Author Archives: Keith Garlington

First Glance: “Ferrari”

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A good reader reminded me that I had let the new trailer for “Ferrari” slip by me. With the festival circuit churning out new surprises nearly every day and awards season right around the corner, studios are hitting us with one exciting first-look after another. Among them is indeed “Ferrari”, the long awaited next film from director Michael Mann (“Thief”, “The Last of the Mohicans”, “Heat”). The biographical drama/thriller is fresh off its premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and is set release this holiday.

Based on the 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine” by Brock Yates, the movie sees Adam Driver playing the titular Italian race car driver and entrepreneur. It features the prestigious Mille Miglia race and the tragedy that occurred during its 1957 run. Judging from the new trailer, it looks like Mann will be showing the reverberations from that terrible accident, both professional and personal. Penelope Cruz portrays Ferrari’s wife Laura while Shailene Woodley plays his mistress, Lina. This film has a ton of potential.

“Ferrari” is scheduled to release in theaters on December 25th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First Glance: “Godzilla Minus One” Teaser Trailer and Poster

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As we wait for the next Godzilla installment in Warner Brothers’ Monsterverse, the original creators of the iconic King of the Monsters return with a new movie starring the world’s most famous kaiju. “Godzilla Minus One” is written, directed, and features visual effects by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki and is distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. It’s the 33rd Godzilla movie (the first released in 1954). Toho Studios and Robot have released a new teaser trailer and poster in preparation for the film’s upcoming release.

Fans can rejoice because from the looks of it Godzilla is returning to his roots, with the beast again being used as a means to explore the societally and economically devastated postwar Japan. Yet while it has that on its mind, the new teaser also shows us lots of kaiju action and destruction. The effects look fantastic and Godzilla seems to have a fun big city sandbox to play in. Should be fun.

“Godzilla Minus One” will release on November 3rd in Japan and December 1st in the United States. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

New on Home Video: “Early Short Films of the French New Wave” 2-Disc Box Set on Blu-ray and DVD

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Icarus Films is set to release an exciting new box set highlighting newly restored short films from some of the French New Wave’s most noteworthy names. This terrific collection includes the works of New Wave pioneers such as Truffaut, Godard, Resnais, Varda, Rivette, and more. The selections are eclectic and the restoration quality is top-notch making this a must for collectors and fans alike.

This fabulous 2-disc blu-ray box set of “Early Short Films of the French New Wave” will be available to purchase on September 19th. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

Official Synopsis

Year: 1956 – 1968

Runtime: 348 Minutes

Directors: Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, François Reichenbach, Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, François Truffaut, Maurice Pialat, Melvin Van Peebles, Guy Gilles, Jean Rouch, Jeanne Barbillon, Gisèle Braunberger

From the Studio:

Icarus Films is proud to present Early Short Films of the French New Wave, available on Blu-ray and DVD on September 19th, 2023. The nineteen (19) short films in this box set represent the dawn of the French New Wave, as a group of talented young filmmakers, including Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Agnes Varda, & more, presented a radically new vision of French cinema. 

These shorts are not just steppingstones on the way to the famed New Wave features, but classics that stand on their own, the first forays of a movement that would revolutionize the world of French film and influence cinema around the world for decades to come.

This box set includes 2 discs and a 12-page booklet with an essay by Eric Le Roy, Head of Collections at the Centre National de Cinema (CNC). The short films included in this box set have been restored and digitized with the support of the CNC.

Disc 1:
 
ALL THE WORLD’S MEMORY – Alain Resnais (1956)

FOOL’S MATE – Jacques Rivette (1956)
Starring Virginie Vitry and Jacques Doniol-Valcroze! Featuring cameos by Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, and François Truffaut.

THE MARINES – François Reichenbach (1957)
Reichenbach’s original version with anti-militarist commentary.

ALL THE BOYS ARE CALLED PATRICK – Jean-Luc Godard (1957)
Written by Eric Rohmer! Starring Anne Colette and Nicole Berger

THE SONG OF STYRENE – Alain Resnais (1957)

Ô SAISONS, Ô CHÂTEUX – Agnès Varda (1958)

THE OVERWORKED – Jacques Doniol-Valcroze (1958)
Co-written by Francois Truffaut! Starring Yane Barry, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Jean-Claude Brialy.

A STORY OF WATER – Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut (1958)
Starring Caroline Dim and Jean-Claude Brialy.

CHARLOTTE AND HER BOYFRIEND – Jean-Luc Godard (1958)
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo (voiced by Jean-Luc Godard!) and Anne Colette. 

LOVE EXISTS – Maurice Pialat (1960)

JANINE – Maurice Pialat (1961)

500 FRANCS – Melvin Van Peebles (1961)

PARIS, A WINTER’S DAY – Guy Gilles (1962)

Disc 2:
 
IN MEMORY OF ROCK – François Reichenbach (1963)
Featuring French rock stars Eddy Mitchell, Vince Taylor and Johnny Hallyday

THE LITTLE CAFE – François Reichenbach (1963)

THE GOUMBÉ OF THE YOUNG REVELERS – Jean Rouch (1965)

THE BOTANICAL AVATAR OF MADEMOISELLE FLORA – Jeanne Barbillon (1965)
Music by Michel Legrand and Jacques Loussier! Starring Bernadette Lafont and Louis Mesuret.

THE FIFTEEN YEAR OLD WIDOWS – Jean Rouch (1966)
Cameo by Maurice Pialat! 

+ Bonus Film

DIRECTING ACTORS BY JEAN RENOIR – Gisèle Braunberger (1968)
Starring Jean Renoir and Gisele Braunberger

REVIEW: “The Equalizer 3” (2023)

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One thing about 2014’s “The Equalizer” and it’s 2018 sequel – you knew exactly what you were going to get. Both were action thrillers built upon a fairly simple and straightforward premise. But they had a secret ingredient that made them stand out from the countless other movies of their kind – Denzel Washington. The charismatic and infinity talented Oscar-winning actor brings a certain prestige and gravitas to every movie he appears in. The “Equalizer” films are no different.

That includes Washington’s latest, “The Equalizer 3”, the final film in director Antoine Fuqua’s hitman trilogy. To no surprise Washington is great in reprising his role of Robert McCall, an aged yet still quite lethal hitman looking to put his violent past behind him. Robert is a fascinating contradiction. On one hand he’s an efficient and effective killer who has plowed his trade with brutal precision. On the other hand there’s a nobility to Robert that you might think clashes with his profession. There’s a righteousness in the sympathy and compassion he has for the persecuted and downtrodden.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures

In both facets of his character Washington is as convincing as ever, showing a fierce (and often frightening) intensity in the action scenes and a genuine warmth and humanity in others. As a movie “The Equalizer 3” features that same kind of duality. It’s as much of a patient character study as it is a hardcore action movie which may throw some people off. But for me, that was one of its strengths.

But don’t worry, it still has the gritty, brutal violence fans of the previous film’s expect and it wastes no time tossing some our way. The film opens with Washington’s Robert McCall carrying out a job in Italy. He eliminates (in his own special way) a notorious mobster who has been distributing synthetic amphetamines out of his Sicilian vinyard. The drugs has been used to fund terrorist activities all across the globe. But Robert is seriously wounded and eventually passes out while driving away from the scene.

He’s found and rescued by a benevolent local doctor named Enzo (Remo Girone). Robert wakes up in the small coastal town of Altamonte where he begins his recovery under Enzo’s care. Over time Robert finds himself falling for the quiet village and the friendly locals who call it home. But when the people he’s grown to love are targeted by a powerful mob boss from Naples named Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio), Robert is forced to dust off the skills from his past in order to stand up for the townsfolk and their home.

As Fuqua and screenwriter Richard Wenk patiently let things play out, there’s a side story of sorts involving a young and ambitious CIA agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning, reteaming with Washington for the first time since 2004’s “Man on Fire”). At first Robert’s interactions with her seem superfluous, but they end up leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Despite its predictable framework, “The Equalizer 3” works thanks to Washington’s commitment to his character and the journey he takes, both physical and emotional. Washington never overplays a scene and he makes you believe in every interesting layer he peels back. Meanwhile Fuqua’s direction is spot-on and he wisely leans on the talents of his lead actor. Yet he’s crafty in how he approaches the action, shooting Washington in a way that hides any limitations the 68-year-old actor may have. Fuqua also makes great use of the scenic Amalfi Coast, sprinkling in some gorgeous shots and giving the area (especially Altamonte) some real personality.

Everything combines to make for a entertaining final chapter in the Equalizer series. It can’t quite shake the feeling of predictability and much of the story plays out exactly as we expect it to. But the strength of Denzel Washington’s screen presence can’t be overstated. He offers his character a worthwhile send-off while giving fans of the previous films the satisfying farewell they’ll be looking for. “The Equalizer 3” opens today exclusively in theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “King of Killers” (2023)

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Actor, stuntman, martial artist, and fight coordinator Alain Moussi stars in “King of Killers”, a new action thriller based on the Darkstorm Comics Graphic Novel by Kevin Grevioux. The film marks the feature film directorial debut for Grevioux who is perhaps best known as the co-creator of the popular “Underworld” film series.

To his credit, Grevioux brings along some of the same stylish and violent action that helped energize the “Underworld” movies (both the good early ones and the not so good later ones). Unfortunately it’s the dressing around the action that brings “King of Killers” down. Some of it is due to the writing; some of it is due to the performances. Either way, Grevioux has a hard time selling us on anything other than the bloody headshots, brutal throat slashes, and nasty bone-breaks.

Image Courtesy of Lionsgate

Moussi plays Marcus Garan, a Chicago-based hitman working for his good friend, mentor, and connected middle-man Xane (Stephen Dorff). Marcus has earned the reputation of being a reliable “company man” who carries out his jobs quickly and efficiently. But he also has a much different life away from his job. He’s happily married to his wife Karla (Amy Groening) and together they have a precious daughter named Kimberly (Zoe Worn).

The opening 15 minutes or so offers an excruciating introduction to Marcus’ secret double life. We watch him carry out a hit with deadly precision, but there’s a silliness to it (intentional or not, I’m still not sure) that lessens the impact. Then you have the family stuff which amounts to little more than hokey sentimental mush meant to show the storybook perfect home life. Mercifully we don’t have to wait long before one secret life inevitability meets the other.

I won’t give away how, but the oblivious Karla is killed after Marcus ludicrously botches a last-minute job. Devastated, he steps away from contract killing to focus on his daughter. But this is an action movie so you know something has to draw him back into the game. In this case it’s his daughter’s out-of-the-blue heart illness and a timely offer of $10 million – just enough for her medical procedure. All he has to do is travel to Tokyo where he’ll be offered an exclusive contract to eliminate “the world’s greatest assassin”, Jorg Drakos (Frank Grillo).

Upon arriving Marcus learns that the contract has been offered by Drakos himself. Dubbed the King of Killers, Drakos has brought Marcus and six other best-of-the-best assassins from around the world for his own personal vanity competition. The game is to see who among his peers can navigate his trap-rigged high-rise and kill him before he kills them. Whoever succeeds will win the $10 million prize. But as Marcus and his competitors soon learn, the game is rigged.

Image Courtesy of Lionsgate

Grevioux’s competent direction gives the movie a fighting chance and it especially shines in the slick and often gruesome action sequences. It’s his screenplay that turns out to be the biggest liability. Cringy dialogue, shallow characters, gaping holes in logic. And it’s not helped by Moussi who gives it his all but simply can’t pull off what the movie needs from its lead. He especially struggles with selling the more emotional stuff, partly because of the material, but also because he tends to overact and often comes across as stiff and unconvincing.

The death knell comes in the ridiculous out-of-nowhere ending that offers a few cheap and unearned twists built for what looks like some kind of franchise ambition. You can see the movie grasping in the final 15 minutes and it leaves things in a ridiculously half-baked place. Again, it’s certainly ambitious, but it does nothing to earn our investment in what may or may not come next. “King of Killers” releases September 1st in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

First Glance: “The Killer”

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They had me at Michael Fassbender and David Fincher. That’s all I needed for “The Killer” to shoot up my ‘most anticipated’ list. Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for this upcoming action thriller which is based on Alexis Nolent’s French graphic novel series of the same name. This first glance looks scintillating and exactly what I was hoping for after first hearing of the film several years ago.

“The Killer” sees Fassbender in the titular role as an assassin who finds himself the centerpiece of a massive international manhunt. The teaser is very much that – a tease which is all I wanted. It relays the film’s dark and violent tone as well as Fincher’s penchant for creating tense and gritty atmosphere. And it’s great seeing Fassbender on screen. He’s hasn’t been as present as he was a few years ago. Hopefully this is the first of many new projects from the immensely talented actor.

“The Killer” releases in select theaters this October before premiering on Netflix on November 10th. Check out trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.