by Josh Sewell
Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft
(Rated PG-13 for strong language and suggestive references. Opens in theaters on May 8.)
The premise: Captured during Billie Eilish’s latest world tour, this 3D concert documentary offers an up-close look at one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation. The film is directed by Oscar winners Eilish and James Cameron.
The verdict: In a shocking turn of events, apparently Cameron knows how to shoot a movie – especially in 3D. I only know a handful of Eilish’s songs, but Hit Me Hard and Soft was still a great experience thanks to her unique vision, which Cameron helped to execute. He’s also terrific in the role of interviewer, allowing Eilish to explain her process and history in between set pieces.
To be honest, I’m just ecstatic to see Cameron tackling a project other than his never-ending Avatar franchise. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to watch the blue cat people do their thing, but Cameron is one of our greatest living directors and I want him to move on. Combined with Eilish’s stage presence and talent for songwriting (with a lot of help from her brother Finneas), he proves there’s plenty of gas left in his tank.
Considering I’m a dorky middle-aged dad and still had a great time watching Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish’s fans are probably going to be ecstatic. From a film nerd’s perspective, the stunning achievement makes me want to see what Cameron will do next.
Grade: B+
Blue Heron
(Not rated but contains language and thematic elements. Opens in select theaters on May 8.)
The premise: In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha (Eylul Guven) and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly upsetting behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes).
The verdict: Writer-director Sophy Romvari’s feature debut is based on events in her own life, and that deeply personal connection makes for powerful, harrowing drama. Blue Heron is an indie rather than a blockbuster, so the narrative is more subdued and the pacing is measured.
However, patient viewers will be rewarded with one of the year’s best films as all the narrative pieces click into place. About halfway through, Romvari pulls off a heart-wrenching shift that forces the audience to reconsider everything they’ve experienced up to that point while making some incisive points about the imperfection of our memories.
The cast is excellent, particularly Guven and Amy Zimmer as the kid and adult versions of Sasha. Beddoes doesn’t have a lot of lines, but he’s fascinating and deeply upsetting as the volatile presence the film revolves around.
However, it’s Iringó Réti and Ádám Tompa as the children’s mother and father who do most of the emotional heavy lifting without a lot of over-the-top theatrics. I’ll be thinking about Blue Heron for a long time.
Grade: A
One Spoon of Chocolate
(Rated R for strong violence, some gore, language throughout including racial slurs, sexual content/nudity, and drug use. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: This homage to old school exploitation flicks centers on Unique (Shameik Moore), a veteran and ex-convict seeking a fresh start in a small town. After an altercation with a local gang, he suspects they may have something to do with his cousin’s disappearance. As he searches for the truth, he and his friends (RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson and Emyri Crutchfield) uncover a deadly conspiracy.
The verdict: RZA, one of the founding members of hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan, has dabbled in filmmaking since the 2010s with varying degrees of success. His latest, One Spoon of Chocolate, has some engaging moments, but for the most part it’s a mixed bag of story beats and fight sequences that worked better in the films he’s referencing.
There’s a ton of Quentin Tarantino vibes here (as evidenced by the legendary writer-director’s executive producer credit), particularly Django Unchained. RZA mixes that with a lot of Get Out and a dash of Smokey and the Bandit (if you can believe it); while that might sound like an entertaining, chaotic blend, the result is surprisingly dull.
Moore is miscast as the protagonist who’s either too dim-witted or too chicken to address the atrocities going on around him. As a result, the death count rises far too high before anyone fights back against the villains, which is around 90 minutes into a two-hour flick.
Then, after an epically clichéd monologue, the movie ends abruptly with no resolution. RZA may think this is a cool artistic choice, but it cheats the audience after way too much build up.
Grade: C
Fuze
(Rated R for language throughout and violence. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In this crime thriller from screenwriter Ben Hopkins and director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), a World War II-era bomb is discovered at a London construction site, forcing a citywide evacuation. At the same time, a daring heist kicks off – using the chaos as a distraction. As authorities race to contain the crisis, alliances blur and moral boundaries are crossed, leading to a surprising conclusion.
The verdict: Despite coasting on the talent of its stellar British cast (including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington and Gugu Mbatha-Raw), “Fuze” ultimately stumbles because it can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be.
For a while, the story is a combination of The Hurt Locker and Heat, but the plots switch back and forth so often that there’s not really time to learn about the characters or why we should root for or against them. Then, it turns into a retread of The Usual Suspects in the back half, but the reveal proves there was no real chance of figuring out the twists ahead of time.
Rather than play by the rules, Fuze cheats. That undercuts any goodwill the audience might’ve granted the filmmakers, especially since the destination ends up not being worth the journey.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for strong language and suggestive references. Opens in theaters on May 8.)
The premise: Captured during Billie Eilish’s latest world tour, this 3D concert documentary offers an up-close look at one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation. The film is directed by Oscar winners Eilish and James Cameron.
The verdict: In a shocking turn of events, apparently Cameron knows how to shoot a movie – especially in 3D. I only know a handful of Eilish’s songs, but Hit Me Hard and Soft was still a great experience thanks to her unique vision, which Cameron helped to execute. He’s also terrific in the role of interviewer, allowing Eilish to explain her process and history in between set pieces.
To be honest, I’m just ecstatic to see Cameron tackling a project other than his never-ending Avatar franchise. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to watch the blue cat people do their thing, but Cameron is one of our greatest living directors and I want him to move on. Combined with Eilish’s stage presence and talent for songwriting (with a lot of help from her brother Finneas), he proves there’s plenty of gas left in his tank.
Considering I’m a dorky middle-aged dad and still had a great time watching Hit Me Hard and Soft, Eilish’s fans are probably going to be ecstatic. From a film nerd’s perspective, the stunning achievement makes me want to see what Cameron will do next.
Grade: B+
(Not rated but contains language and thematic elements. Opens in select theaters on May 8.)
The premise: In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha (Eylul Guven) and her family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island, but their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly upsetting behavior from the eldest son, Jeremy (Edik Beddoes).
The verdict: Writer-director Sophy Romvari’s feature debut is based on events in her own life, and that deeply personal connection makes for powerful, harrowing drama. Blue Heron is an indie rather than a blockbuster, so the narrative is more subdued and the pacing is measured.
However, patient viewers will be rewarded with one of the year’s best films as all the narrative pieces click into place. About halfway through, Romvari pulls off a heart-wrenching shift that forces the audience to reconsider everything they’ve experienced up to that point while making some incisive points about the imperfection of our memories.
The cast is excellent, particularly Guven and Amy Zimmer as the kid and adult versions of Sasha. Beddoes doesn’t have a lot of lines, but he’s fascinating and deeply upsetting as the volatile presence the film revolves around.
However, it’s Iringó Réti and Ádám Tompa as the children’s mother and father who do most of the emotional heavy lifting without a lot of over-the-top theatrics. I’ll be thinking about Blue Heron for a long time.
Grade: A
(Rated R for strong violence, some gore, language throughout including racial slurs, sexual content/nudity, and drug use. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: This homage to old school exploitation flicks centers on Unique (Shameik Moore), a veteran and ex-convict seeking a fresh start in a small town. After an altercation with a local gang, he suspects they may have something to do with his cousin’s disappearance. As he searches for the truth, he and his friends (RJ Cyler, Paris Jackson and Emyri Crutchfield) uncover a deadly conspiracy.
The verdict: RZA, one of the founding members of hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan, has dabbled in filmmaking since the 2010s with varying degrees of success. His latest, One Spoon of Chocolate, has some engaging moments, but for the most part it’s a mixed bag of story beats and fight sequences that worked better in the films he’s referencing.
There’s a ton of Quentin Tarantino vibes here (as evidenced by the legendary writer-director’s executive producer credit), particularly Django Unchained. RZA mixes that with a lot of Get Out and a dash of Smokey and the Bandit (if you can believe it); while that might sound like an entertaining, chaotic blend, the result is surprisingly dull.
Moore is miscast as the protagonist who’s either too dim-witted or too chicken to address the atrocities going on around him. As a result, the death count rises far too high before anyone fights back against the villains, which is around 90 minutes into a two-hour flick.
Then, after an epically clichéd monologue, the movie ends abruptly with no resolution. RZA may think this is a cool artistic choice, but it cheats the audience after way too much build up.
Grade: C
(Rated R for language throughout and violence. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In this crime thriller from screenwriter Ben Hopkins and director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water), a World War II-era bomb is discovered at a London construction site, forcing a citywide evacuation. At the same time, a daring heist kicks off – using the chaos as a distraction. As authorities race to contain the crisis, alliances blur and moral boundaries are crossed, leading to a surprising conclusion.
The verdict: Despite coasting on the talent of its stellar British cast (including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington and Gugu Mbatha-Raw), “Fuze” ultimately stumbles because it can’t decide what kind of movie it wants to be.
For a while, the story is a combination of The Hurt Locker and Heat, but the plots switch back and forth so often that there’s not really time to learn about the characters or why we should root for or against them. Then, it turns into a retread of The Usual Suspects in the back half, but the reveal proves there was no real chance of figuring out the twists ahead of time.
Rather than play by the rules, Fuze cheats. That undercuts any goodwill the audience might’ve granted the filmmakers, especially since the destination ends up not being worth the journey.
Grade: C+
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
Comments
Post a Comment