Author Archives: Keith Garlington

Reading the Cinematic Tea Leaves: What to Make of the 2023 Summer Movie Season

by

16

With the 2023 summer movie season winding down, what better time to reflect on one of the most perplexing, surprising, troubling, and just downright strange summer seasons ever. Big tentpole blockbusters came and went as the always do. But this year’s batch left us with more questions than ever before as franchises floundered and big stars couldn’t push their films into profitability. But just as the movie theater experience appeared in jeopardy, a truly bizarre cultural phenomenon sent people to the theaters in droves.

So what do we make of the 2023 movie season? There’s certainly a lot to glean from the past few months and a lot to wonder about concerning the future of cinema. Perhaps it’s the cynical side of me, but a lot of what we saw isn’t all that promising. Sure, there are things to be optimistic about and some may see it as a step forward. But it’s more complex than that and some of the trends are worrisome.

For starters, the 2023 summer movie season has proved that increasing your movie’s budget most certainly doesn’t guarantee success. That’s pretty much a no-brainer, but 2023 has shown to be true like never before. This summer we saw some of the most expensive movies EVER MADE hit theaters and woefully underperform. Studios lost significant money while others had to claw just to break even. Some have been quick to celebrate, as if the dawn of a new age of discerning moviegoers had arrived. I don’t think that’s the case.

That leads to one of the more concerning aspects – people just aren’t going to the theater like they once did. This is especially true domestically. We’ve already seen this trend hurt mid-budget movies – really good films from top-tier filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, and Ridley Scott that simply couldn’t draw an audience. For the most part big blockbusters had remained immune. Not anymore. Turnouts, most notably here in the States, are nothing like they once were.

Some will be quick to point to the recent Barbenheimer boom as proof positive that people will come out if a movie demands it. But that phenomenon almost requires an entirely different analysis. The Barbenheimer craze might be studied for years as it reached a fever pitch before most people had laid eyes on either “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”. It became the cool thing to embrace.

But I don’t want to downplay the mind-boggling success of “Barbie” which certainly goes beyond the rabid enthusiasm. You don’t make that kind of money without resonating with audiences. On the more skeptical side, much of the hype was due to a brilliant commercially-driven marketing campaign that treated “Barbie” more like a product than a movie. But it got people in the seats.

In many ways “Oppenheimer” is more impressive. It’s an R-rated dialogue-driven biopic about a theoretical physicist with a running time of three hours. By that description there’s no way it should be making the money it’s making. Some attribute it to riding on the coattails of “Barbie” but that’s unfair. “Oppenheimer” is actually a phenomenal film and the Christopher Nolan effect once again proves to be a very real thing.

But what of all the other blockbusters that have failed to hit their projections? Here’s some of the bigger ones:

  • “The Flash”. It’s easy to forget that the earliest reactions were calling this one of DC’s very best movies. But (sadly) social media tends to drive so much of the conversation these days and people quickly turned on “The Flash”. Without question it had its baggage. But the regurgitated criticisms and the unfortunate apathy towards DC movies led to this becoming one of biggest box office bombs in recent memory. It deserved better.
  • “Fast X”. The latest chapter in the Fast & Furious franchise has made over $700 million worldwide putting it on par with its previous installment. The big difference is the budget. “Fast X” cost a whopping $340 million to make not counting promotion. What hurt it most were the underwhelming domestic numbers. For some reason audiences in the States didn’t turn out the way they have in the past. Sense a trend?
  • “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. Disney was counting big on the fifth and final Indiana Jones adventure. While it was nowhere near as good as the first three films, it did capture their spirit. But maybe younger crowds simply have no attachment to Indy. The movie made only $358 million against a $300 million budget. It was overly long but still fun. Yet it couldn’t muster the audience that the franchise once did.
  • “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”. Now here’s one of the biggest frustrations of the year. This much-anticipated Mission: Impossible film was an extraordinary big screen experience. But it made the mistake of coming out the week before “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”. The film dropped 65% to $19.4 million domestically in its second weekend. You would hope people might go see it after getting their Barbenheimer fill but that hasn’t been the case. So here we have one the year’s best movies sitting at just over $454 million, well below projections.
  • “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”. Yet another big budget studio blockbuster that ultimately underperformed at the box office. “Rise of the Beasts” has made $430 million yet it currently stands as the lowest grossing installment in the Transformers franchise. It’s a good movie that’s closer to the terrific “Bumblebee” than the eye-melting Michael Bay films. Yet many didn’t give it a shot.
  • “Haunted Mansion”. While it didn’t operate on a budget as big as the above films, Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” was yet another movie that flopped. Granted it wasn’t as good as the above movies and releasing in the summer rather than closer to Halloween probably wasn’t a great idea. But it seemed like a bankable title, especially for younger audiences. Yet so far it has only made $42 million since its July 28th release.

There have been a few successes (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, the aforementioned “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”). But there’s no denying that studios have taken a hit this summer. Again I ask, what do we make of this? Yes, things like swollen budgets, franchise fatigue, and smaller windows before streaming have parts to play in it. But I think there is more going on.

Simply put, the big screen experience isn’t as appreciated as it once was and the numbers seem to bear it out. And this isn’t just reserved for summer spectacles. We’ve seen it during the winter months as well. It’s just more glaring during the blockbuster season where the financial losses are so pronounced. So what does it mean for the future of cinema? That continues to be the ultimate question. The optimist may say that it may usher in a new era of original ideas. The pessimist may say the clock is ticking on the big screen experience. I hope not. But as Bob Dylan so eloquently put it, “The Times, They Are a-Changin‘”.

REVIEW: “Revoir Paris” (2023)

by

2

“Revoir Paris”, which is translated “Paris Memories”, is a sensitive and quietly powerful adult drama written and directed by Alice Winocour. The film’s events are fictional, but they’re inspired by the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks where members of the Islamic State carried out a string of coordinated assaults on popular soft targets across the French capital, killing 130 and injuring over 400 people.

When putting together “Revoir Paris” Winocour pulled from her own family’s experiences (her brother survived the massacre at the Bataclan theater on that horrific November evening). Her film doesn’t exaggerate the tragedy or overdramatize the trauma it left behind. Instead Winocour takes an emotionally honest and grounded look at the pain of coping and the desperate need of human connection in such trying circumstances.

While “Revoir Paris” is well directed, exquisitely shot, and features a smart and thoughtful screenplay, the film is propelled by a tremendous leading turn from Virginie Efira. The 46-year-old César Award winner gives an illuminating performance that communicates the wide range of emotions associated with such destabilizing trauma. It’s such well calibrated work that sees Efira conveying so much feeling, not just through her dialogue but also her expressions and body language. She’s a key reason the movie works so well.

Image Courtesy of Music Box Films

Efira plays Mia, a forty-something journalist and translator whose life trajectory dramatically changes following the horrifying events of one November evening. Mia is having a late-night dinner at an area restaurant with her partner Vincent (Grégoire Colin) when he’s called back to the hospital where he works. On her way home Mia ducks into a busy bistro to wait out a rainstorm.

What we get next are a few carefully crafted minutes where Winocour strategically scans the inside of the eatery, honing in on specific details and logging them into our minds. They may seem insignificant, but they’re details that will play a big part in how the story unfolds.

Suddenly shots ring out, screams fill the air, and the lifeless bodies of innocent patrons lay everywhere. The terrorist attack sequence is truly harrowing in large part due to Winocour’s approach to it. She shoots it from Mia’s perspective offering us a visceral first-person point-of-view. Through her eyes we catch glimpses of the horror, but the sound design is just as crucial. The echo of gunfire, the shattering glass, the cries of the frightened and wounded.

Image Courtesy of Music Box Films

But Winocour (wisely) doesn’t linger on the attack itself nor is there any gratuitous bloodshed. Instead the majority of the story takes place three months later with Mia trying to put her life back together. While the well-intentioned Vincent tries to make things as back-to-normal as possible, Mia struggles to put together the pieces of that day. She’s haunted by fragments of suppressed memories but no clear picture.

Her search for answers leads her back to the scene of the crime which has reopened for business but that holds support group meetings for survivors and family members of those lost. There she meets and connects with Thomas (Benoît Magimel), a fellow survivor who was seriously wounded that night. Unlike Mia he vividly remembers everything about that night, even seeing her prior to attack. A relationship blossoms around their shared trauma and the two find unexpected comfort in each other.

There’s also a detective story element as Mia searches for a former waiter at the restaurant (Senegalese-born actor Amadou Mbow) who may or may not have helped her survive that fateful evening. But even then Winocour emphasizes and never loses sight of the emotional toll and the essentiality of human connection. It’s that laser focus, along with Efira’s tremendous restraint and Stéphane Fontaine’s striking cinematography that invigorates this powerful study on trauma, coping, and ultimately resilience.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

“Sharknado” 10th Anniversary Edition: Only in Theaters 8/15 & 8/16

by

6

This month The Asylum and Rubey Entertainment are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the delightfully wacky cult classic “Sharknado” by bringing it to over 500 big screens across the country. This two-night special engagement will be exclusive to theaters on August 15th and 16th and will feature a newly restored version of the film with never before seen footage. You can catch a full least of theaters HERE.

To go along with the announcement, they have also released two new posters and an all-new trailer which you can CHECK OUT BELOW.

But first, here’s is the official studio announcement:

On August 15 & 16, fans will finally get the chance to relive the pop culture phenomenon that took the world by storm. It’s the 10 Year Anniversary and SHARKNADO and the creators are bringing on the celebration. The Asylum and Rubey Entertainment present a special theatrical release of SHARKNADO: The 10th Anniversary Edition, featuring an all new remastered version with never-before-seen kills and thrills! Fans can catch the newly restored iconic moments from one of cinema’s greatest cult classics for two nights only on in select movie theatres nationwide.

Fully remastered in 4k with hundreds of new visual effects, the story of a freak tornado that attacks Los Angeles with gale force winds, metric tons of water and thousands of nature’s most ruthless killers is finally ready for the big screen.

Tickets are available for purchase at http://www.sharknado10th.com

REVIEW: “The Pod Generation” (2023)

by

6

Sophie Barthes returns to the director’s chair with “The Pod Generation”, her first feature film since 2014’s “Madame Bovary”. This kinda wacky, oddly alluring, and slyly funny sci-fi satire sees Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor (both very good) playing a married couple looking to start a family in a dystopian society marked by its dehumanization and artificiality.

In our current day when dependence on technology has never been higher and something as simple as human connection is quickly becoming a foreign concept, “The Pod Generation” makes for a timely movie. The not-so-distant future that Barthes envisions is a world where nature has become a commodity and society has been severed from any tangible connection to it. People rely on artificial intelligence in nearly every facet of their lives. It runs many of their homes, doing everything from fixing their breakfast to measuring their serotonin levels and gauging their “bliss index”. Even human psychiatrists have been replaced by A.I. therapists.

Image Courtesy of Vertical

Nowhere is this unhealthy disconnect more evident than in the area having children. While some still practice the archaic ritual of a natural childbirth, most go to companies that specialize in having your baby for you. They claim to be the answer to the declining birth rate which they blame on inconvenience. “Let us do the heavy lifting while you enjoy your babies.”

Enter Rachel (Clarke), a middle-aged businesswoman working for a large firm who just acquired such a company. It’s called the Womb Center (that’s 1-800-WOMB for those interested in a tour) and it is highly esteemed in its field. For the most part Rachel has bought into the tech-driven world of her day unlike her husband Alvy (Ejiofor), a botanist who spends much of his time growing plants in their apartment and lamenting their world’s detachment from nature.

At the aggressive urging of her boss, Rachel visits the Womb Center and schedules a tour without telling Alvy. They both want to have a child and he’s thinking natural birth. But she’s leaning the other way especially after her boss’ more self-serving recommendation. They ultimately decide to use the Womb Center which ends up taking their marriage in a number of unexpected directions as they face the convenient ups and more concerning downs of having a custom-made baby.

Image Courtesy of Vertical

Barthes has a lot of fun with her concept and her movie turns out to be a lot funnier than I expected. She pulls some good laughs from the sheer absurdity of we see and hear. Yet there is a not-so-subtle warning throughout that is worth listening to. Not everything done in the name of “progress” is for our good especially if we’re trading in the very essence of our humanity. Losing our identities, trying to manufacture happiness, sacrificing our individualism for convenience – just some of the thoughts that came to mind as I watched.

Unfortunately the movie loses its way a bit in the last act and ends without ever really satisfying the interests it raises in us along the way. I appreciated the hint of optimism we get in its final scenes, but was left wondering about the movie’s convictions. Still, Barthes poses a number of thought-provoking questions and has a lot of fun playing around in her cool futuristic sandbox. The movie looks great and the performances from Clarke and Ejiofor are key to centering us in the wacky world their characters inhabit. If only the movie a little more bite. “The Pod Generation” hits theaters August 11th.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

REVIEW: “Meg 2: The Trench” (2023)

by

18

I tend to like it when a movie knows exactly what it is. That certainly seemed to be the case for “Meg 2: The Trench”, a delightfully goofy looking sequel to 2018’s delightfully goofy “The Meg”. While based on author Steve Alten’s series of deep sea horror novels, the first film embraced the classic creature-feature formula while maintaining a self-awareness that made the unashamedly silly adventure a lot of fun. The sequel…not so much.

“Meg 2” is directed by Ben Wheatley whose last film (2021’s terrific “In the Earth”) was a creepy and unsettling low-budget indie. In a rather sharp contrast, “Meg 2” comes with a considerably larger budget and a big studio backing. But here’s the thing – “Meg 2” is a movie that didn’t have to do much to win me over. All I wanted was the proudly preposterous romp from the gonzo trailers and the equally amusing posters. In a nutshell, I just wanted what they advertised.

Unfortunately “Meg 2” turns out to be a baffling misfire. It’s a movie that seems to have the biggest and easiest target to hit, yet it misses it on every side and from every angle. The vast majority of its issues comes from the screenplay – quite easily one of the worst of the year so far. Not only is the story itself littered with inexplicably bad choices, but characters are handcuffed to some of the most excruciating dialogue you’ll hear.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios

I truly wish that I was just spouting hyperbole. But the screenwriting trio of Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris never seem to have a firm grasp of what kind of movie they’re making. For example, it gets off to an incredibly slow start with some lengthy table-setting that wouldn’t be so bad if it were building up to something good. Instead it launches the movie into a direction completely unfitting for something called “Meg 2”. Basically the megs (and yes that’s plural) get back-burnered for over an hour, replaced by some potentially interesting ideas that I’m sure looked better on paper than they do on screen.

One of the big draws for me was Jason Statham returning as Jonas Taylor, a deep sea search and rescue diver who in the first film joined up with a team of oceanographers, engineers, and researchers to kill a prehistoric man-eating shark known as a megalodon (a meg for short). When we meet him here he’s described as an “eco-warrior” and a “green James Bond”. He leads an organization that does ocean research and exposes those who harm the ecosystem. Noble work for sure, despite the corny titles.

The ramshackled story begins in earnest after Jonas and his team set out in two submersibles for a research mission some 25,000 feet below the ocean’s surface in the Pacific’s Mariana Trench. While exploring an unmarked sector where megs are believed to live, the team discovers a mysterious underwater station ran by a rogue mining operation. Intent on keeping their nefarious environmentally unfriendly activities secret, the ridiculously shallow corporate money-grubbers order their paper-thin henchman (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) to take out Jonas and his expedition.

What follows is a lengthy sequence where Jonas and his crew attempt to breach the station and find their way back to the surface, all while megs swim around in the background, only occasionally getting the chance to pose a threat. There’s actually a cool idea for an underwater thriller somewhere in this overly long stretch. But it’s hard to find among the countless clichés and (again) that glaringly bad dialogue which saturates the entire film.

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios

The movie plods along before finally reaching Fun Island, a sun-soaked tropical getaway for the rich and privileged that provides ample human fodder for our much neglected computer-generated behemoths to (finally) feed on. And by that time I was rooting for the megs. With the exception of Statham’s Jonas and maybe his painfully bland yet reasonably charming 14-year-old daughter Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai), the human characters aren’t easy to get behind.

I hate it for the cast – the woefully misused Cliff Curtis, an astonishingly bad Page Kennedy, a cringe-inducing Wu Jing, just to name a few. These are real talents and it’s hard to put the blame on them. In reality Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington, and Meryl Streep couldn’t do anything with this material. And no cast member is able to escape without uttering at least a few mind-numbing lines.

Like I said, I like it when a movie knows exactly what it is. I wish “Meg 2” was that kind of movie. Instead it ends up being a surprisingly bizarre botch that doesn’t work as a thriller, a comedy, horror, an action flick, a creature feature, or even late-night B-movie schlock. It just exists in this almost undefinable state of confusion. I’m still not sure it knows what it wants to be. But it certainly missed out on what it could have been. “Meg 2: The Trench” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

New on Home Video: “Fast X” 4K UHD Collector’s Edition

by

10

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing “Fast X”, the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, to home video in a terrific new Collector’s Edition. This feature-rich combo pack includes copies of the film on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and Digital Copy as well as over one hour of bonus content. “Fast X” is the action-fueled first film in a planned two-parter and has made over $720 million (and counting) at the worldwide box office. Read my full review of the movie HERE.

The new 4K UHD Collector’s Edition of “Fast X” will release on August 8, 2023. See below for a full synopsis and release information.

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

Year: 2023

Runtime: 141 Minutes

Director: Louis Leterrier

Screenwriter: Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material.

FROM THE STUDIO

After accelerating the Blockbuster franchise to over $7 billion in global box office sales, the summer sensation FAST Xraces onto Digital on August 1st, 2023 and on 4K and Blu-ray™ on August 8th, 2023 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The “high-energy spectacle” (Austin Chronicle) now includes over one hour of bonus content including a gag reel, scene breakdowns with Director Louis Leterrier, two music videos from the original motion picture soundtrack, and more behind-the-scenes featurettes detailing the making of the film from the streets of Los Angeles to the Colosseum in Rome. Collect the franchise by adding FAST X to your library or purchasing the complete Fast & Furious 10-movie collection.

Showcasing an all-star cast with full-throttle action and high-octane thrills, FAST X stars Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious), Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 Furious), Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (2 Fast 2 Furious), John Cena (F9: The Fast Saga), Nathalie Emmanuel (Furious 7), Jordana Brewster (The Fast and the Furious), Sung Kang (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, with Helen Mirren (The Fate of the Furious), with Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), with Rita Moreno, and Jason Statham (Furious 7), and Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Charlize Theron (The Fate of the Furious) and a few surprise cameos from the franchise’s past.

Ever since their saga started on the streets of L.A.’s underground racing scene, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have overcome impossible odds to outsmart, out-nerve and outdrive every foe. Yet when the team took down a nefarious kingpin back in Brazil, they had no idea his son Dante (Jason Momoa) was watching from the shadows. More lethal than any other enemy they’ve faced, Dante now rises as a terrifying new nemesis who’s fueled by revenge and determined to shatter their family and destroy everything and everyone that Dom loves. From London and Brazil to Antarctica and Rome, new alliances are forged and old enemies resurface. But everything changes after Dom discovers his eight-year-old son is Dante’s ultimate target.

Bonus Features

  • THIS IS FAMILY – Family bonds are always the strongest. Reunite with your favorite FAST family members as we introduce new characters, travel across continents, reveal intimate views of epic stunts, and get personal about the beginning of the end of the FAST franchise.
  • FAST BREAKS: SCENE BREAKDOWNS WITH LOUIS LETERRIER* – Director Louis Leterrier gives insight into some of the magic that went into making FAST X, breaking down how he filmed these unforgettable action scenes in legendary locations around the world.
  • XTREME RIDES OF FAST X – In FAST, we cast cars like we cast characters. Take a closer look at how classic FAST cars were rebuilt for FAST X, and which new vehicles are customized and introduced to enhance the lifeblood of the franchise.
  • BELLES OF THE BRAWL – The women ofFAST X are not to be messed with. Watch as they add their special talents to huge fight scenes, from rehearsal to the real thing.
  • TUNED INTO RIO – Revisit FAST’s past as our story takes us back to Rio de Janeiro, where we’ll experience a non-stop party, exotic cars, and a classic FAST quarter mile street race.
  • JASON MOMOA: CONQUERING ROME* – Jason Momoa joins the FAST franchise to portray a villain that pushes the team to the brink of disaster. Watch as Momoa discusses his approach to the character, biking down the narrow streets of Rome, and performing his own stunts.
  • LITTLE B TAKES THE WHEEL – Get to know the youngest member of the Toretto family as we dive into Little B’s journey in FAST X and introduce Leo Abelo Perry.
  • A FRIEND IN THE END – The FAST franchise has a history of shocking end-credit tags, and FAST X is no different. We take a special look at this scene and why, if you’re watching a FAST movie, you never want to get up before the end credits are finished!
  • GAG REEL
  • MUSIC VIDEOS
    • “TORETTO” BY J BALVIN
    • “ANGEL PT. 1” BY KODAK BLACK & NLE CHOPPA (FEATURING JIMIN OF BTS, JVKE & MUNI LONG)
  • FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR LOUIS LETERRIER*