REVIEW: “Rumble Through the Dark” (2023)

November 2, 2023 by Keith Garlington

I’ve always been a fan of Aaron Eckhart, but he’s an actor who rarely gets the kind of roles that does his talent justice. He gets one in the new film “Rumble Through the Dark”, a grimy rural thriller set in the Mississippi Delta that lets the 55-year-old Eckhart show his commitment and range both physically and dramatically. And while he doesn’t disappoint, the movie itself has a tough time matching its rather grand ambition.

From co-directors Graham and Parker Phillips and screenwriter Michael Farris Smith, “Rumble Through the Dark” is based on Smith’s own 2018 novel, “The Fighter”. It follows a broken down and tortured man fighting demons from his past while trying to preserve the few good memories he has left. It’s a sad and often bleak story, but it’s not without hope. The problem is its hope relies on a second-half convenience (or a twist of fate if you want to be nice) that’s pretty tough to swallow.

Eckhart plays Jack Boucher, a former bare-knuckle cage fighter who has fallen on hard times. He’s deep in debt with a dangerous local vice queen named Big Momma Sweet (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). He’s also on the verge of losing his dying foster mother’s old antebellum house to foreclosure. To make matters worse his health is rapidly deteriorating due to years of fighting. His body is battered and bruised. He has been steadily losing his memory. And he has crippling headaches that can only be relieved by popping illegal painkillers.

Jack’s backstory is told through a series of hazy flashbacks meant to give the movie some emotional heft. Through them we learn Jack was abandoned when he was an infant but later adopted by a caring woman who supported and encouraged him. There are some pretty big gaps in their story, mainly from his time as a young teen to the current day. We do see that she is in a nursing home suffering from dementia. And at some point during that time Jack got $30,000 behind with the bank.

Without getting into too many details, Jack is eventually faced with a near impossible predicament. If he doesn’t get some money he will lose everything his beloved foster mother entrusted to him. Oh, and he’ll also lose his life to Big Momma Sweet who has given him an ultimatum. But if he goes back to fighting (the only thing he knows) his beat-up body night not be able to take it.

The premise isn’t especially new, but a fiercely committed Eckhart and the rich Deep South setting make it interesting. Where the movie stumbles is in a side story involving a young woman named Annette (played by Bella Thorne). She’s an exotic dancer for a traveling carnival who unfortunately feels too much like a device. The Phillips brothers try developing her into someone compelling, and of course her path is destined to cross with Jack’s. But when they eventually meet, we’re hit with an impossible-to-buy ‘twist’ completely out of left field.

Though well-intended, the Jack and Annette relationship never feels organic and it can’t generate the emotional impact it needs. It tries to go somewhere unexpected, but it’s so out of the blue and you’re left wondering if that screen time could have been better spent. As it is, “Rumble Through the Dark” is a promising but weighted down thriller that gets by mostly on the shoulders of Eckhart. The material may not do him many favors, but he pours himself into his role which makes the story’s shortcomings a bit easier to maneuver. “Rumble Through the Dark” opens in select theaters November 3rd and On Demand and Digital November 10th.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

“Killers of the Flower Moon” and One of Its Most Common Criticisms

November 1, 2023 by Keith Garlington

Martin Scorsese’s Western crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” has been out for over two weeks and the reactions have been fascinating. The three-and-a-half-hour, $200 million epic has received widespread critical acclaim while making a modest but expected $90 million at the box office so far. But it has also received criticisms, the most prevalent involving Scorsese’s choice to tell so much of his story from the perspective of the white villains rather than the Native American victims.

To be clear, there’s certainly nothing “unfair” about wanting to see this story told from the Native American perspective. I would watch that movie in a heartbeat. But it is a bit unfair to criticize Scorsese for not being the one to tell that story. There are a number of reasons. Here are just a few…

1. This is Scorsese’s Story.

The most basic defense is also one of the more reasonable ones. Simply put, Martin Scorsese is the storyteller here. He’s the creator, the author, and the artist. We have to be careful when we begin making such demands on art. Part of what makes art of any kind special is the freedom of individual expression. Obviously in cinema it takes more than one person to create. But most of the time it’s driven by a filmmaker’s vision. And as critics, we should judge their execution of their vision rather than the story we would rather hear/see.

2. Is He the Right Person to Speak From Their Perspective?

As mentioned, there is nothing wrong with longing for a film that shows these events from the Native American perspective. Whether a documentary or a narrative feature, it’s a movie I’d love to see funded and distributed. But is Martin Scorsese the person people want representing such a meaningful and intensely personal perspective? It’s not hard to predict the criticisms (many of them legitimate) that would immediately arise if he were to try. And who knows, maybe Scorsese didn’t feel he could do the indigenous perspective justice. That’s a reasonable and admirable position.

3. There’s Nothing Wrong with the Perspective He Chose.

Scorsese is a smart filmmaker and storyteller therefore his use of perspective isn’t done without consideration or purpose. In the case of “Killers of the Flower Moon”, it’s a decision made with a very distinct goal in mind. His aim wasn’t just to show the faces of evil. He intended to show us how evil operates, often in plain site. He shows the machinations of unbridled power and the poisoning effects of unconstrained greed. And he vividly does so through the eyes of the purveyors of such evil. I found it to be extremely effective.

There is the broader question of whether or not a Native American filmmaker would be given the same resources to tell this story from their perspective. I have a hard time believing that studios would invest as much as they would for an established big name director. That’s a meaningful conversation to have. But that’s certainly not Scorsese’s fault. He has earned his reputation and his legacy speaks for itself.

Scorsese’s approach to “Killers of the Flower Moon” combines a gritty realism with an earnest sensitivity. Those are essential ingredients to the story he’s telling – one that fits his vision, passion, and convictions. And those things are what make the film uniquely his. That gets to the heart of artistry. And once we start judging art on what we want it to be rather than what the artist intends, it slowly begins to lose its power. And that’s something we should never let happen.

REVIEW: “Quiz Lady” (2023)

November 1, 2023 by Keith Garlington

The hilarious duo of Awkwafina and Sandra Oh lead the smart(ish), funny, and effortlessly charming “Quiz Lady”, the new comedy from director Jessica Yu. Written by Jen D’Angelo and featuring a collection of small yet wonderfully cast supporting roles, “Quiz Lady” is a welcomed late year addition to a genre that needed a boost. This breezy entertaining crowdpleaser takes a whimsical but heartfelt look at sisterhood through two dramatically different yet joyously compatible siblings.

Playing against type, Awkwafina plays a socially awkward 33-year-old introvert named Anne Yum. When not working her mundane office job at an accounting firm, Anne spends her time at home with her adorable pug named Linguine. Her one passion is the television game show “Can’t Stop the Quiz”. Since she was a child Anne loved “Can’t Stop the Quiz” and its gentlemanly Alex Trebek-ish host Terry McTeer (a wonderfully silly Will Ferrell).

Anne’s somewhat estranged sister Jenny (Oh) is a blustering ball of chaos. She’s erratic and irresponsible despite being ten years older than her kid sister. The two come together after getting news that their elderly mother has busted out of her nursing home and taken off to Macau with her new boyfriend Jeff. And this is where things get a little wacky.

**Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios**

We learn that Anne and Jenny’s mother left after amassing a hefty gambling debt with a local loan shark (Jonathan ‘Dumbfoundead’ Park). He and his goons kidnap Linguine and give the sisters two weeks to pay off the $80,000 their mom owes otherwise the dog gets it. So Jenny comes up with a plan – get super-fan Anne to audition for “Can’t Stop the Quiz”. With her obsessive knowledge of the show, winning $80,000 should be a piece of cake. Of course there’s that whole issue of Anne’s social anxiety. Hijinks ensue.

Yu and D’Angelo have a lot of fun playing around with the wacky dynamic between the two sisters. The two central performances show off a great comedic chemistry with Oh getting the more in-your-face material and Awkwafina in the straight-man role. Then you have the supporting cast who routinely steal scenes. Along with Ferrell there’s also a priceless Jason Schwartzman playing the game show’s schmoozing returning champion. Holland Taylor is a hoot as Anne’s cranky neighbor Francine. We even get a zany turn from Tony Hale who plays the proprietor of a colonial-themed inn where he role-plays as Benjamin Franklin.

I laughed a lot during “Quiz Lady”, but not all of its jokes land. Some are a little too outrageous; others go the unfortunate and obvious cheap route. But for the most part Yu has a good grip on things as seen in the fleet-footed pacing and crisp comic timing. Meanwhile D’Angelo gives her characters some legitimately funny material to work with. Some may have a hard time buying the feel-good ending. But like the bulk of the comedy, it’s easy to swallow in large part thanks to the film’s two endearing and enjoyable leads. “Quiz Lady” premieres November 3rd on Hulu.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

A Halloween Revisit: 5 Phenomenal Horror Movie Classics

October 31, 2023 by Keith Garlington

It’s Halloween and what better time to revisit my Phenomenal 5: The Horror Classics edition. The horror genre goes way back to the silent movie era and it has kept audiences fascinated ever since. While you won’t find any films that old on my list, these are still true horror classics that everyone should see (especially on Halloween night). Of course considering how broad of a subject, I wouldn’t call this the definitive list. But you can’t deny that these 5 horror movie classics are nothing short of phenomenal.

#5 – “Psycho”

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece “Psycho” sports what is arguably the most well-known scene in horror movie history. But there’s so much greatness beyond that memorable murder in the shower at the hands…err, knife of Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins is unforgettably creepy and you know something is off with Bates from the first moment you see him until that final unnerving grin. And of course there is his macabre relationship with his dear, dear mother. “Psycho” still holds up brilliantly and it’s the perfect mix of mystery and horror presented with the sharp style of a master filmmaker.

#4 – “Halloween”

Oh there are so many things I love about “Halloween”. The great John Carpenter gives us a host of special ingredients that has made this movie both influential and timeless. “Halloween” gives us the quintessential scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. It gives us the frightening Michael Myers. It gives us Donald Pleasence’s wonderfully goofy prophecies of doom. And how can you forget the simple yet haunting piano score by Carpenter himself. Working with an incredibly small budget, the movie still broke new ground and invented many of the genre tropes that are still imitated today.

#3 – “The Evil Dead”

In 1981 two young new filmmakers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell made what would become one of the scariest horror movies of all time. “The Evil Dead” is another example of how to create a great horror film with the tiniest of budgets. It’s a highly influential picture that spawned two uniquely great sequels. It tells the story of five college kids who spend spring break in an isolated cabin in the woods. They accidentally release demonic spirits who begin possessing the friends one by one. “The Evil Dead” is a genuinely creepy experience and everything from its wicked concept to the unsettling makeup effects contribute to it. And of course it introduced us to Campbell’s wonderful character Ash. Nuff said.

#2 – “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”

For years I thought “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was based on a true story. That belief made the movie all the more frightening. Once I learned it was largely fictional I was surprised to find it still had the same effect on me. Tobe Hooper directed, produced, and co-wrote this classic film, making it for under $300,000 and casting a group of unknowns. The story of five friends who encounter a cannibalistic family in rural Texas didn’t rely on buckets of blood and gore for its frights. Instead Hooper creates a disturbing sense of unease with this material alone. Throw in Leatherface and pinches of dark comedy and you have one of the greatest horror movies of all-time.

#1 – “Night of the Living Dead”

George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead” was the first horror movie that really affected me. Culturally speaking, this is the film that put zombies on the map and inspired the insanely popular horror sub-genre. As with some others on this list, Romero uses a small budget and no-name actors yet develops a horror film that truly broke new ground. Expertly crafted and wonderfully unsettling, “Night of the Living Dead” sets its creepy tone and sustains it through smart and crafty filmmaking. I love everything about Romero’s classic. Not only is it my favorite horror movie, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, period.

So there you have five phenomenal horror movie classics to curl up with tonight. They’re also five films that prove if you’re creative and skilled you don’t need loads of money and a big backing to make a great horror picture. So what did I miss? What would you have included on your list? Please take time to let me know in the comments section below.

REVIEW: “Rustin” (2023)

October 31, 2023 by Keith Garlington

Colman Domingo gives his all in the frustratingly uneven biopic “Rustin”, the latest project from director and five-time Tony Award winning playwright George C. Wolfe. The film is the third feature from Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions and is based on the true story of Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist who was instrumental in organizing the 1963 March on Washington.

Co-written by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black, “Rustin” attempts to cover a lot of ground which is both admirable and its Achilles heel. Breeze and Black show that the story of Bayard Rustin is one that’s well worth telling. But it’s their rocky storytelling that left me thinking his story would have been better served as a documentary. As it is, “Rustin” is all over the place, skittishly bolting from one scene to the next, and never settling in one place long enough. It ends up shortchanging everything from the social activism to its half-baked love triangle.

Domingo is handed a role that seems custom-made for Oscar attention and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Yet great actors have a way of overcoming that and Domingo almost does. He gives a performance that’s routinely too big, but not necessarily because of anything he is doing. It’s the script that has him constantly speaking in mini-monologues and stagy soliloquies. More organic conversations are often replaced by moments that seem aimed at Oscar voters. It’s a nagging issue that’s hard to overlook.

Again “Rustin” tries to cover plenty and in fairness there is a lot to Bayard Rustin’s story. Wolfe mostly keeps things focused on the days leading up to and surrounding the historical march on Washington. We see his falling out and eventually reconciliation with Martin Luther King Jr. (wonderfully played by Aml Ameen), his constant run-ins with NAACP head Roy Wilkins (a curiously cast Chris Rock), and his targeting by Representative Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. (the always stellar Jeffrey Wright).

Wolfe puts a lot of time into Bayard’s planning of the march and his work in convincing the major civil rights leaders to get onboard. That proved easier said than done in large part because of internal disagreements. Then you had those who saw Bayard’s sexuality as a liability for their cause – a conflict that the film ham-fistedly force-feeds rather than explores.

I can’t speak to the overall accuracy of “Rustin” since he is someone I knew little about. That alone testifies to the need of a movie about his life. But unfortunately this hopscotch storytelling makes it hard to know what’s accurate and what’s not. This is especially true for characters like Wilkins and Powell who are written more as plot devices than historical figures. Just some of the problems that keep this mostly well-meaning biography from being the powerful film it could have been. “Rustin” opens in select theaters on November 3rd before streaming on Netflix November 17th.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

New on Home Video: “Blue Beetle” on 4K Ultra HD + Digital

October 30, 2023 by Keith Garlington

Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is bringing “Blue Beetle” to home video on crisp 4K Ultra HD. This standalone feature film marks the first time the titular DC Comics superhero has appeared on the big screen. Despite underperforming at the box office the movie earned itself many fans among critics and audiences who praised it for its smaller contained story and diverse cast. So for anyone who missed it in theaters now is your chance to give it a watch. Read my full review of “Blue Beetle” HERE.

This 4K Ultra HD plus Digital Copy edition of “Blue Beetle” releases October 31st. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

About the Film:

Year: 2023

Runtime: 127 Minutes

Director: Ángel Manuel Soto

Screenwriter: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer

Cast: Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Susan Sarandon, Geroge Lopez, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén

Rating: PG-13 for Sequences of Action and Violence, Language, and Some Suggestive References

From the Studio:

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.

Starring alongside Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) are Adriana Barraza (“Rambo: Last Blood,” “Thor”), Damían Alcázar (“Narcos,” “Narcos: Mexico”), Elpidia Carrillo (“Mayans M.C.,” the “Predator” films), Bruna Marquezine (“Maldivas,” “God Save the King”), Raoul Max Trujillo (the “Sicario” films, “Mayans M.C.”), with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Monarch,” “Dead Man Walking”), and George Lopez (the “Rio and “Smurf” franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (“American Horror Stories,” “Hocus Pocus 2”) and Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”).

Soto (“Charm City Kings,” “The Farm”) directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala”), based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.

The director’s creative team behind the scenes includes director of photography Pawel Pogorzelski (“Midsommar,” “Hereditary”), production designer John Billington (“Bad Boys for Life”), editor Craig Alpert (“Deadpool 2,” “The Lost City”), Oscar-nominated costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo (“Jojo Rabbit,” the “Thor” films), visual effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain (“The Suicide Squad,” “Aquaman”) and composer Bobby Krlic (“Midsommar,” the “Snowpiercer” series).

Special Features:

“Blue Beetle” Premium Digital Ownership, 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following:

“Generations: Blue Beetle” – 4-part documentary
- Told in distinct chapters, explore the journeys of actors and filmmakers bringing “Blue Beetle” to the big screen for the first time ever. Audiences will be immersed in the POV of filmmakers who showcase their experiences on set and in their creative studios making the story of this DC character a reality.
Nana Knows Best – featurette
- Witness Nana’s transformation from an adorable ‘abuelita’ into a machine gun-wielding revolutionary, and stop in for a few of her most fun moments on set throughout production.
Scarab Vision – 2-part featurette
- Xolo Maridueña hosts this series of scene study walk throughs that showcases how the scarab works and the role it plays in some of Blue Beetle’s most epic moments.