“Umma” is creepy supernatural chiller written and directed by Iris K. Shim. The name that’ll catch many people’s eye is Sam Raimi who produces. Yesterday distributor Sony Pictures dropped the first trailer, and I can honestly say it wasn’t what I expected. Now “Umma” is high on my ‘to watch’ list thanks in large part to it’s eerie vibe and the intriguing casting of Sandra Oh as its lead.
Oh plays a hermit named Amanda. She’s a Korean immigrant who has made a home for herself and her daughter on a remote rural farm. There she raises bees and holds to a strict policy of no modern technology – no televisions, no radios, not even automobiles are allowed. But her secluded life is interrupted when a mysterious man arrives unannounced carrying the ashes of her recently deceased mother. It opens the door to something wicked and utterly terrifying. The trailer rightly keeps a lot under wraps, and I’m anxious to see where this thing goes.
“Umma” lands in theaters March 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
I’ve been waiting for this one. “Bullet Train” is a star-studded action-comedy directed by David Leitch, the man behind movies like “John Wick”, “Hobbs and Shaw”, and “Deadpool 2” (ugh). Here he teams with a stacked cast of noteworthy names that includes Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Michael Shannon, Andrew Koji, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman, Bad Bunny, Masi Oka, and more.
This is the kind of crazy action movie where characters sport goofy names like Ladybug, Prince, Tangerine, Kimura, and Lemon. Set aboard a non-stop train speeding through the Japanese countryside, the story follows five assassins who each find themselves after the same silver briefcase. It looks like we’re in for loads of crazy action and lots of humor. Punch my ticket!
“Bullet Train” hits theaters July 15th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
The new Danish film “A Taste of Hunger” opens with a quote from the late novelist Kathy Acker, “If you ask me what I want, I’ll tell you. I want everything.” It’s a fitting intro to this stirring relationship drama masquerading as a foodie flick. Don’t misunderstand, we get several visual helpings of exquisitely shot cuisine. But the cooking is mostly dressing. The main dish is the souring dynamic between a husband and wife whose lofty goals begin to tear an otherwise loving couple apart.
The film is directed by Christoffer Boe who co-writes the script alongside Tobias Lindholm. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Lindholm also penned the exceptional dramas “Another Round” and “The Hunt” alongside Thomas Vinterberg. Here the Danish duo use the setting of Denmark’s cooking scene to explore the consequences of unbridled ambition.
Image Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Carsten (Nikolaj Costner-Waldau) and Maggie (an absolutely phenomenal Katrine Greis-Rosenthal) are a culinary power couple who own Malus, a trendy high-end restaurant in the heart of Copenhagen. Carsten is a master-chef with a ferocious drive. He trained in Japan before opening his own eatery back home. Maggie is a sharp-witted anthropologist with a sharp eye for what people like.
Yet despite their successful privileged lives; despite having two beautiful children; despite owning one of their city’s premiere restaurants, there’s one thing that has kept them from being truly satisfied and content – the coveted Michelin star and the prestige and recognition that accompanies it. They crave it, particularly Carsten who has let it drive him to the point of obsession.
Chopped into chapters and moving back-and-forth through time, “A Taste of Hunger” reveals what brought Carsten and Maggie together as well as what tore them apart. In the current day, we see the couple desperate to repair the damage done by a bad oyster starter. They think it may have been served to a visiting undercover Michelin rep rumored to have visited their restaurant that evening. If they can track down the representative, perhaps they can convince him/her to give them another shot.
But it’s the flashbacks that give us the bigger picture and ultimately fill out this complicated relationship. Through them Boe shows us how the Carsten and Maggie met, the near instant attraction, and the intense passion marking the beginning stages of their marriage. In these early scenes, Boe and his cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro shoot the couple with the same sensuous gaze as they do the cuisine. But it’s the performances that really bring these characters to life. Costner-Waldau and Greis-Rosenthal have a fierce chemistry that comes through with every scene they share.
Image Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
While Carsten and Maggie seem to have a magnetic connection, the later flashbacks show what happens once their dogged pursuit of culinary fame takes precedent over their homelife. Soon both their marriage and their children are suffering, which sends the story down some ugly paths. Some of these scenes teeter close to the melodramatic, but Boe keeps everything grounded and honest. And (once again) the performances are crucial, especially Greis-Rosenthal who’s asked to navigate a thornier range of emotions. She’s sublime.
“A Taste of Hunger” takes an unflinching look at a crumbling marriage and it does so without casting judgement or taking sides. In fact, each time our sympathies shift from one spouse to the next, something happens to yank us back to the center. The real heartache comes with the children. Boe and Lindholm do a great job relaying the impact of the parents’ neglect, mostly through the eyes of their young daughter Chloe (an astonishingly good Flora Augusta). It adds kick that’s as painful as it is palpable. “A Taste of Hunger” is now streaming on VOD.
Naomi Watts plays a traumatized mother caught in a hopeless situation in “The Desperate Hour”, an appropriately titled new thriller from director Phillip Noyce. Written by Christopher Sparling, the story takes a well-intentioned look at an extremely sensitive subject but ends up undermining itself with some painfully bad second-half choices.
“The Desperate Hour” is very much a tale of two very different halves. The first half is absolutely terrific, offering a riveting setup and leaning on Watts’ incredible talent to pull us in and connect us emotionally. I was completely absorbed and invested. But then the second half comes along and takes an ill-advised turn. You can see it happening, and I found myself saying out loud “Please, don’t go there!” But it does go there, all for the sake of the genre expectations, and both the movie and the subject matter suffer as a result.
Image Courtesy of Roadside Attractions
Watts does practically all of the heavy lifting, and for much of the movie she’s the only person we actually see. She plays Amy Carr, a widowed mother of two still working through her grief. It has been one year since her husband Peter was killed in a car accident. Feeling especially down, Amy takes a personal day off from work. She gets her young daughter Emily (Sierra Maltby) on the bus, but her troubled teenage son Noah (Colton Gobbo) won’t get out of bed. Amy hasn’t been able to connect with her son since his father died. Discouraged, she leaves Noah in bed and goes out for a jog.
Other than the final ten minutes, the rest of the movie is spent alone with Amy and her iPhone. She jogs for what seems like ten miles deep into the beautiful forest outside of town. For a while there’s no solitude as she gets calls from her mom, her job, her best friend, etc. She puts her phone on Do Not Disturb for some needed quiet time, but just as she’s alone with her thoughts an alert comes across her screen. There is an active shooter situation at the school and the entire town is on lockdown.
Deep in the forest and with no vehicle, Amy frantically makes calls to anyone she can for help. A 911 dispatcher, an autobody repairman, her daughter’s elementary teacher, and a co-worker are among the many voices she connects with over the phone. But she can’t find a ride, she begins losing her GPS signal, Noah won’t answer her calls, and the cops aren’t sharing any information. It all works as a truly emotional and nerve-shredding setup.
Image Courtesy of Roadside Attractions
But then the movie takes an ill-advised turn which leads to a series of bad creative choices that squash much of what the film had accomplished early on. Amy becomes a super-sleuth and the sheer number of conveniences needed to make the final act happen stretches the bounds of believability. But the biggest misstep is in how it uses the delicate subject of a school shooting as a plot device. I won’t spoil how, and to be fair that isn’t the movie’s intent. But by the end that’s exactly how it feels.
“The Desperate Hour” is one of the more frustrating movies I’ve seen over the last few years. For a while I was so intensely invested in the story and Watts’ performance really grabbed me. But then, as if falling in line with some kind of genre playbook, Sparling’s script veers off into some yucky territory. And the decision to explore grief through the tragedy of others doesn’t land well at all. Especially a tragedy that’s so real and devastating as a school shooting. Again, it should be said that Noyce and Sparling are going for something much different. But that doesn’t change how the movie ultimately feels. “The Desperate Hour” is out now in select theaters and on VOD.
The 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring “outstanding” performances from 2021, took place last night at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California. It’s the year’s first big televised awards show on the road to Oscar night. As the name applies, the awards are all about the acting, and there were some fascinating nominees duking it out. Here’s a brief wrap-up of last night winners in the six film categories.
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture – “CODA” – The big award of the night went to the sweet, feel-good drama “CODA”. While it may not be the best movie of the year or even the best ensemble, it’s hard not to love this win. The film marked the first time that a deaf cast has been nominated for the award. Now they can also say they’re first-time winners. But this is no sympathy win. “CODA” is a really good movie and the extraordinary cast in a big reason why.
2. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role – Will Smith (“King Richard”) – Things were starting to slightly trend in Will Smith’s favor as the week progressed, but I have to admit to being a little surprised. That said, it’s hard to argue with his acting in “King Richard”. I’ve always liked Will Smith more than his actual performances. But in “King Richard” he does some of the best work of his career. While my personal choice is Denzel Washington, it was great hearing Smith’s name announced.
3. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) – And just like that we have some actual suspense heading into Oscar night. Jessica Chastain won for her portrayal of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker and it sets up quite the showdown. Chastain gives a really good performance in an okay movie so interested in scrubbing clean Tammy Faye’s image that it comes unglued. Yet despite the movie’s struggles, Chastain steadily delivers. I was all-in for Olivia Colman, but Chastain is such a talent and a deserving winner.
4. Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) – Talk about the win the made my wife and me audibly yell for joy. Troy Kotsur was wonderful as the eccentric yet devoted father in “CODA”. Not only was his work as a deaf actor inspiring, but his embodiment of his character is top-notch. He has such an infectious charm and personality both on screen and throughout awards season. Who couldn’t be excited to see him win?
5. Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role – Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) – What an electric performance! I loved Ariana DeBose in Steven Spielberg’s glorious “West Side Story” and it has been fun watching her rack up the wins. DeBose not only has the dance moves, but she really owns so many of the scenes she’s in. My personal choice is still Caitríona Balfe for “Belfast”, and the Academy’s ridiculous snub still makes no sense whatsoever. But after Balfe, there’s no one else I would rather see win. DeBose is sublime.
6. Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture – “No Time to Die” – The fact that this category exists makes me happy. While a part of me was rooting for “Dune”, in terms of sheer stunt work how can you argue with the latest James Bond adventure? The movie is full of jaw-dropping stunts and more than worthy of this award.
And that wraps it up. One step closer to Oscar night. What did you think of this year’s winners? Let me know below.
The battle for streaming service supremacy has never been more competitive (or lucrative) as it is right now. Netflix remains the top dog by a pretty significant margin (around 220 million subscribers at last check). Amazon Prime Video (175 million subs) and Disney+ (120 million subs) are next in line. Further down is the Disney owned Hulu (43 million subscribers), one of the first real competitors to Netflix, but one who hasn’t been able to keep pace.
While Hulu has a sturdy subscriber base, it could finally be getting a much-needed boost thanks to 20th Century Studios. Also owned by Disney, 20th Century and its sister studio Searchlight Pictures will be releasing a chunk of their 2022 movies on Hulu (Hulu will likely have exclusive rights starting in 2023 after the current stream-sharing deal with WarnerMedia expires). That’s a healthy slate of exclusive movies coming to the service. Just recently it was announced that the Sundance hit “Fresh” will premiere on Hulu on March 4th. And this week we get “No Exit”, a taut suspenseful thriller that’s only available on Hulu.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Originally slated for a theatrical release, “No Exit” proves to be a good get for Hulu. It’s an adaptation of a 2017 novel by Taylor Adams with Damien Power directing from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. The movie is a crafty genre stew that’s part chamber piece, part old-fashioned whodunnit, and part crime thriller. There’s even a small dash of horror that adds to the second half tension.
Havana Rose Liu plays a young woman named Darby who we first meet during her seventh stint in drug rehab. Darby’s troubled and self-destructive history has led to her being shunned by her family. But when she gets a call that her mother has been rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurysm, Darby determines to go see her. So she bypasses the clinics strict protocols by busting out, stealing a nurses car, and heading off into the snowy night bound for Salt Lake City.
On the way, her GPS takes her off the main highway (don’t ever trust those things in movies) and up through the mountains. But as the weather worsens, she’s forced to stop at a visitor center where four travelers are waiting out the storm. There’s Ed (Dennis Haysbert), a former Marine who loves to gamble. There’s Sandi, (Dale Dickey), a former nurse and Ed’s wife. There’s the hunky and well-mannered Ash (Danny Ramirez). And lastly there’s the jittery and slightly neurotic Lars (David Rysdahl). Five people, each with something to hide in an isolated setting. Now all we need is a crime.
While in the parking lot trying to get a phone signal, Darby is startled by the muffled scream of a little girl (Mila Harris) who she finds tied-up with her mouth taped in the back of a van. With the roads closed and no way to call the police, Darby has to play it cool. Who kidnapped the little girl? Who does the van belong to? Someone in the visitor center is not who they say they are. But who?
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
In classic whodunnit fashion, the filmmakers set our eyes on the four suspects, giving us reasons to be suspicious of each of them. Then surprisingly, the film seems to tip its hand a mere 30 minutes in. But not really. Actually there are plenty more twists and turns awaiting us as the movie steams towards its violent and bloody final act. While some of the revelations are a little hard to swallow, the pacing is so propulsive that we never have time to sit and dissect it. And to be honest, I really didn’t care about a seamless resolution. I was having too much fun watching it all play out.
“No Exit” makes great use of its location, harsh setting, and small cast to deliver a crafty and surprisingly enthralling genre film. It may get a little carried away in its gnarly final 20 minutes or so, but it does such a good job keeping its audience locked into every crazy (and in some cases blood-soaked) new twist. And Liu, an actress I wasn’t familiar with before, really sinks her teeth into this character, both physically and emotionally. By the end of it all, I couldn’t help but be surprised and impressed. “No Exit” premieres Friday on Hulu.
Keith & the Movies 