by Josh Sewell
Promising Young Woman
(Rated R for strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use. Opens in theaters on Christmas Day, available On Demand in early January.)
The cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox and Alison Brie.
What it’s about: In this twisted, darkly comic revenge tale, Cassie (Mulligan) is a former med student whose life was derailed by a traumatic event. Now she uses her brains and skill to strike back against men who prey on women. However, when sparks fly with an old classmate (Burnham), Cassie’s past and present collide in ways that will have drastic ramifications for everyone she knows.
The good: Mulligan delivers the best performance of her career in writer-director Emerald Fennell’s deceptively candy-coated tale of toxic masculinity, self-proclaimed “nice guys” and sexual assault. Cassie could’ve easily been a metaphor rather than a fully realized character, but Mulligan breathes authenticity into her. She’s terrifying, hilarious, angry, vulnerable and tragic, often in the same scene. I’m sure a lot of viewers will tie Promising Young Woman to the current #metoo movement, but let’s be real: the issues Fennell is wrestling with in her cunning, razor-sharp satire have been prevalent in American society for generations.
The rest of the cast is also strong – especially Burnham, whose character has to walk a difficult tightrope. He needs to be charming enough for Cassie to let her guard down, but not so perfect that the audience isn’t constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. We’re left in constant suspense, wondering if he’s too good to be true. In addition, there’s an almost constant parade of recognizable actors who pop up for brief, yet haunting performances.
The not-so-good: The film’s last act is destined to be controversial. I wouldn’t dream of revealing any of the narrative’s unexpected turns, but Fennell’s choices are sure to enrage some viewers. At the very least, they’ll spark passionate debate. Although I was stunned by one development in particular, I admire the filmmaker’s willingness to take big risks.
Grade: A
News of the World
(Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, thematic material and some language. Opens in theaters on Christmas Day.)
The cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Ray McKinnon and Mare Winningham.
What it’s about: Following the Civil War, veteran Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) works as a traveling storyteller, sharing the day’s news with townspeople who are too busy surviving to keep up with current events. While making his way across Texas, he crosses paths Johanna (Zengel), a 10-year-old girl taken from her family as a toddler and raised by the Kiowa people. She was being returned to biological relatives when tragedy struck, and now she’s alone in a world she doesn’t understand without a way to communicate. Kidd and Johanna quickly bond, so he decides to escort her hundreds of miles across dangerous territory.
The good: Hanks (who has become the undisputed king of “dad movies” over the past decade) reunites with his Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass, although News of the World is a surprising departure from most of the filmmaker’s previous work. Honestly, it’s the most conventional movie he’s ever made, but it turns out he’s an assassin when it comes to sentimentality. I thought I was watching with a critical resolve, respecting the film rather than emotionally engaging with it. Then, without warning, the last 10 minutes sucker-punched me in the heart. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt the tears on my cheeks.
Hanks is fantastic as always, but the surprise here is young Zengel, whose performance is mostly conveyed through silence, facial expressions and body language. Their scenes together a have a slow build that really pays off in the final act. However, lest you think Greengrass has become a total softie, there’s also a harrowing extended shootout sequence that reminded me he’s still the guy who made the Bourne movies and United 93.
The not-so-good: The movie is fairly conventional as far as westerns go, while some of the parallels Greengrass makes with our current era of anti-intellectualism and “fake news” are a little heavy-handed. Overall, though, News of the World is an effective, if familiar, work.
Grade: B+
Blu-ray Review: The Godfather, Coda: The Death o
f Michael Corleone
(Rated R for violence and language. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.)
The cast: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola and Eli Wallach.
What it’s about: To commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Godfather, Part III, director and co-writer Francis Ford Coppola has crafted what he considers to be the definitive version of the trilogy’s final installment. Now titled The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, the film has a new beginning and end, as well as a streamlined narrative full of subtle edits. The story remains the same: an aging Michael Corleone (Pacino) seeks to free his family from its criminal empire and become a legitimate businessman. His quick-tempered nephew Vincent (Garcia) could be his eventual successor, but he might also be the wild card that pulls Michael back into a world of violence he thought was behind him.
The good: I’ve always thought The Godfather, Part III didn’t deserve its unfortunate reputation, which happens when a film that’s “merely” good follows two predecessors that are literal masterpieces. Still, Coppola’s new edit definitely makes the film better. The story isn’t as confusing, the pacing is tighter (this is the rare “director’s cut” that’s shorter than the original) and the gradual march to inevitability hammers home the notion it’s an epilogue to the tragic Corleone saga rather than a true third chapter.
Pacino is heartbreaking here, modulating his performance in a way that viewers wouldn’t see often after the actor went full “HOO-AH!” a couple of years later. Shire is also outstanding, getting an opportunity to add depth to her character that she didn’t have in the first two installments.
Garcia is flat-out incredible, evoking Pacino in his younger years, as well as James Caan, whose character Sonny is Vincent’s long-dead father. The edit is also kinder to Sofia Coppola’s performance as Michael’s daughter, Mary. The actress was savagely maligned by critics when the movie was released back in 1990, which seems particularly mean-spirited in hindsight.
True, when sharing the screen with Pacino or Garcia, Coppola can’t go toe-to-toe. But her lowkey, somewhat stilted delivery is a good match for the shy, awkward teenage girl she’s portraying. It’s a style of acting that would become standard in mumblecore flicks a couple of decades later – a genre she would ultimately excel in as a filmmaker in her own right.
The not-so-good: I’m not sure if The Godfather, Coda will change the minds of anyone who didn’t like the original version. However, for film nerds who want to experience the trilogy’s conclusion from a fresh perspective – or see how a handful of seemingly minor changes can dramatically improve a work – I highly recommend checking it out.
Special features: An introduction from Francis Ford Coppola.
Grade: B+
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Twitter: @IAmJoshSewell
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
Promising Young Woman
 |
| Courtesy of Focus |
(Rated R for strong violence including sexual assault, language throughout, some sexual material and drug use. Opens in theaters on Christmas Day, available On Demand in early January.)
The cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox and Alison Brie.
What it’s about: In this twisted, darkly comic revenge tale, Cassie (Mulligan) is a former med student whose life was derailed by a traumatic event. Now she uses her brains and skill to strike back against men who prey on women. However, when sparks fly with an old classmate (Burnham), Cassie’s past and present collide in ways that will have drastic ramifications for everyone she knows.
The good: Mulligan delivers the best performance of her career in writer-director Emerald Fennell’s deceptively candy-coated tale of toxic masculinity, self-proclaimed “nice guys” and sexual assault. Cassie could’ve easily been a metaphor rather than a fully realized character, but Mulligan breathes authenticity into her. She’s terrifying, hilarious, angry, vulnerable and tragic, often in the same scene. I’m sure a lot of viewers will tie Promising Young Woman to the current #metoo movement, but let’s be real: the issues Fennell is wrestling with in her cunning, razor-sharp satire have been prevalent in American society for generations.
The rest of the cast is also strong – especially Burnham, whose character has to walk a difficult tightrope. He needs to be charming enough for Cassie to let her guard down, but not so perfect that the audience isn’t constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. We’re left in constant suspense, wondering if he’s too good to be true. In addition, there’s an almost constant parade of recognizable actors who pop up for brief, yet haunting performances.
The not-so-good: The film’s last act is destined to be controversial. I wouldn’t dream of revealing any of the narrative’s unexpected turns, but Fennell’s choices are sure to enrage some viewers. At the very least, they’ll spark passionate debate. Although I was stunned by one development in particular, I admire the filmmaker’s willingness to take big risks.
Grade: A
News of the World
 |
| Courtesy of Universal |
(Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, thematic material and some language. Opens in theaters on Christmas Day.)
The cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Ray McKinnon and Mare Winningham.
What it’s about: Following the Civil War, veteran Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) works as a traveling storyteller, sharing the day’s news with townspeople who are too busy surviving to keep up with current events. While making his way across Texas, he crosses paths Johanna (Zengel), a 10-year-old girl taken from her family as a toddler and raised by the Kiowa people. She was being returned to biological relatives when tragedy struck, and now she’s alone in a world she doesn’t understand without a way to communicate. Kidd and Johanna quickly bond, so he decides to escort her hundreds of miles across dangerous territory.
The good: Hanks (who has become the undisputed king of “dad movies” over the past decade) reunites with his Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass, although News of the World is a surprising departure from most of the filmmaker’s previous work. Honestly, it’s the most conventional movie he’s ever made, but it turns out he’s an assassin when it comes to sentimentality. I thought I was watching with a critical resolve, respecting the film rather than emotionally engaging with it. Then, without warning, the last 10 minutes sucker-punched me in the heart. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt the tears on my cheeks.
Hanks is fantastic as always, but the surprise here is young Zengel, whose performance is mostly conveyed through silence, facial expressions and body language. Their scenes together a have a slow build that really pays off in the final act. However, lest you think Greengrass has become a total softie, there’s also a harrowing extended shootout sequence that reminded me he’s still the guy who made the Bourne movies and United 93.
The not-so-good: The movie is fairly conventional as far as westerns go, while some of the parallels Greengrass makes with our current era of anti-intellectualism and “fake news” are a little heavy-handed. Overall, though, News of the World is an effective, if familiar, work.
Grade: B+
Blu-ray Review: The Godfather, Coda: The Death o
 |
| Courtesy of Paramount |
(Rated R for violence and language. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital.)
The cast: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Andy Garcia, Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola and Eli Wallach.
What it’s about: To commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Godfather, Part III, director and co-writer Francis Ford Coppola has crafted what he considers to be the definitive version of the trilogy’s final installment. Now titled The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, the film has a new beginning and end, as well as a streamlined narrative full of subtle edits. The story remains the same: an aging Michael Corleone (Pacino) seeks to free his family from its criminal empire and become a legitimate businessman. His quick-tempered nephew Vincent (Garcia) could be his eventual successor, but he might also be the wild card that pulls Michael back into a world of violence he thought was behind him.
The good: I’ve always thought The Godfather, Part III didn’t deserve its unfortunate reputation, which happens when a film that’s “merely” good follows two predecessors that are literal masterpieces. Still, Coppola’s new edit definitely makes the film better. The story isn’t as confusing, the pacing is tighter (this is the rare “director’s cut” that’s shorter than the original) and the gradual march to inevitability hammers home the notion it’s an epilogue to the tragic Corleone saga rather than a true third chapter.
Pacino is heartbreaking here, modulating his performance in a way that viewers wouldn’t see often after the actor went full “HOO-AH!” a couple of years later. Shire is also outstanding, getting an opportunity to add depth to her character that she didn’t have in the first two installments.
Garcia is flat-out incredible, evoking Pacino in his younger years, as well as James Caan, whose character Sonny is Vincent’s long-dead father. The edit is also kinder to Sofia Coppola’s performance as Michael’s daughter, Mary. The actress was savagely maligned by critics when the movie was released back in 1990, which seems particularly mean-spirited in hindsight.
True, when sharing the screen with Pacino or Garcia, Coppola can’t go toe-to-toe. But her lowkey, somewhat stilted delivery is a good match for the shy, awkward teenage girl she’s portraying. It’s a style of acting that would become standard in mumblecore flicks a couple of decades later – a genre she would ultimately excel in as a filmmaker in her own right.
The not-so-good: I’m not sure if The Godfather, Coda will change the minds of anyone who didn’t like the original version. However, for film nerds who want to experience the trilogy’s conclusion from a fresh perspective – or see how a handful of seemingly minor changes can dramatically improve a work – I highly recommend checking it out.
Special features: An introduction from Francis Ford Coppola.
Grade: B+
E-mail: joshsewell81@gmail.com
Twitter: @IAmJoshSewell
Website: flixchat.blogspot.com
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