Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “Past Lives” (2023)

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It took me a while but I finally had the chance to catch up with what has been one of the most talked about movies of the year. “Past Lives” from writer-director Celine Song (in her feature film debut) premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and has since received widespread acclaim. It’s easy to see why. Not only does Song weave together a sophisticated and bittersweet story, she also directs it like someone well beyond their filmmaking years.

“Past Lives” is an endearing drama with a surprising thematic heft to it. Song’s story poses a number of thoughtful questions, among them being the often pondered but rarely answerable “What If”. The film is infused with a heartfelt longing for what might have been while also acknowledging fate and its unpredictable nature.

Image Courtesy of A24

At the same time Song doesn’t neglect the tender romance at the center of her story – one that mostly goes unspoken. The deep feelings of the two main characters are undeniable, no matter that one person tries to suppress them while the other person won’t quite pursue them. The characters often talk around their feelings yet the two lead performances, especially from the superb Greta Lee, tell us all we need to know.

Nora (Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) were childhood friends while growing up in Seoul, South Korea. They had a sweet relationship that looked to be blossoming into something more. But then Nora’s artistic parents up and moved their family to Canada. She seems indifferent about the move at the time but Hae Sung takes it hard. That was 24 years earlier.

Twelve years pass and Nora is a writer and playwright living in Manhattan. Hau Sung is still in Seoul where he is enrolled in engineering school. Through the magic of the internet the two reconnect. It’s a bit awkward at first, but the two are quickly reacquainted and soon they are talking to each other everyday via video calls. They want to meet up but neither have the time to make the trip overseas. So Nora decides she wants to take a break in order to focus on her upcoming writers retreat.

Suffice it to say their “break” turns into another twelve years. During that time Hau Sung did a stint in the military, later met a girl, and eventually broke up with her. Meanwhile Nora met, fell in love with, and married a fellow writer named Arthur (John Magaro). Hau Sung travels to New York for “a vacation” (or so he tells his friends), but he’s really goes to reconnect (again) with Nora. But things have changed dramatically since they last spoke. Have they missed their window? Did they ever really have a window?

Image Courtesy of A24

Of course the two reunite and I won’t dare spoil how it goes. To her great credit, Song shows remarkable maturity and control by never letting her movie veer into cliche. She maintains a steady authenticity in how she defines her characters and their complicated relationship. The charming chemistry between Lee and Yoo is essential. Lee is the standout, always working at just the right temperature in what is an emotionally complex role. It’s one of my favorite performances of the year.

Equally impressive is Song’s smart and assured work with the camera. Aided by her DP Shabier Kirchner, she fills her film with evocative city imagery, first in Seoul and later New York City. It’s shot in beautiful 35mm film with no extravagant flourishes to speak of (a couple of great tracking shots excluded). It’s hard not to be enamored with the meticulous compositions she spreads across three distinct periods of time. It’s yet another testament to Celine Song’s strong instincts as a filmmaker, and her debut feature marks the emergence of an exciting new cinematic voice. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

New on Home Video: “OSS 117” Blu-ray Box Set

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Music Box Films Home Entertainment has announced the home video release of the OSS 117 films. For the very first time, 2006’s “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and 2009’s “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” are being released on Blu-ray in a terrific new box set. The two French comedies are from the collaborating duo of director Michel Hazanavicius and star Jean Dujardin (both Academy Award winners for “The Artist”). These two hilarious spy movie spoofs are must-sees for comedy lovers and what better way than with this new stylish new box set.

The new Blu-ray box set featuring “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio” releases on December 12th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Films:

Year: 2006, 2009

Total Runtime: 200 Minutes

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Screenwriters: Jean-François Halin, Michel Hazanavicius

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Béjo, Al Tarouk Aure Atika, Philippe Lefèbvre, Louise Monot, Alex Lutz, Rudiger Vogler, Ken Samuels, Constantin Alexandrov, Reem Kherici, Pierre Bellemare, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Capelluto, Moon Dailly

“OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” – A box-office sensation in France, comic star Jean Dujardin stars as secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, a.k.a. OSS 117 who in the tradition of Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau somehow succeeds in spite of his ineptitude. After a fellow agent and close friend is murdered, Hubert is ordered to take his place at the head of a poultry firm in Cairo. This is to be his cover while he investigates Jack’s death, monitors the Suez Canal, checks up on the Brits and Soviets, burnishes France’s reputation, quells a fundamentalist rebellion and brokers peace in the Middle East. A blithe and witty send-up not only of spy films of that era and the suave secret agent figure but also neo-colonialism, ethnocentrism and the very idea of Western covert action in the Middle East.

“OSS 117 Lost in Rio” – The pride of French intelligence, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath – code named OSS 117 – has a new mission that takes him to the Bossa Nova Brazil of the 1960’s. Teaming up with a sexy Mossad agent he has to capture a Nazi blackmailer with an embarrassingly long list of World War II French collaborators.

Special Features:

Cairo, Nest of Spies:
– Feature Commentary by Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius
– Making Of Featurette
– Deleted and Alternate Scenes
– Blooper Reel
– Photo Gallery
– Theatrical Trailers

Lost in Rio:
– Feature Commentary by Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius
– Cavalcade in Rio: Making Of Documentary
– Deleted Scenes
– Blooper Reel
– The Jean Show: Jean Dujardin on Set
– France Never Responds: Cast Appearances in Cinemas
– Photo Gallery
– Teasers and Theatrical Trailers

REVIEW: “American Fiction” (2023)

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The great Jeffrey Wright remains one of the sturdiest and most reliable actors working today. Whether it’s a big budget superhero movie or a quirky Wes Anderson comedy, as cliche as it is to say, he tends to make every movie he’s in better. His latest, “American Fiction” is a testament to that truth. Based on author Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure”, the film hands Wright some tricky material that not just anyone could handle.

Written and directed by Cord Jefferson (making his feature film debut), “American Fiction” was presented as a straight satire in most of the marketing. It’s actually something quite different. The movie certainly has its funny moments, and the wacky premise from the advertising is still there. But “American Fiction” is much more of a family drama. These two sides of the story work together well enough for a while. But over time they begin to pull apart and feel more separated. By the third act it’s almost as if we’re watching two different films. Thankfully the one constant is Wright who is the glue that holds it all together.

Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a brilliant college professor and talented novelist who is going through a rough patch. He’s been asked to take a leave of absence from the university after a family complained about his….frankness. And as for his writing, he can’t get a publisher to pick up his new book, a modern-day retelling of Aeschylus’ “The Persians” (I wonder why). But what sours him most is how society has corralled Black voices into one small narrowly-defined box.

Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Monk heads from California to Boston to reconnect with his family who he’s barely spoken to since his father died years earlier. He begins with his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) who was left to take care of their ailing mother (Leslie Uggams) on her own. The siblings have a feckless and unreliable brother, Cliff (Sterling K. Brown). But he’s much more interested in sewing his wild oats than chipping in to help with his mom. So we have a strained family dynamic. But interestingly there’s more to these characters beyond our first impressions, and Jefferson pours a lot of time into defining them.

Meanwhile back on the more satirical side of the story, Monk grows more angry with each new rejection he gets from publishers. His agent, Arthur (John Ortiz) tells him books like his are a hard sell in the current climate. He tells him that publishers are after more “Black” books. Something like the current bestseller “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto”, a novel by the “groundbreaking” Black author Sintara Golden (a fabulous Issa Rae).

Annoyed, Monk facetiously writes his “Black” novel, mockingly embracing every cultural stereotype and societal depiction. He titles it “My Pafology” and uses the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh to heighten the absurdity. Monk gives it to Arthur demanding that he send it out to publishers. He does so as a prickly joke, but he’s floored after his book is quickly picked up. It becomes a huge hit much to Monk’s chagrin. Soon he’s being asked for interviews, to do promotional tours, and there’s even talks of a movie adaption (Adam Brody is hilarious playing a Tarantino wannabe director).

Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

While all of this is going on, Monk’s life back home seems as if it’s happening in another universe. He hits it off with a neighbor named Coraline (Erika Alexander). Meanwhile his mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s leaving the family with some difficult decisions to make. And that just scratches the surface of the story’s domestic angle. Again, Jefferson puts a lot of time into building these relationships. It’s what he seems most interested in. And so much so that the craziness of the comedy side rarely seeps into the family drama.

As a result of juggling what feels like two different movies in one, “American Fiction” ends up longer than it needs to be. Despite being thoughtful and compelling for most of its running time, the family stuff leans a little too melodramatic near the end. At the same time, the satirical stuff wraps up on a clever yet slightly unsatisfying note.

All of that aside, both the drama and comedy have good things to say about racial politics and more specifically Black representation. The song choices and Laura Karpman’s jazzy score are pitch-perfect (I was hooked the moment “Without You” by Ace Spectrum starts playing over the opening credits). There are several other good ingredients scattered throughout (Myra Lucretia Taylor as the Ellison family’s housekeeper is pure gold). And of course there’s Wright. It’s so good to see him get this kind of meaty, well-conceived lead role. Hopefully Hollywood takes notice.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Zone of Interest” (2023)

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Since first hearing about it, Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” has been among the 2023 movies that has intrigued me most. This is Glazer’s first feature film since 2013’s “Under the Skin” and he couldn’t have picked heavier subject matter. “The Zone of Interest” is loosely based on a 2014 Martin Amis novel of the same name and concentrates on Rudolf Höss, the real-life first commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

But “The Zone of Interest” is no standard issue biography. Nor does it resemble any other Holocaust movie that came before it. Rather it’s a daringly precise and artfully calculated historical drama – one so quietly chilling that the true insidious nature of what we see may creep up on some viewers. But if you go into the film knowing what Glazer is doing, you’ll find yourself uncomfortably gripped from the very first scene until the sobering final frame.

You could almost call Rudolf Höss (played with a deafening restraint by Christian Friedel) an instrument in Glazer’s creative hand – a tool that allows the filmmaker to examine the Holocaust from a new yet equally horrifying angle. Shooting on location in Poland, Glazer brings a startling realism to his setting. Yet he never forces us to witness a single atrocity. But their reality is felt in every scene. And what he hides from our sight is always within earshot. It’s enough to appall and disgust any person with a conscience. Yet we see nothing resembling compunction from the blind purveyors of such hate and cruelty. And that is what makes the film so unnerving.

Image Courtesy of A24

From 1940 to 1943 Rudolf Höss and his family lived comfortably in a cozy villa adjacent to the notorious Auschwitz death camp. There they built their ideal life, all while tuning out the piercing sounds of torment and death from just over the tall concrete wall. The entirety of Glazer’s film focuses on this family, illustrating what philosopher and political thinker Hannah Arendt famously called “the banality of evil”.

Despite being only a few steps away from the Holocaust’s deadliest extermination camp, Rudolf and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) live in a self-contained bubble of domestic bliss. We watch as they have picnics with their five young children, host garden parties, tend to their many flowers – basically enjoying life’s simple pleasures without a worry or a care. Glazer shoots their around-the-house activities much like a still life painting, capturing them through strategically placed stationary cameras and emphasizing their unfathomable indifference.

Yet just next door the unspeakable is happening. Again, Glazer doesn’t show us directly but he relays it effectively. For example, we witness several displays of shocking callousness. Take Hedwig proudly modeling a fur coat in front of her bedroom mirror, turning from side to side as if in a boutique. While not explicitly spelled out, the coat clearly came from a prisoner in the camp. Yet she poses on her imaginary runway without a hint of guilt or recognition. Or how about the casual way Rudolf comes home in the evening, like a businessman returning from his office after a day’s work.

Image Courtesy of A24

But what’s even more impactful and unsettling than anything we see is found in what we hear. Harrowing sounds echo from beyond the wall – the dull yet persistent roar of furnaces, the distant whistle of a train, the random pops of gunfire, the faint screams of the victims. Yet the Höss family carry on their everyday lives, never pausing for a moment from their comforts. They only seem to notice when something interferes with their pleasures. Sound plays an essential and powerful role in Glazer’s approach.

And then there’s Sandra Hüller. What a year she has had. She was staggering in “Anatomy of a Fall” and she’s equally brilliant here. Hüller gives a fearless and nuanced performance that teases innocence by ignorance early on. But later that facade is shattered by some revealing jolts of reality. Such as when Hedwig venomously scolds a Jewish housekeeper over spilled water. “I could have my husband spread your ashes,” she spews without a moment’s hesitation.

“The Zone of Interest” offers little in terms of plot nor does it feature some deep involving narrative. You won’t find an ounce of empathy, remorse, or repentance. Rather Glazer shows remarkable restraint in staying true to his vision. Even without explicitly depicting the violence, his savvy anti-drama can be difficult to watch. But it’s a vital movie and a landmark achievement both in filmmaking and as a historical reflection. Don’t miss it.

VERDICT – 5 STARS

REVIEW: “Leave the World Behind” (2023)

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The star-studded psychological thriller “Leave the World Behind” sees writer-director Sam Esmail serving up what appears to be another end-of-the-world movie. But don’t let your first impressions fool you. This genre-defying treat quickly uncoils into something provocative, insightful, chilling, and even darkly funny at times. Considered together, it all amounts to a wildly entertaining and unexpectedly absorbing doomsday feature – one that has a lot going on underneath the thrills and chills.

Technology, race, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and paranoia are just some of the issues touched on in this slippery thriller which is based on Rumaan Alam’s 2020 novel of the same name. It tells a well-crafted story with interests that extend beyond Esmail’s clear love for genre filmmaking. It’s just as intrigued by the idea of society under pressure and the psychology that accompanies the collapse of civilization. At the same time it never loses sight of what makes these kinds of movies so much fun.

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Seemingly on a whim, Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) and her husband Clay (Ethan Hawke) decide to get away for the weekend with their two kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie). Sandra books a posh Long Island Airbnb that’s nestled in a quiet patch of woods just a few miles from the beach. Soon they’re packed up and leaving Brooklyn for what they hoped would be a fun family getaway.

While enjoying a sunny afternoon on the beach the first of several strange events takes place when a massive oil tanker slams ashore (it’s a brilliantly conceived and shot sequence). The family hurries back to the rental home where they discover the phones, internet, radio and television are all out. But later that night the mystery really ramps up when they’re visited by a man named G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) who claim to be the owners of the home.

Immediately Esmail hits us will all kinds of questions. First off, is G.H. and Ruth really who they say they are? Why are they showing up late at night unannounced? Should we believe their cryptic speak of a looming catastrophe? Most of all, should Clay and Sandra honor their request to stay overnight? Those are all reasonable things to ask. But among his many strokes of genius, Esmail slyly turns the table and asks different but equally pertinent questions. Why is Sandra so suspicious of G.H. and Ruth? What drives her (and our) mistrust? The answers may not be pretty.

The dynamic between the four is compelling. You have the tightly wound Amanda and the more easygoing Clay; the gentle G.H. and the snarky Ruth. Amanda’s cynicism routinely clashes with Clay’s optimism. G.H.’s temperance frustrates the more outspoken Ruth. It creates a pressure-cooker tension within the house. Meanwhile outside things are growing more dangerous and even more perplexing.

Image Courtesy of Netflix

I won’t say much more, but Esmail creates some harrowing scenarios and shoots them with some of the most impressive lensing I have seen this year. He and cinematographer Tod Campbell incorporate an assortment of wild angles, rotating cameras, sweeping overhead shots, and dizzying pans. Some of the flourishes may come across as too showy. But they keep the film visually interesting whether it’s something as simple as scanning a room or as thrilling as a commercial airliner falling out of the sky.

Animals acting weird, crippling ear-piercing noises from nowhere, even Kevin Bacon playing a crackpot survivalist – you never know what you’ll get in this heady genre smorgasbord. The simmering tensions and growing anxieties create some terrific character moments while the apocalyptic signs raise all kinds of questions. Interestingly some may not like the ‘answers’ we eventually get. But it’s fitting, as is the utter hopelessness that Esmail leaves us with. “Leave the World Behind” premieres December 8th on Netflix.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Fallen Leaves” (2023)

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Finnish writer-director Aki Kaurismäki returns to the big screen for the first time since 2017 with his poignant working class tragicomedy, “Fallen Leaves”. It’s said to be a continuation of his Proletariat Trilogy which consisted of 1986’s “Shadow of Paradise”, 1988’s “Ariel”, and 1990’s “The Match Factory Girl”. Kaurismäki’s latest sees him once again melding deadpan drama, pinpoint humor, and warm humanism into something refreshingly classical and true to his form.

The imprints of Kaurismäki’s longtime influences (Yasujirō Ozu, Robert Bresson, Jean-Pierre Melville, etc.) are clearly seen in “Fallen Leaves”. He’s once again working within a familiar socioeconomic sphere – one frequently explored by contemporaries like the Dardenne brothers. And as you watch it’s easy to see why he’s often sited as an influence for filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch and Wes Anderson. Yet despite all of these notable connections, Kaurismäki’s minimalistic and slightly enigmatic style remains distinctly his own.

Image Courtesy of Mubi

The auteur once again sets his story in Helsinki which he intentionally portrays as unromantically as possible. More intriguing is the mystery of the time period. News broadcasts reporting on the war between Russia and the Ukraine makes it feel very modern day. A calendar on a wall seems to indicate it’s set in the near future. But old corded phones, vintage tube radios, and even some clothing styles are evocations of times past.

Kaurismäki plants our feet in a well-defined blue-collar sector of Helsinki. There we’re introduced to two people, both caught in the gears of a grinding, soul-crushing system that offers little empathy and no lifelines. Kaurismäki’s camera, often still and observing, gives us a good sense of the city’s harsh realities yet finds humor in the most unexpected moments. Even more, there is a surprising sweetness which plays out even as the cruelty of fate attempts to undermine it.

Ansa (Alma Pöysti) stocks shelves at a grocery store but is fired after taking an expired sandwich that’s about to be tossed in the dumpster. She gets a job washing dishes at a pub but loses it after the owner is busted for dealing drugs. So she ends up on a factory floor, barely making enough to get by in the tiny one-room apartment she inherited from her family.

Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) is a construction worker stuck in a low-paying job, but one that allows him to live in a worksite trailer with his friend, Hannes (a terrific Janne Hyytiäinen playing a self-deluded ladies man and karaoke virtuoso). But Holappa compounds his already difficult circumstances with his heavy drinking, which is both a cause and a result of his reoccurring depression.

Image Courtesy of Mubi

Ansa and Holappa eventually cross paths and a relationship soon forms between the awkwardly quiet pair. It starts as a cup of coffee and progresses to a movie (our deadpan daters go see Jarmusch’s zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die” to which Ansa seriously but hilariously utters “I’ve never laughed so much.”). But a few unfortunate blunders, such as not sharing their names and losing phone numbers, threaten to derail this budding romance. Yet again it seems as if fate is working against them.

Along with the delightfully dry humor, delicate emotions, and bittersweet romance, there’s also a subtle but steady undercurrent of critique from a filmmaker who has often spoke up for the disaffected and marginalized in his native Finland. As with Kaurismäki’s other films, his perspective is clear but never overbearing or intrusive. And when combined with his wry and often melancholic tenor, it conveys a clear message within an otherwise placid and transcendent love story.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS