the immediacy and excitement.  The music score and use of period songs are in perfect synch with the story’s accurate, period setting.

Bold and brash, Marty has big dreams and is portrayed as a loyal, at times reckless person constantly living on the edge. He’s a complicated guy, at times a walking contradiction and not always likable.  There are numerous scenes where he barely gets out of tough jams only to end up in another crisis. 

Supported by an excellent cast led by Gwyneth Paltrow and Odessa A’zion, this is Chalamet’s film all the way, and he gives it his all in a powerhouse role destined for Oscar glory.

****1/2 of ***** stars (a must for Chalamet fans)

 

Art Imitates Life in SENTIMENTAL VALUE

Sensitively told and boasting excellent performances, Sentimental Value is a very personal film about a fractured family coming together as it experiences love and pain from the past. 

In Oslo, an old house serves as the setting for a family specifically the childhood home for two sisters. Nora (Renate Reinsve), a local stage actress, and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), a wife and mother, are reconciling life without their deceased mother, and soon they are visited by their estranged father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a famous film director, who has a special script for his next film that he has offered to American star, Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning).  With casting taking shape, through a series of flashbacks and remembrances, it becomes apparent that it tells a story that is very personal even autobiographical. As he tries to make his film, he and Nora are inexorably linked by his script which serves as a metaphor and catalyst moving forward.  

The film deals with familial bonds, suicide, reconciliation, end of life, and the choices we make in life.  It also serves as a multigenerational mystery going as far back as World War II that slowly explores pieces of lives torn apart and rearranged. Reinsve is excellent as she embodies a complex character who suffers from stage fright, has an affair, and is still struggling with the past especially her animosity toward her father whose absence has hardened her.  Veteran Skarsgård has his best role in years, while Fanning makes a strong impression in her limited screen time.

A Norwegian film partly in English, this deliberately paced film is always searching for the truth and emotion of the moment.  It’s a tale that transcends language barriers and speaks universally of the relationship between father and daughter.

**** of ***** 

 

Spectacular Redux in AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

 

James Cameron continues the spectacular world of Pandora with his third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, a technically brilliant film that leans into previous, major plotlines. 

Picking up plot threads, humans are planning to yet again encroach on the Na’vi land while a rival Ash tribe led by the ruthless Varang threatens the Na’vi’s peaceful existence.  Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) returns to conquer the Na’vi and find his son Spider who has been raised by Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).  With Quaritch and Varang closing in, the humans are marshalling overwhelming forces that will be an inflection point for the Na’vi.  Will they be able to withstand the attack, and can they get help from an unlikely source?

The story about sacrifice and loss is still engaging, but it does feel familiar as it continues a narrative which ultimately does get resolved.  There is a fascinating duality with Spider’s two fathers, Quaritch, his bloodline, and Jake, his adoptive father, which forms a significant source of contrast and conflict throughout the film.  The concept of family and its deep, emotional bonds looms big along with a sense of community among the tribes.  There are also themes involving race, militarization, genocide and the environment with Pandora’s animal life proving a key factor. The ending scenes are memorable especially (for longtime fans) with callbacks to the first film.

Cameron’s vision is fully realized and never skimps on the concept of family.  Continuing his compelling role, Lang gets all the best lines.  With awesome visuals and sparing no expense, this is an event film (3 hours and 17 minutes) especially in the climactic, grand battle that demands to be seen in IMAX and 3D (shot in true 3D). 

**** of ***** stars (add ½* for Avatar fans)