REVIEW: “The Last Stop in Yuma County” (2024)

May 8, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Writer-director Francis Galluppi is all set to helm a new installment in the long-running and wickedly fun Evil Dead franchise. But before that he’s turning back the clock with “The Last Stop in Yuma County”, his tense, gritty, and wildly entertaining feature film debut that at different times reminded me of everything from “The Petrified Forest” to “Jackie Brown” to the pulpy B-movie thrillers of the 1970s. That mash-up alone was enough to win me over.

There are also early Coen brothers vibes that emanate from every pore of this gripping neo-western that’s set mostly within a single location. It’s a character-rich crime thriller laced with black comedy that strategically builds suspense on its way to an inevitable powder keg finish that you’ll never see coming. And Galluppi presents it all with such panache, capturing a distinctly Southwest flavor and shrewdly commanding the film’s tricky tone in a way that brings the film’s many influences to light.

You won’t find an ounce of fat on Galluppi’s lean and taut story. Clocking in at a swift 90 minutes, “Yuma County” wastes no time cranking things up and kicking into gear. Set in the early 1970s, the movie opens with a traveling knife salesman (Jim Cummings) driving across the parched Arizona desert on his way to his daughter’s birthday party some four hours away. As he drives, news of a bank robbery comes across the radio – an early hint of what’s to come.

In need of gas, our unnamed salesman stops at a station in the middle of nowhere to fill up his tank. But the attendant, Vernon (Faizon Love) informs him that he’s all out and the fuel truck hasn’t yet arrived. With the next station 100 miles away, the salesman has no choice but to wait. So he heads to an adjacent diner where a waitress named Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) is just opening up for the day. After some small talk he slides into a red leather booth with a cup of coffee and the crossword puzzle from a day-old newspaper.

A few minutes later, two shady looking brothers, Beau (the always captivating Richard Blake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) pull up in a green Ford Pinto matching the description of the getaway car from the aforementioned bank heist. They enter the diner and take a seat in the corner, also waiting for the fuel truck to arrive. Soon after others filter in including a neighborly elderly couple, Robert (Gene Jones) and Earline (Robin Bartlett), two movie-loving Bonnie and Clyde wannabes, Sybil (Sierra McCormick) and Miles (Ryan Masson), and a friendly local cowboy named Pete (Jon Proudstar). And just like that Galluppi light’s the fuse that slowly burns towards the film’s combustible ending.

The cast is superb, bringing personality to what is an eclectic blend of characters, each feeling perfectly at home in the rural Americana setting. Blake is especially good, conveying pure menace through his piercing line delivery and ice-cold stare. Cummings is also terrific playing an antsy observer who’s thrust into a nerve-racking mess. The great Gene Jones is always a treat and Donahue adds a charming yet smart and resourceful presence. We also get a really good performance from Michael Abbott Jr. as Charlie, the local sheriff and Charlotte’s husband.

Throughout “The Last Stop in Yuma County” Francis Galluppi shows instincts and control not often found in first-time directors. His keen storytelling doesn’t waste a second and he never tips his hand, leaving us in a constant state of suspense. Meanwhile Mac Fisken’s sun-bleached cinematography melds with the tunes of Roy Orbison, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and The Grass Roots to immerse us in a setting so vivid and well defined that you’ll feel the summer heat and taste the rhubarb pie. “The Last Stop in Yuma County” releases May 10th in theaters and on digital.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “The Idea of You” (2024)

May 7, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Based on actress Robinne Lee’s 2017 debut novel of the same name, “The Idea of You” is a rather routine romantic comedy saved by a soulfully authentic Anne Hathaway. The movie mostly follows the tried-and-true romcom blueprint – the sweet meet cute, the simmering storybook romance, and of course that second half conflict that drives a wedge between our two star-crossed lovers. It has its share of cheese and sitting through the boy band performances can be a challenge. But Hathaway anchors the film and ultimately makes it work in spite of itself.

“The Idea of You” is directed by Michael Showalter who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jennifer Westfeldt. Their story sees Hathaway playing Solène, a single mother quickly approaching her 40th birthday. The bulk of her time is spent raising her teenage daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin), running her art gallery, and tolerating her obnoxious ex-husband Daniel (Reid Scott) who never shies away from expressing how wonderful his new life is.

**Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios**

After Daniel flakes out of taking Izzy and her friends to Coachella, Solène steps in to chaperone. Through a rather goofy mishap she meets the considerably younger Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), a member of her daughter’s once favorite boy band, the mega-popular August Moon. I’m not 100% sure how, but sparks do fly and sets the table for a cheesy romance which quickly turns into the Lifestyles of the Rich and Pretty as the two embark on a world tour of love and lavish living.

With Izzy away at summer camp, Solène casts aside her initial hesitations and accepts Hayes’ invitation to join him in New York City and eventually on the group’s European tour. The age gap between the 40-year-old single mom and the 24-year-old pop star provides some initial tension leading them to keep their relationship a secret. But that proves impossible in an age of the paparazzi, internet, and social media. Soon Solène is forced to weigh the consequences of her own happiness.

At times “The Idea of You” seems caught between being a run-of-the-mill corny romcom and something deeper and more thoughtful. It teases interesting things about society’s expectations of middle-aged womanhood and later takes a more serious-minded look at being thrust into the modern spotlight. But the romance itself is a wobbly mix of endearing and saccharine. And the globetrotting fantasy takes away from some much-needed character work that could have given their relationship more depth.

Throughout its numerous ups and downs, the movie maintains one constant – Anne Hathaway. Her smart and grounded performance takes a fairly thin character and makes her interesting. She brings an authenticity to Solène that the story desperately needs. Galitzine is less convincing but solid enough (minus the fake tattoos and boy band bopping). If only the writing took their relationship further. Instead it never goes deep enough to fully shake the ick factor and it never goes beyond teasing themes that would have set it apart. “The Idea of You” is now streaming on Prime Video.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Something in the Water” (2024)

May 6, 2024 by Keith Garlington

The bluntly titled “Something in the Water” hearkens back to those good old days of perusing the horror section of my local mom-and-pop video store, carefully examining the VHS boxes of movies I’d never heard of, in search of some fun late-night entertainment. For better or worse, “Something in the Water” plays a lot like some of those weekend rentals that teenage me would pick out and watch.

First-time feature film director Hayley Easton Street takes the reins for what is essentially another shark thriller. Most of these movies follow a similar path – something goes wrong while out at sea and our unfortunate protagonists find themselves fighting for their lives against man-eating sharks. “Something in the Water” is no different. To her credit, Street does try to cook up some side drama. But the one-dimensional characters and their lightweight relationships don’t give us much to cling to.

It all takes place in the Caribbean where five friends gather at a swanky beachside resort for a weekend wedding. Meg (Hiftu Quasem) arrives and joins the hyperactive Cam (Nicole Rieko Setsuko), the thoughtful Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart), and her former partner Kayla (Natalie Mitson) to party with their buddy and bride Lizzie (Lauren Lyle). The movie tries to give them each their own personality but there’s nothing that makes them stand out. The only real sense of drama involves Meg and Kayla who haven’t spoken since a traumatizing event split them apart one year earlier.

**Image Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films**

One afternoon Cam rents a rust-bucket boat and whisks the ladies away to a remote island well off the mainland. But what’s meant to be a fun and leisurely day on the beach quickly goes south after a shark bites a chunk out of Ruth’s leg while she’s playing in the water. Unable to stop the bleeding, the girls load their friend into the boat. But in their panicked rush back to the mainland, their boat strikes a reef gashing a hole in the bottom. And just like that the five friends are stranded in the middle of the ocean. And as you can probably guess, it doesn’t take long for that pesky shark to reappear.

It all makes for a harrowing scenario and Street squeezes out some pretty good tension, at least early on. But as it moves forward the film has trouble sustaining any real sense of terror or suspense. And it quickly begins to run out of gas despite clocking in at under 90 minutes. There are a couple of good character moments that earn the emotions they’re going for. But outside of that the movie sputters on its way to a silly ending that it could have done without.

“Something in the Water” is a competently directed first feature for Street who does her best with a thin story and fairly modest budget. The setting is beautifully shot and the performances are solid enough. But the story (written by Cat Clarke) doesn’t have the dramatic heft, suspense, or self-awareness to make it into any of the several movies it could have been. It’s moderately entertaining but falls victim to its generic characters, rather routine storyline, and a lack of energy to push it across the finish line.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

REVIEW: “The Fall Guy” (2024)

May 3, 2024 by Keith Garlington

I’m betting a lot of people (particularly younger audiences) will go into “The Fall Guy” completely unaware that it’s loosely based on a 1980s television series. I’m guessing they’ll be going to see the new Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt movie and who can blame them? But “The Fall Guy” was also a fairly popular ABC TV series that ran from 1981 through 1986. It starred Lee Majors as a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. The show also starred Heather Thomas who became a pinup sensation and a brown GMC K2500 4×4 pickup truck that we all wanted to own.

Former stuntman turned director David Leitch pulls some inspiration from the television show but mostly makes his own movie, calling it “a love letter to stunts” in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. That fits considering the stunt work is one of the film’s biggest strengths. Amazingly, mostly practical stunts were used in the handful of intensely choreographed action set pieces. Mix in some decent humor, a semi-interesting romance, and two form-fitting leads with good chemistry and you have the kind of frothy entertainment people often look for in a summer blockbuster.

Probably the least interesting part of “The Fall Guy” is the plot. Written for the screen by Drew Pearce, the story itself is pretty generic although it often puts its stars in positions to shine. Gosling plays Colt Seavers, an accomplished Hollywood stuntman who has spent six years as the primary stunt double for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the biggest action star on the planet. While filming Ryder’s latest blockbuster, Colt breaks his back after an ambitious stunt goes wrong. It leads to him leaving the stunt business and his girlfriend, a camera operator named Jody Moreno (Blunt).

**Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures**

Bop ahead eighteen months where Colt is working as a valet for a Mexican restaurant. One day he’s unexpectedly contacted by producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) who informs him that Jody is preparing to direct her first film, an epic sci-fi blockbuster called “Metalstorm” starring Tom Ryder. Gail invites him to the set in Sydney, Australia telling him that Jody (who he hasn’t spoken to since they split) wants him to join the production. But when he arrives he’s disappointed to discover that Jody didn’t request him. In fact she doesn’t want him anywhere around her movie mainly because she’s never forgiven him for their breakup.

As luck would have it, Jody is in desperate need of a seasoned stuntman for her biggest action scenes. So with the coaxing of her stunt coordinator and Colt’s best friend Dan (Winston Duke), Jody reluctantly agrees to let her ex-boyfriend work on her movie. Her ire is pretty hard to miss. But so is the clear and glaring truth that Colt is still crazy about her. That leads to some pretty obvious tension which eventually starts to melt as the romance angle kicks into gear.

Things take a weird turn after Gail informs Colt that Tom Ryder has vanished after getting involved with some rather shady characters. She wants Colt to secretly search for Ryder and bring him back to the set before Jody finds out and panics. Colt’s unsure at first, but then it hits him – save Jody’s movie by finding her star and win back the love of his life. But wouldn’t you know it, the search for Ryder uncovers some big and deadly secrets. And soon Colt finds himself running for his life, targeted by those wanting to keep him away from the truth.

It almost feels like there are two different storylines. Without question they’re connected, but they play differently. One involves Colt and Jody trying to rekindle their movie set romance. It’s where we get a lot of the cool behind-the-scenes looks at making a movie, especially when it comes to stunt work and directing action scenes. But some of the bigger set pieces are tied to Colt’s search for Tom which is where the story really lags. Both angles eventually collide in the film’s big finale, but one is considerably more entertaining than the other.

Interestingly, Gosling and Blunt have pretty strong chemistry although not as much in the romance department. Instead it’s in their comic exchanges that we see the two connect the most. Pearce works in some pretty good laughs, many of them made better by the two stars effortlessly working off each other. Unfortunately the humor dries up over the course of the second half, not because Leitch and Pearce aren’t trying. It’s that the gags aren’t as fresh and don’t land as intended

“The Fall Guy” certainly has its strengths: a playful energy, a few fun meta moments, some good early laughs, and pretty cool action. Ryan Gosling does his thing while Emily Blunt is delightful as usual. But the movie’s charms can only carry it so far and its routine starts to wear a little thin well before the two-hour mark. It’s not bad but not all that memorable either. Kinda like most of the summer popcorn movies that we still enjoy. “The Fall Guy” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

REVIEW: “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” (2024)

May 2, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Dave Filoni wears many hats within the wonderful world of Star Wars. He’s a director, screenwriter, producer, and showrunner. He’s also an Executive Vice President at Lucasfilm and just last year was promoted to Chief Creative Officer. A former understudy of sorts of the legendary George Lucas, Filoni has his hand in nearly every Star Wars project from the many television series to his own upcoming feature film.

Filoni made a name for himself at LucasFilm in animation, overseeing the terrific shows “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: Rebels”. Even with his promotions, Filoni hasn’t left that first-love as evident by “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” which is currently wrapping up its final season. But there’s also his “Star Wars: Tales” – an anthology series consisting of six animated short films focused on different characters in the Star Wars universe. The terrific “Tales of the Jedi” released in 2022. Now we get “Tales of the Empire”, an equally satisfying experience custom-made for the Star Wars faithful.

“Tales of the Empire” hones in on two specific characters, Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee. As we’ve come to expect from Filoni and LucasFilm, the animation is outstanding and the voice work is impeccable. Fans will recognize countless connections to various people, places, and events across the Star Wars timeline yet the shorts are more than simple fan service. Filoni always looks for the humanity in his characters and it’s no different here.

The first three shorts focus on Morgan Elsbeth who first appeared in the second season of “The Mandalorian” and had a significant role the Ahsoka series. Morgan was a Force-sensitive Nightsister from the planet Dathomir. She become a devoted follower of Grand Admiral Thrawn and would serve as an oppressive Imperial Magistrate on the planet Corvus. “Tales” makes three life-altering early stops on her timeline, adding some captivating depth to this fascinating character. The great Diana Lee Inosanto is back to voice Elsbeth.

The final three shorts do the same with Barriss Offee who is voiced by the returning Meredith Salenger. Barriss was a Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars and developed a close friendship with Ahsoka Tano. But Barriss grew disillusioned with the Jedi and turned to the dark side of the Force, going as far as bombing the Jedi Temple and letting Ahsoka take the fall. “Tales” adds some interesting complexity to her story, tapping into some of the conflict that drove her to follow the various paths she did.

Unlike the other Star Wars animated projects, the “Tales of the Empire” seasons are very much anthologies. The shorts may be connected by their focus on certain characters, but there’s nothing resembling a flowing episodic narrative. That may sound obvious since it’s baked into the very definition of an anthology. But I remember reading those very criticisms about its predecessor. So knowing what the show is obviously helps.

Also, it’s worth stressing again that “Tales of the Empire” is for fans first and foremost. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But newcomers should know that this isn’t where you want to begin your Star Wars journey. All six shorts demand some knowledge about the characters and their story arcs. Without it you can still admire the exquisite animation which employs the same art style as “The Clone Wars” and “The Bad Batch”. But the series is made with the intent of adding to what we already know about these characters, filling in and expanding upon what we’ve already seen. As a Star Wars diehard, I loved it. Those not well versed may struggle.

Each short runs approximately 15 minutes long and are written exceptionally well. The lone exception is the final episode which doesn’t wrap things up as strongly as possible. Still, for Star Wars fans there are so many nuggets to chew on and savor. Filoni knows how to handle his characters and his team of directors and animators vividly bring these short stories to the screen. I’m not sure where the “Tales” series goes next, but the quality of what we’ve been given so far makes me hungry for more. “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” premieres May 4th exclusively on Disney+.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Nowhere Special” (2024)

May 1, 2024 by Keith Garlington

Italian producer-writer-director Uberto Pasolini gives a master class on handling emotionally heavy subject matter in “Nowhere Special”, a heartbreaking drama that never turns melodramatic or schmaltzy. Internationally co-produced, the film pulls inspiration from a true story which Pasolini intimately and emphatically shares. He hones in on the humanity at the story’s center, examining it in a deeply organic way with a Dardennes-like approach. The results are both beautiful and heart-shattering.

The film is anchored by a piercing James Norton whose lead performance matches the restraint Pasolini is going for. Set in Northern Ireland, Norton plays a 34-year-old single father named John who has devoted his life to raising his 4-year-old son Michael (Daniel Lamont). John’s wife and Michael’s mother abandoned them after giving birth, but John remained committed to giving his son the best life he could.

John works as a window washer and we often see him gazing through the glass at different establishments, observing various lives he wishes he could provide for his son. It’s a motif that is never overused and is made all the more affecting by the early revelation that John has a terminal illness. With only a few months left to live, he’s faced with the biggest and most agonizing decision of his life. He must pick the very best foster family for his son.

But while that choice weighs on him, John is faced with even more painful questions. How do you personally come to grips with your impending death? How do you prepare? Even more, how does a loving father inform his 4-year-old son of what’s to come? John is helped by a compassionate social worker named Shona (Eileen O’Higgins) who bends countless rules to help him search for the right family. But it’s his internal struggle between sheltering his son and readying him for reality that gives the film such an emotional punch.

Norton is fittingly understated yet he brilliantly conveys a father’s efforts to conceal his inward conflict behind a veil of normalcy. Small details in his performance do so much of the emotional heavy-lifting. And as the story thoughtfully moves towards the inevitable, Norton remains grounded and naturalistic. Meanwhile Lamont’s quiet soft-spoken demeanor reveals an inquiring young soul that observes more than expresses. The two make for a compelling and soul-stirring pair.

Handling material like this isn’t easy, and there are countless temptations to follow more conventional formulas. “Nowhere Special” works so well because Uberto Pasolini keeps his focus firmly on the people at the story’s core. His interests are internal and more human. As a result he wins our investment and keeps it for the duration. We feel the weight of every choice, we relish every tender moment, and we hurt with the inevitability of reality.