QUICK TAKES: The Greatest Hits; Wicked Little Letters; Girls State; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; and Home Entertainment Spotlight
by Josh Sewell
The Greatest Hits
(Rated PG-13 for drug use, strong language and suggestive material. Opens in select theaters on April 5 and available on Hulu starting April 12.)
The premise: After a tragic accident, Harriet (Lucy Boynton) discovers certain songs can transport her back in time. While she relives the past and tries to prevent the death of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), she finds a potential new love interest (Justin H. Min) in the present. As she continues to explore the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders if changing her past would mean giving up what she’s gained in the present.
The verdict: A time travel romance starring actors from Sing Street and the upcoming Superman reboot? The Greatest Hits sounds like it was designed specifically for me. However, writer-director Ned Benson’s drama left me cold because it never commits to its premise. Does Harriet actually have the ability to time travel? Or is this her mind’s way of coping with the trauma she’s endured? Although the film ends up answering the question, it ultimately opens the door to a bunch of possibilities Benson doesn’t explore.
That’s what makes The Greatest Hits so frustrating: it squanders a killer premise because Benson doesn’t know what kind of story he wants to tell. Either commit 100 percent to the cheese and make this a Nicholas Sparks-style melodrama or take the magical realism route and aim for the somber tone of Andrew Haigh’s heartbreakingly beautiful All of Us Strangers. Instead, the filmmaker straddles the fence resulting in a tonal fiasco.
That’s a shame considering Boynton and Min deliver terrific performances as heartbroken characters desperately hoping their tentative relationship can lead to healing. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Corenswet. He’s a good actor, but he’s playing a metaphor rather than an actual person.
Grade: C-
Wicked Little Letters
(Rated R for language throughout and sexual material. Opens in theaters on April 5.)
The premise: This black comedy follows two neighbors in a 1920s English town – deeply religious local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and feisty Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When residents begin to receive letters full of insults and profanity, Rose is charged with the crime. However, Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) – the police force’s only woman – begins to suspect that she may not be the culprit after all.
The verdict: This fact-based dramedy plays out exactly how you’d expect. Colman is equal parts infuriating and fascinating as a woman trapped by the constraints of modern society, while Buckley is a delight as that character’s polar opposite – a woman who couldn’t care less about how social norms dictate a “lady” should act.
It’s wonderful to see the great Timothy Spall pop up for a few scenes as a truly loathsome villain, complete with a glorious mustache to twirl. Vasan gets the most to do when it comes to an evolving character, but everyone involved keeps the flick breezy and entertaining – even when it looks like things might get bleak.
Grade: B-
Girls State
(Rated TV-14. Available on Apple TV+ starting April 5.)
The premise: In this standalone companion to the 2020 documentary Boys State, filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss chronicle what American democracy would look like if teenage girls were in charge. The film follows a group of young women leaders from wildly diverse backgrounds across Missouri as they navigate a week-long immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up.
The verdict: In my review of Boys State a few years back, I said I’d love to see what a sequel would reveal about young women in the same era. It turns out there’s a lot to say about that subject.
The two films have the same structure, but viewers who’ve seen both will immediately notice the stark differences in programs that are theoretically supposed to treat participants the same. The young women are taken aback at Girls State’s prudish dress code and “buddy system,” which prevents them from being alone outside at any time. One teen bluntly asks, “do these rules apply to the boys too?” You can guess the answer.
Viewers meet several compelling participants, including Nisha Murali and Tochi Ihekona, both children of immigrants, along with more traditionally conservative Midwesterners like Emily Worthmore. Perhaps the most fascinating person in the film, we see her arrive at Girls State with a fully prepped agenda, only to see it fall apart when it meets reality. How she handles that disappointment in the doc’s final third is worth the buildup.
Finally, Girls State boasts one of the most perfect end credits songs in quite a while. Some might think it’s too on-the-nose but considering what transpired over the previous 90 minutes, I’d argue it’s just right.
Grade: A
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: The epic Monsterverse franchise continues with an adventure pitting King Kong and Godzilla against a hidden threat that could challenge their very existence – and humanity. The New Empire delves further into the origins of these creatures, along with the mysteries of Hollow Earth and beyond.
The verdict: If you’ve seen previous installments, such as Godzilla vs. Kong or Godzilla: King of the Monsters, you already know what you’re in for. Returning director Adam Wingard, working from a screenplay credited to Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater, eschew human drama in favor of CGI creature overload.
Viewers who enjoy watching someone else play a video game for two hours might enjoy it, but those (such as myself) who prefer actual stakes and compelling human characters won’t find much to appreciate. Granted, I had a blast during the final act’s epic battle. But the journey to get there is a brutal one, despite a herculean effort from actors Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle and Dan Stevens (the only guy who seems to understand what kind of movie he’s in) to carry the audience along.
Grade: C-
Home Entertainment Spotlight
18½
(Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, language, and suggestive material. Now available On Demand and on DVD April 9.)
In this fictional satire, a White House transcriber (Willa Fitzgerald) leaks the infamous 18½-minute tape at the heart of Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal to a reporter (John Magaro). As a result, they run afoul of hippies, swingers and nefarious forces. The film also stars Vondie Curtis Hall, Richard Kind and the voices of Jon Cryer, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell as President Nixon. The film, directed by Dan Mirvish and written by Daniel Moya, was a critical and commercial indie success, winning awards at 30 film festivals – including several in Georgia.
The upcoming DVD release includes a documentary entitled Covid 18½: The Making of a Film During a Global Pandemic, chronicling how the production was the last film shooting in North America when the pandemic hit in March 2020, as well as how it became one of the first to resume production using Covid-safe production protocols. The DVD also offers a commentary track by Mirvish and Moya; a live audience track from the world premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival; audio of the full 18½-minute Nixon tape with Campbell, Raimi and Cryer; a promo from Wichita’s Tallgrass Film Festival; trailers; promos; and an alternate scene.
(Rated PG-13 for drug use, strong language and suggestive material. Opens in select theaters on April 5 and available on Hulu starting April 12.)
The premise: After a tragic accident, Harriet (Lucy Boynton) discovers certain songs can transport her back in time. While she relives the past and tries to prevent the death of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), she finds a potential new love interest (Justin H. Min) in the present. As she continues to explore the hypnotic connection between music and memory, she wonders if changing her past would mean giving up what she’s gained in the present.
The verdict: A time travel romance starring actors from Sing Street and the upcoming Superman reboot? The Greatest Hits sounds like it was designed specifically for me. However, writer-director Ned Benson’s drama left me cold because it never commits to its premise. Does Harriet actually have the ability to time travel? Or is this her mind’s way of coping with the trauma she’s endured? Although the film ends up answering the question, it ultimately opens the door to a bunch of possibilities Benson doesn’t explore.
That’s what makes The Greatest Hits so frustrating: it squanders a killer premise because Benson doesn’t know what kind of story he wants to tell. Either commit 100 percent to the cheese and make this a Nicholas Sparks-style melodrama or take the magical realism route and aim for the somber tone of Andrew Haigh’s heartbreakingly beautiful All of Us Strangers. Instead, the filmmaker straddles the fence resulting in a tonal fiasco.
That’s a shame considering Boynton and Min deliver terrific performances as heartbroken characters desperately hoping their tentative relationship can lead to healing. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Corenswet. He’s a good actor, but he’s playing a metaphor rather than an actual person.
Grade: C-
(Rated R for language throughout and sexual material. Opens in theaters on April 5.)
The premise: This black comedy follows two neighbors in a 1920s English town – deeply religious local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and feisty Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When residents begin to receive letters full of insults and profanity, Rose is charged with the crime. However, Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) – the police force’s only woman – begins to suspect that she may not be the culprit after all.
The verdict: This fact-based dramedy plays out exactly how you’d expect. Colman is equal parts infuriating and fascinating as a woman trapped by the constraints of modern society, while Buckley is a delight as that character’s polar opposite – a woman who couldn’t care less about how social norms dictate a “lady” should act.
It’s wonderful to see the great Timothy Spall pop up for a few scenes as a truly loathsome villain, complete with a glorious mustache to twirl. Vasan gets the most to do when it comes to an evolving character, but everyone involved keeps the flick breezy and entertaining – even when it looks like things might get bleak.
Grade: B-
(Rated TV-14. Available on Apple TV+ starting April 5.)
The premise: In this standalone companion to the 2020 documentary Boys State, filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss chronicle what American democracy would look like if teenage girls were in charge. The film follows a group of young women leaders from wildly diverse backgrounds across Missouri as they navigate a week-long immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up.
The verdict: In my review of Boys State a few years back, I said I’d love to see what a sequel would reveal about young women in the same era. It turns out there’s a lot to say about that subject.
The two films have the same structure, but viewers who’ve seen both will immediately notice the stark differences in programs that are theoretically supposed to treat participants the same. The young women are taken aback at Girls State’s prudish dress code and “buddy system,” which prevents them from being alone outside at any time. One teen bluntly asks, “do these rules apply to the boys too?” You can guess the answer.
Viewers meet several compelling participants, including Nisha Murali and Tochi Ihekona, both children of immigrants, along with more traditionally conservative Midwesterners like Emily Worthmore. Perhaps the most fascinating person in the film, we see her arrive at Girls State with a fully prepped agenda, only to see it fall apart when it meets reality. How she handles that disappointment in the doc’s final third is worth the buildup.
Finally, Girls State boasts one of the most perfect end credits songs in quite a while. Some might think it’s too on-the-nose but considering what transpired over the previous 90 minutes, I’d argue it’s just right.
Grade: A
(Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: The epic Monsterverse franchise continues with an adventure pitting King Kong and Godzilla against a hidden threat that could challenge their very existence – and humanity. The New Empire delves further into the origins of these creatures, along with the mysteries of Hollow Earth and beyond.
The verdict: If you’ve seen previous installments, such as Godzilla vs. Kong or Godzilla: King of the Monsters, you already know what you’re in for. Returning director Adam Wingard, working from a screenplay credited to Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater, eschew human drama in favor of CGI creature overload.
Viewers who enjoy watching someone else play a video game for two hours might enjoy it, but those (such as myself) who prefer actual stakes and compelling human characters won’t find much to appreciate. Granted, I had a blast during the final act’s epic battle. But the journey to get there is a brutal one, despite a herculean effort from actors Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle and Dan Stevens (the only guy who seems to understand what kind of movie he’s in) to carry the audience along.
Grade: C-
Home Entertainment Spotlight
(Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, language, and suggestive material. Now available On Demand and on DVD April 9.)
In this fictional satire, a White House transcriber (Willa Fitzgerald) leaks the infamous 18½-minute tape at the heart of Richard Nixon’s Watergate scandal to a reporter (John Magaro). As a result, they run afoul of hippies, swingers and nefarious forces. The film also stars Vondie Curtis Hall, Richard Kind and the voices of Jon Cryer, Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell as President Nixon. The film, directed by Dan Mirvish and written by Daniel Moya, was a critical and commercial indie success, winning awards at 30 film festivals – including several in Georgia.
The upcoming DVD release includes a documentary entitled Covid 18½: The Making of a Film During a Global Pandemic, chronicling how the production was the last film shooting in North America when the pandemic hit in March 2020, as well as how it became one of the first to resume production using Covid-safe production protocols. The DVD also offers a commentary track by Mirvish and Moya; a live audience track from the world premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival; audio of the full 18½-minute Nixon tape with Campbell, Raimi and Cryer; a promo from Wichita’s Tallgrass Film Festival; trailers; promos; and an alternate scene.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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