REVIEW: “Fall” (2022)

August 11, 2022 by Keith Garlington

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

When talking about movies, there are countless examples of utterly absurd ideas that somehow found funding and made their ways to the screen. At the same time, when put in the hands of smart filmmakers, the silliest concepts can sometimes be turned into something unexpected and memorable. This is especially true when said filmmaker remembers a central component of good cinema – the human element.

To its credit, the new thriller “Fall” from director Scott Mann makes an effort to weave in some of that humanity mentioned above. Themes like grief, loss, fear, betrayal, and renewal all find their way into the story. But the emotional underpinning is so weak and flimsy that none of the themes resonate. And the ginned up drama that’s meant to add character depth is so poorly conceived that it’s hard to take any of it seriously. So that leaves us with nothing but the incredibly silly concept which only gets sillier as the movie progresses.

Grace Caroline Currey plays Becky, a young woman still reeling from the death of her husband Dan (Mason Gooding) during a mountain climbing accident. That was nearly a year ago, and Becky hasn’t climbed since. Overcome by her grief, she spends her time locked up in her apartment, soaked in booze and calling Dan’s phone just to hear his voicemail. Jeffrey Dean Morgan pops up as her well-meaning but insensitive father who’s genuinely worried about his daughter but can’t quite veil his long-held dislike for Dan. Despite his good intentions, he only drives Becky deeper into her hole.

Just as Becky has about had all she can take, she’s surprised by a visit from Hunter (Virginia Gardner), her best friend who she hasn’t seen in months. Hunter was there on the rock face with Becky and Dan the day he died. Determined to get her friend out of the apartment, Hunter plans an outing. But not to have coffee, to see a movie, to take a hike, or do some shopping. No, instead Hunter recommends they climb to the top of a remote 2,000-foot television tower.

In fairness to the screenwriters, there is a thematic throughline about getting back on your feet and conquering your fears that’s meant to give purpose to the lead duos’ dangerous climb. But as the absurdities rack up and the flimsiness of the characters becomes evident, the entire premise (brittle as it already is) falls apart.

The pair arrive, park their truck next to the locked gate with the big “No Trespassing” sign (hardly a deterrent to these two), and then make the two-mile walk to the base of the tower. Now for most people, one simple look at the rusty and rickety tower would be enough for common sense to kick in. It would make us think “You know, maybe this isn’t a good idea.” But not these two. Instead they begin to ascend what Hunter proclaims is the fourth tallest structure in the United States (forgive me if I didn’t bother to fact-check that). To her credit, Becky does show a little hesitation. But Hunter, a thrill-seeking YouTuber, sees it as a chance to impress her 60,000 followers.

If you’ve seen the trailer or even the poster you know that Becky and Hunter make it to the top. There they pose for pictures, let out some primal screams, and do a few other things that make us question their sanity before deciding to descend. But when the ladder breaks and crashes to the ground below, the two friends are left stranded 2,000 feet above land with no way down. From there it becomes a fight against fear, the elements, and one pesky vulture. A laughable survival element is introduced, we get a hokey Hallmark-esque reveal, and there’s one particular far-fetched twist that isn’t nearly as clever as it wants to be.

In one sense you could say the movie does its job. My wife (who has an intense fear of heights) told me her hands were sweaty throughout, and she was constantly having to look away from the screen. That’s because Mann uses some impressive CGI and a number of cool dizzying camera tricks to amplify the sense of height-induced dread. In that way “Fall” is effective, and I can see it terrifying those with anything close to acrophobia, especially on the big screen.

Sadly the frights only go so far, and they aren’t enough to cover the silly and sometimes nonsensical directions this thing goes. Yes, there were moments when I felt the anxiety of being stranded and exposed high above the earth. But more than that I felt bewilderment as I tried to grasp the inanity of the story turns and the borderline bizarre character choices. I wish this were a case of just turning off your brain and enjoying the movie for what it is. Unfortunately, “Fall” never gives you a reason to have your brain on in the first place. “Fall” opens tomorrow (August 12th) in theaters.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

First Glance: “Triangle of Sadness”

August 10, 2022 by Keith Garlington

The latest film to take a satirical bite out of the wealthy and privileged comes from Swedish director Ruben Östlund (“Force Majeure”, “The Square”). It’s “Triangle of Sadness”, the Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This is Östlund’s first English-language feature film, and after navigating several COVID-19 delays, this biting dark comedy is all set the hit theaters. NEON has dropped the first trailer and it looks every bit as wild as advertised.

The movie stars Harry Dickinson as an aspiring model vacationing with his girlfriend played by Charlbi Dean. The couple win a trip aboard a luxury cruise captained by none other than Woody Harrelson. The other guests are a collection of snobbish one-percenters. But as the puke-soaked trailer reveals, things aboard the lavish yacht go terribly wrong, and Östlund has us sit back and watch as the privileged get some healthy doses of humility. I can’t wait to see what all Östlund has up his sleeve.

“Triangle of Sadness” hits theaters October 7th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Emily the Criminal” (2022)

August 10, 2022 by Keith Garlington

When it comes to Aubrey Plaza, most people immediately think of her quick-witted poker-faced style of humor. And rightly so. The 38-year-old Delaware native has mastered the art of dry deadpan comedy, and her steely stare along with her pitch-perfect comic timing have become signatures. For that reason it may be easy to forget that Plaza is also a really good dramatic actress. Her lights-out performance in “Emily the Criminal” is a nice reminder than she is far from a one-dimensional talent.

“Emily the Criminal” marks the impressive and assured directorial debut for John Patton Ford. He writes and directs this thoroughly compelling crime drama that takes a hard look at a slice of the Los Angeles underworld. By centering on Plaza’s character, Ford is able to offer us a unique perspective, not only into the inner-workings of the LA crime scene, but also into the societal ills that can drive a smart and talented young woman to the point of breaking the law.

Plaza plays Emily Benetto, an aspiring artist in LA who was forced to put aside her love for painting in order to make ends meet. Buried under $70,000 of student debt, Emily is stuck working for a food delivery and catering service just to pay the monthly interest on her loan. She’s tried to get a better job, but two blemishes on her permanent record keep coming back to haunt her. Liz (Megalyn Echikunwoke), Emily’s old high school friend who loves talking about her own successes, keeps promising she’s going to pull some strings to get Emily an interview at her ad agency. But like every other potential lead in Emily’s life, that has yet to happen.

Frustrated with her inability to get a “real job”, Emily takes the advice of her coworker Javier (Bernardo Badillo) and texts a number that he says will score her an easy $200. She followers the address she’s given to an old dry cleaners where a smooth-talker named Youcef (Theo Rossi) and his cousins run a ‘dummy shopper’ scam.

It goes like this: the ‘shopper’ is given a credit card and a fake ID. They then go into a designated store and purchase a flat-screen television with the fake card. They drop off the merchandise to Youcef and collect $200. Here’s the catch – the information on the card is stolen. “You won’t be in danger. You won’t endanger another person. But you will be breaking the law.” You have to give him points for honesty.

After some very brief hesitation, Emily pulls off the job, collects her money, and impresses Youcef in the process. He introduces her to some riskier but higher paying scores before hooking her up with her very own racket. Before long Emily has fully reached ‘small-time criminal’ status, but when she accidentally breaks one of Youcef’s cardinal rules, it brings the dangerous side of the criminal world to her doorstep.

From there “Emily the Criminal” plays out like part crime drama and part character study. The genre conventions work well in large part because Ford keeps things grounded. But the character study element, laced with some well-handled social commentary, gives the film a sharper than expected edge and places the characters within a world than will resonate with many viewers who will see glimmers of their own experiences.

The movie does lean on a few hard-to-miss tropes in the final act as it reaches its eventual climax. And there is an element of Emily and Youcef’s relationship that needed more attention. But there is a steady tension throughout the second half that keeps you locked in. And I can’t say enough about Aubrey Plaza’s performance. Not only does she keenly capture Emily’s vulnerability but also her toughness – both pivotal ingredients to this fascinating character. And while some of her choices are unquestionably dishonest, Plaza earns our empathy and helps us to see Emily’s many layers. “Emily the Criminal” is out this Friday in select theaters.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Rogue Agent” (2022)

August 9, 2022 by Keith Garlington

I swear, there must be 100 movies with titles similar to “Rogue Agent” (and I bet I’ve watched and/or reviewed half of them). But generic name aside, this new British drama/thriller very much has a feel all its own. It’s a slow-burning yet meticulously paced fact-based story that takes its time setting up its pieces. But once you get a sense for what’s happening, it’s hard not to be gripped by this appalling and kinda crazy true account.

“Rogue Agent” is co-directed by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn from a screenplay the duo co-wrote with Michael Bronner. It’s based on a magazine article Bronner wrote titled “Chasing Agent Freegard” which spotlighted Robert Hendy-Freegard. He was a con-man who masqueraded as an MI5 agent to lure in and manipulate numerous people, often separating them from their families and stripping them of their money. The true details are astonishing, and the film pulls pieces from several real accounts to craft a story that gives us a good grasp of Freegard and his shameless deceit.

The movie opens in 1993 where Robert (played by James Norton, with his natural good looks and deceptively tender smile) works as a bartender in a small college town. We’re told in voice-over about Robert’s cunning. About his keen ability to read people and persuade them. We watch him stealthily target three students and later convince them that he is an undercover agent with MI5. We see him dupe them into believing an Irish Republican Army cell was embedded at the university (during the volatile 1990s the IRA waged a bombing campaign in England. So his claims would get attention). And we watch as he recruits them to be freelance spies for MI5 who report only to him.

I know it sounds unbelievable – like an absurd movie storyline no one would ever buy into. In reality, this is exactly the kind of game Robert Freegard played, and the emotional, psychological, and financial damage left in his wake remains immeasurable. Patterson and Lawn do a good job emphasizing the harm done to Robert’s victims, many of them young women.

Nine years pass and we’re introduced to Alice Archer (Gemma Arterton), a litigation solicitor for a big law firm. While walking to work she meets Robert who now works as a luxury car salesman (fitting). Despite her cautious nature, Robert’s charm does its work and the two begin a romantic relationship. But when Alice begins to notice inconsistencies in his stories she must decide whether to go with her heart or trust her instincts.

Inevitably the true account removes some of the suspense, but I still won’t spoil where the story goes. While much of what we see is fictional, most of it is inspired directly from the real-life encounters victims had with Freegard. And that’s what makes “Rogue Agent” work. Nothing about the story feels false. It remains grounded and avoids all temptations to turn itself into a full-on genre film. It has its slow patches, but it never loses its authenticity and it never loses our interest.

The film is also helped by strong performances from Norton and Arterton. Norton brings some fascinating layers to Robert. Some of them help us understand why so many people could be seduced by his wiles. Others give us deeper looks at the depths of his duplicity. Meanwhile Arterton makes Alice a solid protagonist who’s always walking uphill in her male-dominated world. But she’s hardly a damsel in distress, and Arterton frequently shows us Alice’s strength and resilience in their many forms. There’s also a really good performance from Marisa Abela who plays Sophie Jones, one of Robert’s early victims who ends up having a big part to play in the story.

It’s truly hard to fathom Robert Freegard’s extraordinary guile but also his shocking callousness. “Rogue Agent” paints a vivid and fittingly diabolical portrait of the scam artist and all his deceptive layers. And by putting a heavy emphasis on Arterton’s character, we’re allowed to see things from the victim’s perspective. The deliberate pacing may push away some, but it’s key to presenting to us the overall picture of this unthinkable story that would be impossible to believe if it weren’t true. “Rogue Agent” opens Friday in select theaters and streaming on AMC+.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Thirteen Lives” (2022)

August 8, 2022 by Keith Garlington

Ron Howard returns to the director’s chair for the new biographical survival thriller “Thirteen Lives”. The film is a dramatization of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue. That’s when twelve members of a junior soccer team, their ages ranging from 11 to 16, along with their assistant coach were trapped deep within Tham Luang cave in Northern Thailand following some intense flooding. The film chronicles the fact-based rescue attempts to get the thirteen out alive.

“Thirteen Lives” is a gripping account of an incident that grabbed the attention of the entire world. Howard goes to great lengths to emphasize the gravity of the danger the soccer team faced and the sheer scope of the international rescue operation that included more than 5,000 people from 17 countries. He also spotlights the many shades of humanity that play a big part in the story – the fear and anxiety; the empathy and kindness; the contentions and frustrations; the bravery and sacrifice.

And it should be said at the outset that “Thirteen Lives” is a technical marvel and a glowing example of the creative magic in cinema. The movie splits itself between the riveting action inside the cave and the human drama outside, and both are brought to life through some truly brilliant creativity. Howard and his team of artists pored over the actual schematics of the cave, watched hours of archived news footage, tapped into the knowledge of real divers, and surrounded themselves with Thai advisors and crew members so that the Thai culture would be respectfully represented.

Some of the most jaw-dropping work took place in a Queensland, Australia warehouse. Howard, production designer Molly Hughes, acclaimed Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, five-time Oscar nominated sound editor Oliver Tarney, and countless others recreated specific sections of Tham Luang cave. The crew built highly detailed tunnels and submerged them into four 100-foot-long tanks. The results are scenes of hair-raising realism as divers navigate the cramped and claustrophobic tunnelways.

The film is written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter William Nicholson (“Gladiator”, “Shadowlands”) who’s tasked with juggling an astonishing number of moving parts. He starts his story on June 23, 2018 in Ban Chong, Thailand as the Wild Hogs junior soccer team are finishing up practice. A big birthday party for the team’s youngest member Chai (Pasakorn Hoyhon) is planned for later. But before they go, the boys convince their coach (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) to take them to the nearby Tham Luang cave. So the group hops on their bikes and make the scenic ride to Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park where the mouth of the cave lies at the base of a lush mountain.

The boys and their coach enter the cave at 3:07 PM. As they venture deeper in, a storm gathers outside. Eventually the clouds open up and torrential rain sets in. Shifting to Chai’s house, after none of the team shows up to the party, the parents head to the cave worried the boys will get drenched riding back home in the downpour. But when they arrive to find the bikes parked near the entrance but no sign of their sons, the parents quickly and understandably begin to fear the worse.

We don’t see the Wild Boars again for a while, as Howard and Nicholson move their focus to the growing rescue effort. Family and media gather near the entrance, the Thai Navy SEALS arrive, and engineers begin pumping water out of the submerged cave. Meanwhile, the politicians, Governor Narongsak (Sahajak Boonthanakit) and Minister Anupong Paochinda (Vithaya Pansringarm), butt heads over the best course of action.

As days pass and situations worsen, the Thai government bring in a pair of elite divers from England who specialize in cave rescue – Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Colin Farrell). They’re later joined by an Australian doctor and fellow diver Harry Harris (Joel Edgerton). They eventually find the boys and their coach huddled in a small dark corner some 2500 meters deep into the cave. But that’s hardly the end of the story.

The second half of the movie focuses on the tougher challenge – finding a way to get the thirteen out alive. There’s no way they would survive the arduous five and a half hour dive back through narrow crevices and against strong and shifting currents – a challenge for even the best divers. So Rick, John, and Harry must devise another plan. But with oxygen levels in the chamber dropping, they’ll need to come up with something quick.

One of my favorite things about “Thirteen Lives” is Howard’s intense focus on realism. His reliance on authenticity strips the film of artifice and keeps melodrama at a bare minimum. For that reason its tension feels organic and its emotions are earned. Even more, the sense of peril is palpable. For example, every time we get a scene of divers underwater there’s a genuine sense of danger.

If I had a gripe, it would be with how little we see from the boys’ perspective. But at the same time, it’s hard to knock the movie’s linear focus when it’s this well executed. It’s such a thorough and soundly paced account of the rescue, and even at two and a half hours there’s never moments that feel wasted. Of course Mortensen, Farrell, and Edgerton make for a terrific trio and each give firmly grounded performances. But the movie doesn’t get locked in on its three big-named stars. Howard spreads the attention around and stresses the local dynamic as much (if not more) than the international presence. It’s one of many strengths that makes this real-life study of heroism and sacrifice so moving and immersive. “Thirteen Lives” is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

First Glance: “The Banshees of Inisherin”

August 5, 2022 by Keith Garlington

Primed and ready for its festival circuit run, “The Banshees of Inisherin” has released its first trailer. This is a film from Martin McDonagh, his first since 2017’s shaky but beloved “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”. His latest sees him reteaming with his “In Bruges” partners Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. This first look at the film gives us lots to look forward for.

The story centers around two friends and the consequences that follow after one (Gleeson) suddenly and without explanation ends their friendship. As with the best trailers, this one is cryptic. It gives us a basic intro to the story while leaving the details under wraps. I love that. To no one’s surprise, both Gleeson and Ferrell look great in this. And while I’m a little mixed on McDonagh’s films, I’m pretty excited for this one.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” opens in theaters October 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.