Author Archives: Keith Garlington

REVIEW: “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022)

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In 2009, the world of movies was forever changed by “Avatar”, a science fiction epic born from the mind of James Cameron. The movie was a box office phenomenon, and it remains the highest grossing film of all-time. Technically, “Avatar” was a groundbreaking film that pushed visual effects to entirely new heights. It also reintroduced 3D to the big screen, using it in the most dazzling and immersive way ever seen. Of course the 3D craze didn’t last, mainly because no one could match what Cameron was able to do with it.

But while “Avatar” was a technical marvel, its story was a letdown. It was basically ripped straight from “Dances with Wolves” but with a futuristic sci-fi angle rather than a historical one. It also suffered from Cameron’s heavy-handed sermonizing on everything from the environment to corporate America to the military. It wasn’t that he had a message. It was that he pounded us over the head without an ounce of nuance or subtlety.

After thirteen years, James Cameron is back on Pandora with “Avatar: The Way of Water”, a nearly $400 million sequel that once again pushes the art of movie special effects to the proverbial next level. It’s a jaw-dropping motion picture spectacle unlike anything I’ve seen on the big screen before. Not only does it demand to be seen in the theater, it once again sees Cameron doing things with 3D technology that no one else has ever done. Not to sound hyperbolic, but you have to see it to believe it.

Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

On the flip-side, Cameron isn’t best known for seamless storytelling and “Way of the Water” has its issues there. But the story is considerably better this time around, with Cameron getting away from the on-the-nose preachiness and giving us something that’s more intimate and that does a good job progressing the characters and their stories. I’m an admitted sucker for movies about family, and that theme resonates all throughout “The Way of the Water”. There’s also an overarching theme of empathy that plays out through multiple relationships.

Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, a former human and now full-on Na’vi. Over a decade has passed since the first film, and Jake is now chief of the Omaticaya forest tribe. There he and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) happily raise their family which includes their oldest son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), their headstrong second son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), their youngest child Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), their adopted teenage daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), and their adopted human son Spider (Jack Champion) who was born of Pandora and rescued by Jake and Neytiri.

While Jake’s life seems ideal, he has long feared the return of the “sky people”, aka the Resources Development Administration from planet Earth. In the first film, the RDA came in the form of a science mission and a mining operation. But within the first few minutes of the sequel they make their return, scorching a huge section of the forest to build their massive base of operations. Rather than being accompanied by a small but aggressive security team, this time the RDA have brought a bigger military presence. And rather than mine, they’ve come to colonize – to find a new home for humanity after depleting their own world’s resources. Their first step – pacify the natives.

Leading the charge is the film’s main antagonist, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), killed in the first movie but cloned as a Na’vi complete with all of his old uploaded memories. Quaritch is tasked with leading a unit of fellow recombinants to find and eliminate Jake Sully. Initially Jake, Neytiri and the Omaticaya fight back. But realizing the danger he brings to his family and people, Jake and Neytiri take their children and flee far away from the forest, eventually finding refuge with a water tribe called the Metkayina led by Chief Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet). But to no surprise, the ruthless and dogged Quaritch stays hot on their trail.

Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios

At a hefty three hours and twelve minutes, Cameron’s story covers a lot of ground. He spends a big chunk of his time on world-building, introducing his audience to a whole new part of Pandora. The Metkayina tribe make their home on a giant reef that’s full of exotic aquatic plant and animal life. Cameron and his creative teams go all out designing and visualizing this vivid underwater ecosystem with just as much time put into exploring the Metkayina culture. The movie does slow down a tad during this long middle stretch, but there’s always something new and often jaw-dropping to take in.

In addition to shooting in state-of-the-art 3D, the film also features underwater performance capture, an incredibly impressive feat requiring its own newly developed tech. Then there was the decision to shoot at a higher frame rate. There are several instances where Cameron bumps the standard 24 frames-per-second up to 48 fps, giving the film a more crisp and realistic appearance. It’s a choice that won’t be for everyone, and its clarity and quality may depend the theater screen you see it on. Personally, I loved the higher frame rate.

Of course “The Way of the Water” is also full of big eye-popping action which is something James Cameron knows a lot about. The set pieces are as thrilling as they are massive, and the above-mentioned technology really shines in them. The performances are also good with both Worthington and Saldaña especially shining. As for Lang, he’s mercifully dialed back and less hammy this time around, and the movie does some interesting things with his character. Again, the story may stumble in a few spots. But it’s still an exciting step up from the first movie. And as an experience, visiting Pandora has never felt so exciting and full of life. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Babylon” (2022)

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Like three hours of fingernails scraping across a chalkboard but amped up 150 decibels, Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” is a grating exercise that beats you down with its relentless self-indulgence. It’s a movie smitten with its own sense of grandeur and apparently pledged to the belief that the best way to depict unbridled decadence is to drown its audience in unbridled decadence. It’s a choice that wastes so much time relishing the excess, and not nearly enough on its characters and their stories.

After three straight bangers, “Babylon” is such a disappointing next movie from writer-director Chazelle. Here he’s sold himself on a coked-up ‘more-is-more’ vision that often plays like a smug and shameless vanity project. Other times it feels as if it just needs someone to step in, pull the reins, and tell Chazelle “No”. But as it is, “Babylon” seems beholden to its brash, gleefully vulgar, full-throttled approach, and the movie suffers for it.

I want to believe there’s a good Old Hollywood story buried somewhere among Chazelle’s numbing self-satisfying chaos. But even at an exhausting three hours (plus some), there aren’t enough pieces in “Babylon” to be certain. It certainly has the cast, the costumes, and the production design to recreate the era. But so much of the film’s attention is given to its own rowdy irreverent style that it fumbles its chance to tell a clear-eyed behind-the-scenes Hollywood story.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

“Babylon” sets out to chronicle the rise to stardom and eventual fall of a handful of characters in the late 1920s as Hollywood began its transition from silent films to talkies. It’s a good premise with plenty of potential. But rather than really digging into his characters, Chazelle revels in their self-destruction. So much so, that most of his later attempts at empathy ring hollow. And that’s emblematic of the larger tonal issues that plague the film, especially in the second half. Chazelle’s sudden turns towards the more serious can come across as half-hearted and clash with nearly everything else he gives us.

A cranked up Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy, a self-christened star from New Jersey who just needs to get her foot in Hollywood’s door. Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad, an established but aging silent movie star at a critical point in his career. Diego Calva plays Manny Torres, a studio film assistant who has always dreamed of working in the movies. Chazelle uses these three characters (and a few undercooked others) in his attempt to tell a story of a shifting industry and society. But while the three performances are up to par, the movie is far more interested in using them for its showier self-interests rather than giving any of their characters enough depth for us to care.

Nellie is a careening ball of self-destructive energy who hardly ever tones it down enough for us to get to know her. She’s little more than a hedonistic showpiece for Chazelle’s camera, constantly dialed up past 10, and often more of a caricature than a real person. Jack is the closest we get to a fully fleshed out character. But even with him, most of the details are either confined to two or three brief scenes or left out altogether. And then there’s Manny who should be our connection to the story but who is mostly relegated to standing off to the side. Oh, and he’s in love with Nellie for reasons I still haven’t quite figured out.

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

As it turns out, the most interesting people we meet are two supporting characters. Jean Smart gets a bit part playing a tabloid Hollywood columnist named Elinor St. John who always seems to know more than she lets on. And Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer, a Black jazz trumpeter who has the most grounded point-of-view of anyone in the film. But again, these are small roles and we only get tidbits of their stories. They’re great pieces that hint at what “Babylon” could have went for.

As “Babylon” hurtles forward, we’re treated to some great music and a number of elaborately staged set pieces. We’re even teased with some late scenes that hint at a slightly deeper interest in the characters. But whenever you think the movie has reeled itself in, we get more amped up nonsense. Take a long and draining final act sequence with Tobey Maguire (looking like death warmed-over). It’s one of many examples of Chazelle’s overconfidence in his instincts.

Fittingly I suppose, the film’s ending is as phony as anything I’ve seen in years. It’s meant to suddenly evoke some feelings in those who truly love movies. But it takes more than the flickering light of a theater projector and leeching off of a classic like “Singin’ in the Rain”, especially after everything Chazelle has thrown at us by that point. I didn’t feel any new love for cinema. I hadn’t learned anything about the history of Hollywood. I didn’t better appreciate the magic of moviemaking. Frankly, I was just thankful it was over. “Babylon” hits theaters December 23rd.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

REVIEW: “The Eternal Daughter” (2022)

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Tilda Swinton captivates in “The Eternal Daughter”, the latest from distributor A24 that for some reason seems to have fallen through the cracks this awards season. Sadly the film hasn’t received much of a push which is unfortunate considering it’s one of A24’s best films of 2022. Written and directed by Joanna Hogg, this poignant and haunting mother/daughter elegy begs to be contemplated as it tinkers with genre and subverts our expectations, all as Hogg pulls from some deeply personal places for inspiration.

“The Eternal Daughter” was shot during the COVID-19 lockdown which makes sense considering the mostly single location and minuscule cast. But whatever constraints were in place never make it onto the screen. That’s because Hogg’s keen control of her audience, both through her well managed direction and eloquently crafted script, never allows us time to ponder any of its limitations. Instead she keeps us firmly focused on her two main characters, Julie (Swinton) and her mother Rosalind (also Swinton).

Image Courtesy of A24

The movie begins with a chatty cabbie driving Julie and Rosalind across the foggy countryside, eventually arriving at Moel Faman Hall, a remote hotel set in an old rural manor. It’s somewhat of a mother and daughter getaway to celebrate Rosalind’s birthday but with some special meaning. We learn that Moel Faman Hall was where Rosalind grew up as a child, well before it was turned into a rustic bed-and-breakfast.

Upon arriving Julie goes to check in and is greeted by the seemingly empty hotel’s snooty and disinterested receptionist (a really good Carly-Sophia Davies) who takes them to their room. It’s not the room they reserved, but the receptionist doesn’t seem to care. Instead she hops in the car with her boyfriend and leaves for the evening. Quite the opposite is Bill (Joseph Mydell), the kindly nighttime concierge who pops up later and is always willing to lend a hand. He’s a tender soul with his own personal attachment to the hotel.

So Julie and Rosalind settle in for the evening. As they do, Hogg treats us to one of my favorite things about her film – the small intimate exchanges between mother and daughter, so natural and organic that they immediately triggered sweet memories of my own mother and grandmother and the relationship they shared. These tender moments are scattered all throughout the movie, and they’re aided by Swinton’s graceful dual-role performance which evolves into something even more impressive over time. It’s great work from Swinton who’s no stranger to handling this type of challenge.

Image Courtesy of A24

For Julie, what follows are several restless nights where she constantly hears unexplained noises from the vacant floors above and even sees a ghostly old lady peering out the windows. Hogg plays around with our perceptions, not just of what we see on screen but also in how we view her movie as a whole. Is it a horror movie? The drafty creaky interiors, the thick evening fog that engulfs the manor, even the eerie wailing music that feels plucked right out of an early “X-Files” episode make you wonder. But as Hogg patiently reveals her real interests, we begin to get a better grasp of what’s really going on. It just takes cracking her code to get to the heart of the movie.

Though modestly budgeted, “The Eternal Daughter” looks amazing in large part thanks to the textured 16mm cinematography from Ed Rutherford. There’s also some crafty camera trickery, even craftier editing, and terrific makeup design. It all beautifully serves this thematically rich drama which clearly comes from a place close to Hogg’s heart. And ultimately it’s that personal touch that makes her thoughtful self-reflection resonate as intensely as it does. “The Eternal Daughter” is now showing in select theaters.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

First Glance: “65”

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Boy the 2023 movie year just gets more and more stacked. The latest movie instantly added to my must-watch list is the Sam Raimi produced “65”. The early teases were intriguing, but the new trailer completely won me over. Written and directed by the duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, “65” is a genre-bending science-fiction action-thriller with Adam Driver as its lead. That alone was enough to sell me.

But then I saw the new trailer, and the movie quickly climbed higher on my list. Driver plays a pilot who crash-lands on an unknown planet. As he explores the area he discovers a single lone survivor (Ariana Greenblatt). But the planet is also has its share dangers, and they’re of the prehistoric variety of you get what I mean. That’s quite the formula, and the trailer shows off the kind of production value that could make it a lot of fun. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

“65” arrives in theaters on March 10, 2023. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First Glance: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

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I never quite got onboard with fervent adoration for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. I enjoyed the family elements of the story and wish there had been more of it. And I enjoyed most of the animation up until the final act. But the movie never found a good balance. Sometimes it felt like a moving family story with the inescapable superhero baggage attached. Other times it was like watching someone else play a video game. The new trailer for the much-anticipated sequel looks very much the same.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” teases several of the things I liked about its predecessor while also showing several of the things I didn’t. The early family bits look great and the animation really shines in those clips. But when it amps things up, the sensory blasts of colors and hyper-stylized visuals overwhelm. Add to it my growing boredom for the current multi-verse fad that’s everywhere these days, and I’m just not sure this is for me. But I’ll still see it and hope that (like the first film) there’s enough of the good stuff to get by.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” hits theaters June 2, 2003. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

My Guest Appearance on Tavern Talk to chat about “Empire of Light”

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I had a great time once again appearing on Tavern Talk by Initial Reaction. This time I joined host Philip Price to discuss Sam Mendes’ ambitious but overstuffed drama “Empire of Light” which is out now in select theaters. As always, we had a blast talking about the movie and breaking down its strengths and weaknesses. Don’t worry, this is a spoiler-free review so please click below and give it a watch.