REVIEW: “Fighter” (2024)

January 29, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Director Siddharth Anand (“War”, “Pathaan”) briefly steps away from the popular YRF Spy Universe to make “Fighter”, the first big-budget installment in a planned aerial action franchise. The Hindi blockbuster sees top stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone along with screen veteran Anil Kapoor playing aviators in the Indian Air Force who come together to face a potentially devastating threat. Isn’t that usually the case?

Even with that rather obvious setup, “Fighter” still delivers what many will be expecting. It has the unbridled flair, the good-looking stars, the steamy musical numbers, and of course the exhilarating action set pieces. Anand knows what wider audiences want and for the most part he gives it to them. Some will have a hard time with its out-of-fashion hyper-patriotism and comparisons to certain Tom Cruise fighter jet films are inevitable. But as far as big screen fun goes, “Fighter” offers the kind of escapist entertainment many will enjoy.

In the heavily disputed region of Kashmir, a hand-picked group of the Indian Air Force’s top aviators are summoned to Srinagar Air Force Base. There, under the leadership of their commanding officer Rakesh “Rocky” Jai Singh (Kapoor), they are to be turned into a highly trained quick response team. Among the aviators is the infinitely skilled and notoriously reckless flyboy Shamsher “Patty” Pathania (Roshan) and decorated helicopter pilot Minal “Minni” Rathore (Padukone). From the outset we know it’s only a matter of time before sparks fly.

A big chunk of the movie’s first half is spent developing the team’s chemistry and camaraderie. Anand and screenwriter Ramon Chibb do a good job solidifying the group through lighthearted scenes of spirited horseplay and more intense effects-driven training sequences. And of course there’s always time for an elaborate musical number.

As for the characters, Roshan and Padukone are (obviously) an attractive couple and together they have a simmering chemistry. Both of their characters are given emotionally weighty backstories which are hampered by some unnecessary dramatic twists and a schmaltzy narrative convenience or two. Yet Roshan and Padukone keep us attached. As does the solid supporting work from Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, Baveen Singh, and Sanjeeda Sheikh.

And of course there’s also the story’s villain, a vaguely conceived terrorist named Azhar Akhtar (Rishabh Sawhney) with an even more vaguely conceived goal of decimating the Indian military. He starts with the horrific bombing of a convoy transporting Indian soldiers. He then sets his eyes on the Srinagar Air Force Base. Indian and Pakistani politics come into play as Akhtar manipulates and maneuvers both sides to his advantage. But neither his motivations or the regional tensions are detailed enough to register, despite Sawhney having the look and grit of a good baddie.

There’s an undeniable playfulness to “Fighter” that blends well with the slow-brewing romance and character-driven drama. But the fuel that flies the film is the action. It’s wild, often thrilling, and sometimes unashamedly over-the-top and reality-defying. This is especially true of the air combat sequences that generally look great, minus the occasionally obvious CGI.

Among the film’s other features or flaws (depending on how you look at them) is a robust score full of emotional cues, some speechifying that goes beyond hokey, and enough gratuitous slow-motion to put Zack Snyder to shame. These things, along with the derivative elements of the script, keep “Fighter” from truly soaring. Yet the film still flies thanks to the sheer star wattage of its outstanding cast and Anand’s go-for-broke style. “Fighter” is out now in select theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

First Glance: “Monkey Man”

January 26, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Dev Patel has proven to be a fabulous actor, but his latest film “Monkey Man” promises a grit and intensity we’ve never seen from the 33-year-old Brit. Even more exciting, the film marks Patel’s directorial debut. Working from a story he conceived, “Monkey Man” looks to be a stylishly fierce action movie as evident by the kinetic first trailer.

In our first look we see Patel playing an anonymous young man known only as Kid who scrapes by working low-paying jobs and street fighting underground. But following the murder of his mother by big city elites, the Kid’s festering pent-up rage boils over, sending him on a John Wick-styled rampage of revenge. But this is no John Wick knockoff. The setting, the cultural inspiration, and the cinematic style give the movie an exhilarating original feel. I can’t wait.

“Monkey Man” hits theaters on April 5th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “American Star” (2024)

January 26, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Director Gonzalo López-Gallego is perhaps best known for 2011’s “Apollo 18”, a creepy found-footage sci-fi horror film that never got the respect it deserved. After a few direct-to-video feature films and some work on television, López-Gallego returns with “American Star”, a captivating thriller led by its equally captivating star, Ian McShane.

Set in the Canary Islands, “American Star” tells the tried-and-true story of a hitman on what might be that one final assignment. But rather than going the more conventional action-packed route, López-Gallego and screenwriter Nacho Faerna give us something existential and melancholic. They give us a slow-burning character study that’s far more interested in exploring humanity than generating genre thrills.

What better actor to lead a movie like this than Ian McShane. The 81-year-old Englishman, more recently of John Wick fame, oozes sophistication and charm like few others. Here he plays Wilson, a contract killer who seems worn down by the life he has chosen. He’s quiet and somewhat cryptic; easygoing yet clearly burdened with emotion. McShane conveys it all through a brilliantly tempered performance that allows us to glean as much through sheer observation than anything we hear or are told.

We first meet Wilson as he arrives on the island of Fuerteventura. After renting a car, he drives out to a posh ultra-modern residence in the middle of nowhere only to discover his target isn’t home. So Wilson drives out to the coast and checks into a beachside hotel, intent on waiting for his target to return so he can carry out his job. But over the next couple of days he finds himself drawn to the cozy island and its community which prompts him to contemplate the life he has lived.

There are several things that spur Wilson’s self-reflection. Among them is his reoccurring encounters with a young woman named Gloria (Nora Arnezeder). She’s a bit of a free spirit who immediately takes a liking to him. There’s also a young boy named Max (Oscar Coleman) who’s staying in the same hotel. He’s vacationing with his parents and forms a sweet bond with Wilson. Then there’s his feelings of kinship to an old shipwreck on the other side of the island – a massive vessel called the American Star that has been grounded since the early 1990s.

But no matter how much he entertains these tastes of inner peace, Wilson is frequently reminded of who he is and what he’s there to do. His employer sends a younger fellow hitman named Ryan (Adam Nagaitis) to the island. The two colleagues know each other well and even share dinner. But the more Wilson keeps running into Ryan the more suspicious of his presence he becomes.

López-Gallego’s patience is one of the film’s greatest assets. His deliberate pacing allows the story to develop and unfold organically. And he wisely leans into McShane’s scene-carrying charisma and the gorgeous cinematography of José David Montero who artfully captures the many facets of the alluring island, often using his images to convey something much deeper than just pretty scenery.

I can almost sense specific criticisms “American Star” will face. Some may feel it meanders while others may say nothing happens. There may even be some who are hungry for more action. I get those critiques to a degree. But (respectfully) they almost seem rooted in a misunderstanding of what this film is going for. “American Star” is far less interested in intricate plotting or genre expectations. It’s a pensive yet slightly opaque character study that delves into the complexity of life via one man’s soulful reckoning. He just happens to be a hitman with a job to do. “American Star” releases January 26th in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Miller’s Girl” (2024)

January 25, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Jade Halley Bartlett writes and directs “Miller’s Girl”, a wobbly new thriller backed by Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures production company. It’s a film that tries hard to take a nuanced approach to the familiar story of a teacher-student relationship that crowds or crosses the line of appropriateness. But what we get is a movie full of potential that’s never realized.

“Miller’s Girl” teases us with some interesting and possibly complex ideas only to muddle them with its own cleverness. The script is the main culprit, oscillating between artfully provocative and downright silly in its attempt to be subversive and heady. What’s more of an issue is that we are never given a reason to care about any of the characters. There’s no emotional attachment or investment whatsoever, making the story hard to connect with beyond a few surface-level flashes of humanity.

Martin Freeman plays Jonathan Miller, a frustrated middle-aged man reserved to being stuck in a rut both professionally and personally. Jonathan is a failed writer who now teaches high school literature. Meanwhile at home he gets no support from his wife Beatrice (Dagmara Dominczyk), an unsavory alcoholic who never passes up on a chance to emasculate her husband and take shots at his insecurities. There’s clearly more to their marriage story than what we’re given, but as with so much else in the story it’s merely glazed over.

But things take a turn at school with the arrival of a new student to his class, Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega). She’s an 18-year-old writing prodigy who has been left alone by her parents to live in their rural Tennessee mansion. As a character, Cairo comes across as smart and assured but ultimately impossible to read. Nothing she does makes much sense. This is especially true after she decides to seduce her teacher for reasons murkier than a glass of muddy water. Is it an act of naïveté from a young girl drawn to her teacher’s attention? Is it a devious use of her sexuality to get what she wants?

As for Jonathan, he’s instantly impressed by his promising new student who shows a surprising amount of interest in her assignments and in him. Their teacher-student relationship grows as Jonathan tries to encourage Cairo to push her creative boundaries. But one particular creative writing assignment pushes things too far, blurring the lines between mentorship and attraction.

Bartlett steers her audience towards what she hopes is a multilayered examination of sexual politics and power dynamics. But the whole thing is paper-thin and comes across as little more than a half-baked erotic thriller. There are efforts to challenge our notions of complicity and make us question who’s to blame – the feckless attention-starved Jonathan or the overly cryptic and sexually charged Cairo. But too many details are missing, and too much time is wasted on side stories that go nowhere, such as the seductive cat-and-mouse game between Cairo’s notoriously flirtatious best friend Winnie (Gideon Adlon) and a coach (Bashir Salahuddin).

To their credit, Freeman and Ortega navigate the shaky material the best they can, almost convincing us to buy into their characters. But even they can’t add bite to a mostly toothless story that’s not nearly as prickly or as uncomfortable as it should be. Bartlett shows she has a knack with the camera and we get flashes of ambition that you don’t always see from first-time filmmakers. But her story and her characters need a more focused script – one that would give the time and attention necessary to make a movie like this have the impact it should. “Miller’s Girl” opens in theaters Friday, January 26th.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Movie Poster Spotlight: “Road House” (2024)

January 24, 2024 by Keith Garlington

I can honestly say that out of all of the 1980s movies to remake, “Road House” wasn’t among the first to come to mind. Yet here we are, a couple months away from a new “Road House” movie. It’s said to be a remake that tells a similar story but with a modern twist. It comes from director Doug Liman and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter who finds work at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys.

The film is set to release March 21st on Prime Video. In anticipation of its upcoming trailer drop, Amazon MGM Studios has released a new poster. Check it out below and tell me what you think.

REVIEW: “Dream Scenario” (2023)

January 24, 2024 by Keith Garlington

I think it’s safe to say that we never know what we’re going to get from Nicolas Cage. And that’s one of the things that makes him such a favorite among moviegoers. Cage is liable to pop up in anything, from gritty crime thrillers to cerebral dramas to bonkers off-the-wall comedies. If you need further proof just look at his latest film, “Dream Scenario” from A24.

Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli, “Dream Scenario” is a fascinating exploration of modern media culture, dressed up as a gonzo dark comedy with sinister undertones. Borgli’s story locks onto the fickle nature of fame in our current social media age – a time where a person can be elevated to celebrity status despite no real accomplishments and then tore apart and ruined despite no real offense. It examines how quickly someone can become a viral sensation only to be destroyed just as fast once their 15 minutes of fame is up.

Cage is no stranger to taking a character and walking the precariously thin line between playful and unhinged. But here he does it with impressive subtlety. He plays mild-mannered Paul Matthews, a tenured evolutionary biology professor at Osler University. The balding bearded Paul is about as ordinary and unassuming as a man can get, shamefully called “a remarkable nobody” at one point.

Paul lives a relatively quiet life. He’s been happily married to his wife Janet (Julianne Nicholson) for 15 years and together they have two daughters (played by Lily Bird and Jessica Clement). Outside of teaching and his family, Paul likes to think of himself as a writer. He’s hoping to publish his book which he has yet to start writing. And that is Paul in a nutshell. He’s the kind of everyday guy who you would walk by on the street and never notice.

But that anonymity changes after he inexplicably starts showing up in people’s dreams – family members, students, former girlfriends, complete strangers. People begin recognizing him on the street and in restaurants. And much to his chagrin, they all say the same thing. Regardless of what kind of crazy thing is going on in their dream, Paul just pops up, never doing anything, just strolling by and observing. Word gets to scientists who are baffled by the phenomenon and inevitably the media gets wind of it, turning Paul into an instant celebrity.

Suddenly the once ignored middle-aged professor is recognized by everyone and even has a marketing firm (ran by Michael Cera) wanting to represent him. He’s now loved by his enamored students and his daughters see him as a “cool dad”. Paul finds himself excited by the sudden wave of attention. But he quickly learns that fame can have strange and unpredictable consequences, even if you’ve done nothing to deserve them.

Borgli takes his story in a pretty dark direction yet maintains a slyly comic tone which surprisingly never clashes. Instead it gels into a movie that can be strangely funny and brutally heartbreaking at the very same time. Borgli isn’t particularly subtle with his messaging but his points are shrewdly woven into his story. Rabid fandom, groupthink, cancel culture, the dark side of celebrity, the perils of instant fame – they’re all topics that resonate within Borgli’s well-executed and highly imaginative metaphysical framework.

We never get an explanation for why Paul is suddenly appearing in the dreams. We’re never told why his noninvasive appearances take a nastier turn. Borgli doesn’t seem interested in the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ which is both admirable and a bit of a cop-out. And while it goes slightly off the rails in its final act, there are so many intriguing elements to “Dream Scenario” including yet another beguiling Nicolas Cage performance. He embraces every complicated facet of his character, making us laugh with his sheepish comic delivery and breaking our heart with his agonizing insecurity.