The Films of 2022

[DarkImbecile]

It feels increasingly odd to see something small and adult-oriented like Graham Moore's The Outfit in theaters these days, as its type of minor pleasures — period crime drama; a moderately twisty, dialogue-driven script; a protagonist as quiet and British as Mark Rylance's — are so often segregated exclusively to streaming services. Moore's feature directorial debut (and his first feature screenplay after The Imitation Game nearly a decade ago) depicts a series of Chicago mob-related murders and power machinations with a small supporting cast, a single location, and a very Rylance central performance.

Taking place over roughly 36 hours in Rylance's humble Chicago tailor's shop frequented by local gangsters, the film is an enjoyable enough diversion in the moment and contains a handful of nice smaller surprises, but the bottle-episode nature of the precisely constructed script ends up feeling more limiting than clever, and the bigger 'twists' end up too overly telegraphed to land with any force. Moore as a director adds little from a form or style perspective, which makes the proceedings feel so stagey I was surprised to learn after the fact that this was actually written for the screen; some of this may stem from budgetary necessity here, but Moore would be well-served to infuse some opportunities for visual flair into the next script he writes and intends to keep for himself.

The film's biggest failing is in being the first film I've seen to prominently feature Johnny Flynn — who more than held his own opposite Jessie Buckley in Michael Pearce's Beast and Anya Taylor-Joy in Autumn de Wilde's Emma. — and leave me feeling like he wasn't given anywhere near enough to do; his conniving mob lieutenant here is more an archetype and a plot driver than a meaty, complex character, and I would have much rather seen him swap into the smaller but more emotionally involved role as the spoiled mob boss heir (played here by the more conventionally handsome Dylan O'Brien, who probably would have been just fine being less petulant and more sinister).

[swo17]

Charlie McDowell's Windfall, with Jesse Plemons, Lily Collins, and Jason Segel

This was a pretty entertaining yarn from the director of The One I Love. No supernatural element, but it's similarly focused on a very small ensemble and in fully exploring the space they reluctantly co-inhabit. It's certainly topical, but I was more invested in the character dynamics and in the somewhat twisty plot developments, which I thought were earned. Perhaps some would question the casting of Plemons for his role, but he kind of looks and acts like a CEO I know, so I bought it

[DarkImbecile]

Michael Bay’s Ambulance is the usual mix of narrative and moral incoherence we’ve all come to expect, but for the first time since Pain and Gain it seems like he’s actually trying to make a movie with characters and stakes, however absurd they might be. I could write a bit about the solid central trio of performers who all know exactly who they’re making this movie for, or the slavish cop worship and often embarrassing portrayal of Latino gangsters, but really, who cares?

More to the point, this is his first movie since Bad Boys II that actually utilizes his overadrenalized camera and editing to make what’s happening actually engaging and occasionally exciting. Looking over his filmography, I was surprised to see that by my count he’s really only made three movies that actually had any action sequences worth remembering, and it’s been a looong time since he hasn’t just used computers to mimic the shallow and short-lived but still real thrills of some of his first films.

Bay seems to be somewhat energized by the budgetary limitations, using drones to achieve a handful of technically impressive shots that would have been bland CGI in a movie with his usual budget somewhere around 5X the $40 million this one reportedly cost. The overwhelming reliance on practical effects and cameras pays off in a number of sequences, but the other side of that double-edged budgetary sword, unfortunately, is that the CGI that is used is laughably bad, as are some of the stunt doubles in slow-mo shots that — in IMAX anyway — bear a painful lack of resemblance to Jake Gyllenhaal.

Anyway, this is easily the best action vehicle Bay’s made in decades… which isn’t enough to make it a good movie, but does make it a watchable movie, which I guess I’ll take.

[knives]

Turning Red is probably the best ‘traditionally’ animated CGI film not just for its depth of theme, quality of characterization, and narrative pip but also for how subtlety and brilliantly it resides within the animated medium. The animation here is just great and unlike anything Pixar has ever done before.

Actually, the lack of a Pixar feel is what makes this so good. It’s not trapped in tradition at all, as appropriate to the themes, with a unique mode of characterization and presentation. It actually reminded me more of classic Proud Family with it’s integration of real life elements to a fantastic perspective.

The themes are what I love most here. People limiting the panda to menstruation seem off the mark because not only is it brought up and rejected as the lens to view the panda by, but also how the panda is used goes well beyond that. Sexuality, something also outside of Pixar, definitely plays a role in who the panda is, but more broadly it seems to be the desires, personality growth, and relationships which one develops as they get out of the shadow of being only defined as a family member and becoming an individual within that smallest form of community. So much of the story could be about Mei wanting to become an artist and developing a new reputation as cool because of her talent while the mother doesn’t understand such a pursuit. Obviously the panda is more than that, but seems to be where the metaphor begins.

[andyli]

The hemes are what I love most here. People limiting the panda to menstruation seem off the mark because not only is it brought up and rejected as the lens to view the panda by, but also how the panda is used goes well beyond that. Sexuality, something also outside of Pixar, definitely plays a role in who the panda is, but more broadly it seems to be the desires, personality growth, and relationships which one develops as they get out of the shadow of being only defined as a family member and becoming an individual within that smallest form of community. So much of the story could be about Mei wanting to become an artist and developing a new reputation as cool because of her talent while the mother doesn’t understand such a pursuit. Obviously the panda is more than that, but seems to be where the metaphor begins.

Agreed. I kind of hoped they would drive the panda idea a bit further. In the scenes where the panda was represented as a physical threat, it would be more interesting to see the threat being of a sexual sort as well. But I guess that would go well beyond the ground Pixar/Disney usually tread on.

[knives]

See, I don’t think it needs to be strictly sexual even if that is obviously a major part to it. The mother’s panda for example seems to be her temper and maybe even mental health and like I said above Mei’s is in part her art.

[MitchPerrywinkle]

The Bob's Burgers Movie (dir. Loren Bouchard, 2022)

I've still not yet gotten around to seeing the original Top Gun, so I was in no rush to see the sequel this weekend. Instead, I hung out with some friends to catch The Bob's Burgers Movie, which provides exactly the sort of baseline of quality you'd hope for in a diverting summer comedy. The critical consensus around the film often pinpoints the script as a stumbling block for the film, and I can't say that critique is entirely misplaced. On the level of plot, the movie adaptation of a beloved cult sitcom (one that was primo comfort food for me during its prime around a decade ago) based around the absurdity found within the quotidian can't force too many of its characters to undergo major arcs without undermining its own dogged commitment to their offbeat brand of ordinariness. The elder Belcher children, while fun to have around, do little to enrich the film's primary thematic focus, specifically on how anxieties manifest for different members of this working class family. But that focus ends up being a succinct distillation of what makes the show so emotionally resonant, and the movie ended up renewing my appreciation for the show's harmonious fusion of aesthetics and pathos. Namely, if one could summarize the appeal of Bob's Burgers in a nutshell, it would be that it is an often surprisingly astute portrait of fears surrounding financial precarity for fallible adults, filtered through the perspective of a precocious, sensitive, and altogether odd 9-year old child of said adults.

Where the film excels is when it hews to this primary thread, even as sinkholes, murder mysteries, and musical numbers abound. The latter element features some crisply animated and adroit choreography, but the film's songs seem to be cut as much from the cloth of Demy as they do Disney. In fact, there's a delightful running gag where an entire song is performed by two characters only as they are either leaving a scene or their voices are practically inaudible! More than a cute gimmick, this is just one detail that gives a sense of lived-in dimension, no matter how loony, to the universe Bouchard and his artists clearly love to play around in. And there's certainly no small measure of melancholy surrounding the fears Bob and Linda have in disappointing their children or Louise does in disappointing her parents as she tries proving her bravery. Their separate threads do ultimately coalesce into a moment that's genuinely sweet in how it pinpoints strength in fallibility at a moment that's surprisingly bleak for this franchise (the film's forays into slightly darker territory make it tonally reminiscent of children's films from the 80s or even The Triplets of Belleville). Even in a minor character like Teddy, the overriding attitude of the show persists in the film: these characters will often do the wrong things at the wrong time, but never for the wrong reason.

As a final aside, one I will spoilerbox

SpoilerShow

the villain of this movie is a fairly unremarkable one, save for his big song, which is one of the strangest I've seen in any contemporary Hollywood movie musical. The execution is not at all pleasant, but I admired the creative audacity of the songwriters in crafting a tune whose music more than its lyrics elucidate the warped sensibilities of the antagonist. The only other recent movie musical I've seen that caught me off guard in a similar way through such abrupt musical experimentation was Annette, which is not a comparison I thought I would make with, of all things, The Bob's Burgers Movie.

Even if you've never seen the show, the film's modest charms are enhanced by enough thoughtful consideration for its big-screen milieu that a trip to the cinema in search of IP that's genuinely idiosyncratic will prove plenty rewarding.

[PfR73]

The Bob's Burgers Movie (dir. Loren Bouchard, 2022)

and musical numbers abound.

Please tell me these involve Sleater-Kinney.

[MitchPerrywinkle]

The Bob's Burgers Movie (dir. Loren Bouchard, 2022)

and musical numbers abound.

Please tell me these involve Sleater-Kinney.

It's my profound regret to report that they tragically don't. The screening I did go to featured that music video as part of the preshow, which was a blast to see on the big screen.

[hearthesilence]

I just got an email from the Beacon Theatre advertising the world premiere of a new movie by Louis C.K. called Fourth of July and both he and the cast will be there for a Q&A. Pretty astonishing he was not only able to make a new movie without drawing attention but that they presumably found someone to finance it.

[therewillbeblus]

I just got an email from the Beacon Theatre advertising the world premiere of a new movie by Louis C.K. called Fourth of July and both he and the cast will be there for a Q&A. Pretty astonishing he was not only able to make a new movie without drawing attention but that they presumably found someone to finance it.

He financed it independently like he always has with his work. An email went out today explaining more details for those still on his email chain. If you're interested, this is the email [Note: It'll read awkwardly at points, because I'm not going to take the time to link the links embedded throughout- if you want them and don't subscribe to his email, PM me]:

Hello my friends.

It makes me very happy today to announce to you that I have made a new movie, feature film, motion picture called Fourth of July which is opening in theaters around the country and world on July 1st.

Tickets are available now for the premiere of the movie which will be at the Beacon Theater on June 30th where the cast and I will be present to introduce the film and have a live discussion afterwards on stage. We are also holding identical screenings with me and the cast in Boston on July 1st at The Shubert and at The Vic in Chicago on the 2nd.

I independently produced (and financed) Fourth of July and I also directed it and edited it and cowrote it with Joe List, who stars in the movie as Jeff, a sober, anxious young jazz musician living in Queens, New York, who goes to Maine for Fourth of July weekend, with the intention of confronting his hard drinking, Boston-bred family, so that he can grow past his inhibiting anxiety and start a family of his own with his wife, Beth, who wants to have a baby. Beth is played by Joe's real wife, the very funny comedian Sarah Tollemache.

I also act in the movie playing Jeff’s therapist.

Fourth of July will be in select theaters starting July 1st. We are still compiling and constantly adding to the list of theaters which I will post on the web page for the movie which is on my website here.

Also if you would like Fourth of July to play at a theater near you, please contact the theater directly and ask for it. But you can get tickets today here for the premiere events where Joe the cast and I will be on stage to discuss the movie.

Click here to see the trailer and the movie poster and other information about the film.

My partner in this movie, Joe List, is a very funny comedian. He has two specials on YouTube that you can watch here and here. We wrote this movie together early last year and shot it at the end of the summer of 2021 in New York City and in Lake George, New York where I also discovered that Joe is an excellent, funny and vulnerable actor.

For me, it was fun as all fuck to direct and make a film again, and to work with Joe, the excellent crew and the amazing cast: Paula Plum, Robert Walsh, Robert Kelly, Tara Pacheco, Nick Di Paolo, Chris Walsh, Richard O’Rourke, Dorothy Dwyer, Lynne Koplitz, Tony Viveiros, Courtland Jones, Bill Scheft, and Allan Havey.

Fourth of July was executive produced by Lea Cohen and Brady Nasfell, along with Joe and I. The director of photography is Christopher Raymond. The original score was created by Matt Kilmer and Sweetpro. The same guys who made the music for my TV series “Louie."

I am very proud of the this movie and I hope you are all able to see it this summer. And I hope to see some of you at the Beacon or in Boston or Chicago (tickets here).

Thank you for reading.

Louis CK

[flyonthewall2983]

Hustle on Netflix is a lot better then I was expecting, even as someone with relative tolerance of Adam Sandler and the sort of smug satisfaction at seeing him kill it occasionally on screen. He does that here, in perhaps less an intense way as in Uncut Gems but maintaining the things he can utilize as a dramatic actor in cooperation with his sense of humor (he has many funny lines in this that don’t distract at all from moving the story forward). And rather amazingly for all of this it doesn’t ever feel like he’s carrying more then he should because everyone else is so perfectly cast and that includes the many athletes either playing themselves or characters in the story.

[alacal2]

Colm Bairead's 'The Quiet Girl' was the first Irish language feature film to appear in competition at Berlin this year and is a small but perfectly formed gem. A young girl is farmed out by her poor (both financially and emotionally) parents for the summer to older relatives whilst awaiting the birth of their fifth child in 1980's rural ireland.. And narratively that's pretty much it. The richness of the film comes from its emotional intelligence that grabs you from the start, draws you in and never lets go. I was on tenterhooks throughout.This is overwhelmingly due to the direction and Catherine Clinch's tremendously affecting acting debut as the young girl. What makes it more interesting is the way it focuses on the gradual bonding between the girl and her uncle rather than the aunt (whose instinctive warmth and care is never in doubt), both of whom seem emotionally fragile but discover how solitude can be both a straitjacket and a release. Silence really can be golden.

There are nods to Bresson, the Dardenne Brothers and Celine Sciamma (particularly Petite Maman) but the film is very much its own creature and never puts a foot wrong. The ending - where the film links the 'game' that initially reinforces the joyful bond between the girl and her uncle and their farewell is gutwrenching.

Inspite of fairly universal rave reviews it's only had a limited run in the UK although it is streaming on Curzon Home Cinema. Catch it if you can.

[soundchaser]

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande isn’t going to break any boundaries filmically, but it’s a very sweet, sex-positive movie with a few surprisingly transcendent moments, particularly towards its third act. I can’t say I was crazy about it — the script gets a bit on the nose — but it’s worth seeing among the streaming morass.

[therewillbeblus]

SpoilerShow

The alien Beavis saying “Satirical comment on the times” when looking at the real Beavis and Butthead made me laugh out loud

Thankfully Beavis And Butt-Head Do The Universe really milks this line as the high concept of the film, pitching a satirical commentary on our era from the outside in, filtered through the old show's own temporally-stagnant concept of utilizing ignoramus' antisocial engagement as blunt fixed variables to facilitate mirror-holding to our cultural absurdities. The obvious references are gold- particularly a bit that eviscerates two polarized sociopolitical groups at once: the many who problematically misunderstand the idea of white privilege in dangerous ways and elitist progressive hypocrisies. However, even a prison uprising seems to be indirectly touching on our human sensitivities, contagious What About Me revolutionary movements in response to ones we don't belong to, and a meek willingness on the system heads' part to avert controversy or conflict with a coddling approach. The film plays like Judge's Idiocracy only inverted to demonstrate how extremely individualized, isolated, and corrupt our current age is through the eyes of Gen X a quarter-century back. It's also playing to the same beats as Do America in its broad exhibitions on Americana, and successful on these relaxed terms.

[The Narrator Returns]

I'm surprised this stayed as under-the-radar as it did, but a new Andrew Bujalski movie called There There, with Jason Schwartzman, Lili Taylor, and Lennie James, just played Tribeca and was picked up for distribution by Magnolia.

[brundlefly]

I'll join the many among those who have seen it to reductively note that Goran Stolevski's You Won't Be Alone is basically what you might expect to get if Terrence Malick was convinced to direct a low-budget Macedonian folk horror, and while I spent the first 20+ minutes feeling pretty skeptical of this particular mashing of style and subject matter, I guess I'm enough of a sucker for philosophical voiceovers and handsome photography of people interacting with nature that this one eventually won me over to its side.

Stolevski's depiction of Macedonian witchcraft is distinct enough in its often bloody workings to be interesting for its regional specificity alone, but the film really starts to connect once the main character — a young woman who has been hidden from the world her entire childhood — is given the power to assume the form of other people and animals. Her ability to explore the world and the people of the rural, medieval Balkans from different perspectives — combined with the stunted syntax she has to articulate these experiences in voiceover — result in an affecting, tragic examination of the conflict between the roles we may want and those that are forced upon us.

This conceit delivers enough on an emotional and conceptual level to overcome some uneven execution — especially early on and in some visual effects sequences — and Sara Klimoska, Noomi Rapace, and Alice Englert give particularly good performances. This one has already locked in distribution, a trailer, and a release date this April, and I suspect it will be worth checking out even if you're not quite as susceptible to Malickisms as I am; I'm also curious to see whether Focus can pull an A24-style trick to market it in such a way that it draws some general audiences in addition to what will almost certainly be a more receptive arthouse crowd.

My way into this may have been the opposite of yours. Give me a witchy path strewn with casual, unexplained rituals, I will take that; even when the broken English subs felt mannered and the main character lapsed into acting exercises, it was convincingly alien and capably communicative and as a project dedicated to the act of understanding I decided I was fine with that. I can be a lot more resistant to secondhand Malick, and the hard-working score often pushed me away, but by then the path was sure and hadn’t lost its thorny stretches.

SpoilerShow

At worst, I got cynical whenever it came time for the villages to excuse the condition of each new host. So much head trauma in this town, and so many obvious gym rats, they should field a football team.

But when witch-mother teared up I did as well, and knowing that the main character’s craving to experience and understand life would leave her increasingly aware of the cost of her journey helped balance any precious technique.

For those who haven’t cut the cord, this is now streaming on Peacock. Which may turn out to be a reliable home for Focus releases.

[Johnny8204]

For me my top ten...at the mid point

Brian and Charles (2022) - A sickly sweet little story about small town English life the humor really connected with me.

Crime of the Future(2022) - This is one of those films that really should have been a 4 hour miniseries, I loved the world building a lot of the characters but it just sort of ended out of nowhere.

Cursed (2022) - I'm a big fan of Hammer style horror, and this is the best closest to Hammer film I've seen in years. Great atmosphere really solid opening and a decent enough plot to keep in engaged throughout the runtime.

Dirty Daddy: The Bob Sagat Tribute(2022) - It's not the Jim Henson funeral but it is touching and funny and worth your time. It's a collection of short bits from people who seemed to really love the guy.

Doctor Strange and the Multi-verse of Madness(2022) - Marvel has been on a bit of a dip when it came to movies recently, this is the best one they've made in a while. This is a Sam Rami film that has some great dark moments.

Lightyear (2022) - it's a shame that this film is flopping because it's one of the best science fiction films released in a while. It's not wholely original it borrows a lot of other films but that's what really works for it.

Maverick (2022) - I do wonder if Maverick is going to be the film that "saves" the Oscars. It's been a long time since a big budget film won the main award and really this is as good as Gladiator or The Return of the King. You don't really need to see the original because this is both it's own thing and the plot twist in the first movie has been spoiled.

The Northman(2022) - Egger's recent film...I think this is his best he has a lot of great set pieces and it's a fascinating story even if it is just Hamlet.

X(2022) - Ti West's creepy horror film is good because of the budget and it's got some weird parts to it that I dug.

The Watcher (2022) - This is a very simple stripped to the bones woman in danger from a stalker horror film. It's weird to compare it to Men which is a strange film with the weirdest ending of the year. I personally prefer this one because of the atmosphere and tension. This is one of those films that builds and treats it's characters like they are fully formed intelligent people.

[Mr Sausage]

Discussion of weird Ben Shapiro produced western Terror on the Prairie moved here.

[DarkImbecile]

As he settles into late middle age, Adam Sandler continues to demonstrate that when he works with the right material and collaborators — and particularly on a project related to something he's passionate about, like, say, basketball — he's a fine dramatic actor. Hustle, Jeremiah Zagar's second narrative feature, hits that sweet spot for Sandler; his enthusiasm and the apparent authenticity of the NBA trappings combine well enough for this to be one of the better narrative sports movies I've seen of late, and one I'd imagine would have at least passing appeal to the basketball fans on the forum.

Sandler plays a long-time scout for the Philadelphia 76ers — I'm always a sucker for a Philly movie featuring scenes shot within blocks of my former home — who dreams of becoming a coach, and who takes a big risk on a chance discovery of a Spanish phenom played by fringe NBA player Juancho Hernangómez; the training sequences and the struggle to get the league to take him and his unpolished prospect seriously allow Sandler to indulge his fast-talking comedic persona while also tapping into the nervous energy he deployed so well in Uncut Gems. Hernangómez is one of about three dozen current and former NBA players, coaches, and journalists who appear in the film, but for the most part not in an obnoxiously shoe-horned, product-placement way. In particular, Anthony Edwards is quite entertaining as a highly-regarded draft prospect who talks a lot of shit to psych out his opponents.

Like a lot of the better sports movies, Hustle focuses more on the discipline and determination needed to focus one's talent into success than the game itself; the young player's struggles to balance his personal and professional life and overcome a cosmetically rough past are a little paint-by-numbers, but not so much that it distracts from the core drama of his attempt at breaking into the league. Sandler's parallel professional crises are more compelling — maybe just because I sympathize more with his mid-career woes at this point in my life — and he's become very good at the kind of simmering desperation the role requires.

While this made for an enjoyable enough diversion for someone with a casual interest in basketball like me, I would be curious to hear whether more hardcore fans of the game find it authentic enough to work for them.

[DarkImbecile]

After a harsh response to his last feature, I can report that John Michael McDonagh's new film represents a marked improvement, though not a return to his best form. Where War on Everyone is distasteful at least in part for wallowing in the same kind of shallow, half-formed cultural criticism his brother indulged in with his own previous feature, The Forgiven is explicitly about pompous Europeans and Americans inserting themselves into a culture they only care to understand as far as they can deride it, which makes the some of the satire feel at least partially self-directed and therefore more palatable even when it strays into more obnoxious, well-trod territory.

The primary reason my mostly mixed response to this film tilts in the positive direction is Ralph Fiennes, whose David appears at first to be a one-dimensionally callous, cynical alcoholic but reveals himself gradually in a way that adds facets and depth while not negating the implications of his initial behavior. David and his American wife, Jo — played by Jessica Chastain, who does well enough with the thinner of the lead roles — are heading to a Moroccan villa for a party with a vapid collection of wealthy friends when they kill a Moroccan boy on the side of the road in an accident. Fiennes reluctantly sets off into the desert mountains to make amends to the boy's family, while Chastain indulges in McDonagh's facsimile of Fellini-esque debauchery with a flock of entitled bourgeoisie (including Matt Smith, Caleb Landry Jones, and Christopher Abbott).

While not much of the depiction of feckless wealth and class stratification is original or cutting enough to make much of an impression, it is with only occasional exception not so grating as to detract from what does work about the film, which is primarily Fiennes gradually confronting the kind of person he's become. I wish the supporting cast were given the kind of fleshed-out characters McDonagh packed into Calvary (far and away his best film and, I'm starting to fear, an outlier) and that he had a more original point to make or idea to explore, but this is at least watchable and a showcase for a very good Fiennes performance.

[Toland's Mitchell]

While this made for an enjoyable enough diversion for someone with a casual interest in basketball like me, I would be curious to hear whether more hardcore fans of the game find it authentic enough to work for them.

Basketball is my third of fourth favorite sport, so sure I consider myself a strong supporter, though not a hardcore fan. I'm a bigger baseball fan, and I couldn't help but notice the similarities between this and Moneyball. Not just in tone, but the plots both feature a BTS sports personnel putting his career and reputation on the line, while to trying to spend time with his teenage daughter who isn't interested in sports but is kind and supportive nonetheless. Like Moneyball, I enjoyed Hustle. And like DI, my roots are in Philadelphia, so I too had a soft spot when I saw locations I recognized (Pat's), and the players and coaches for the team I cheer for (Harris, Curry, Rivers, etc.). All that aside, I liked the film because it didn't follow the 'set-up and payoff' formula common in sports movies that culminate in a big game. Those types of movies are usually predictable. In Hustle, the victory at the end Sandler and Hernangómez were seeking was simply getting noticed, and there were several bumps and curves along the way, reinforcing how much these characters needed each other, while producing some touching moments between the two.

SpoilerShow

On the darker side, there was a strong scene when Sandler had to calm his player down after a huge setback while police officers were watching. On the lighter side, there was a funny scene where Sandler harped on him for his outrageous room service spending.

And my compliments to Sandler and his recent performances here and Uncut Gems. It appears he's finally getting roles that suit his strengths that DI covered above.

In sum, Hustle isn't anything new or outstanding, but it's a fun way to spend nearly two hours.

[therewillbeblus]

Louis CK’s Fourth of July is another frustrating failure of a feature from the outcasted comedian, a clumsily safe regurgitation of hackneyed observations on both AA and dysfunctional family dynamics. I expected something more from the former out of Joe List’s contribution given his personal experience in the program, and more from Louis in the latter given his evidenced ability to balance audacious risks with sober emotional intelligence on these dynamics in Horace and Pete. The film is cushily boring and thus insulting to anyone who’s actually struggled with alcoholism and family dynamics considering how long of a leash is on this material. I believe everyone here tried their best in its concoction, but I think they’re lost in facing how afraid they are at tackling anything of uncomfortable depth, which is ironic considering that’s precisely where 12-step fellowships set their aims- as well as assertively critique half-measured introspection and action. It’s particularly disappointing to see a talented artist, who was once so willing and confident in confronting and stewing in the muck of relational darkness, retreat into tidy indie securities.

[therewillbeblus]

B.J. Novak's Vengeance is a mixed bag- at once a film that's trying too hard at pointed satire, and failing pretty miserably at being affecting in the emotional ways it's aiming for, but also intelligently meditating on the overwhelming oppressive influences segregating us from any power or meaning in our society. Where Everything Everywhere All at Once set out to accomplish this feat with a phantasmagoric flux of possibilities, Novak utilizes a stripped-down modernist western noir platform to boost his blunt ideas on social media's influence on our own identities in terns of, among many things, sociopoliticized roles of justice. The highlight here is, surprisingly, Ashton Kutcher, who sidesteps the unearned sincerity of Novak's screenplay with a perfect balance of acidic truth with detached conviction, captivating and unsettling at once because we are simultaneously allured and repulsed by his presence and function in this story. Lots of Under the Silver Lake vibes without that film's audacious self-reflexive unbinding of its narrative and surrogate comforts, and nowhere near as good as that film, but worth seeing for the attempt at executing some pertinent concepts nonetheless, even if it doesn't exactly work or retain interest throughout. Kutcher turns this from a shrugfest into an unpredictably stimulating and engrossingly heady podcast-of-a-movie (likely unintentionally, despite the plot) whenever he's on screen, and I'm still in awe at this impression. For now, that turns a two-star interesting failure into a three-star slow-clap soft rec, tho probably not enough to stay there

[DarkImbecile]

Like a lot of people who were male teenagers in the mid-to-late 1990s, I have been a casual fan of Brad Pitt for a long time now, and it's been a happy coincidence that his talents and his eye for projects and collaborators have generally grown along with my tastes. One of my favorite things about him across the last 30 years of work has been his comedic timing — his casual ability to deliver an amusing line reading, either playing into or undercutting his movie-star charisma and absurd good looks — so it is deeply disappointing that his performance is perhaps the most tiresome part of Bullet Train, a very tiresome film.

The incredibly busy script, which reads like something Guy Ritchie might have thrown together in the early 2000s and then rejected as too contrived and overstuffed, sets Pitt up as some sort of mercenary operative reevaluating his life upon discovering a few entry-level therapy buzzwords, and then he and the film proceed to hammer that basic characterization into the core of the Earth. It's some kind of grim achievement to make Pitt the most grating actor on the screen in this kind of ensemble piece, but Leitch and Zak Olkewicz' script pull it off.

The rest of the movie, endlessly bouncing between characters and timelines, ranges from fleetingly amusing (mostly Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's 'twins') to cringingly misguided (Michael Shannon's 'White Death' crime lord) to entirely forgettable (the reason for all this overdetermined cartoonish chaos). Some of the hand-to-hand fight sequences are fine, and a handful of the many attempts at jokes actually land, but for the most part this was deeply draining to sit through; given the number of talented actors involved (and there are several unadvertised cameos in addition to those featured in the marketing), it's pretty remarkable how few of them make any kind of positive impression at all.