REVIEW: “Let Him Go” (2020)

November 10, 2020 by Keith Garlington

I have to admit the new film “Let Him Go” had me onboard just with its cast. Kevin Costner as a retired sheriff, Diane Lane as his tough resolute wife, and Lesley Manville as a wicked backwoods matriarch. You have three screen veterans whom I love starring in a gritty family drama set across Montana and North Dakota. Talk about a movie that’s right up my alley. So considering all of those glowing personal affections, my expectations were probably a little higher than most.

Don’t you love it when a highly anticipated movie doesn’t let you down? That’s certainly the case with “Let Him Go”. This character-driven neo-Western drama comes from Thomas Bezucha, a Massachusetts native who you would swear was born and raised in Big Sky country. From the very start his film makes such great use of its setting, whether it’s the stunning snow-capped mountain backdrops or the sprawling desolate landscapes that are both ominous and beautiful. Bezucha wastes no time planting our feet on the rich rocky ground.

Photo Courtesy of Focus Features

What surprised me most about “Let Him Go” was the script. This could have easily turned out to be a much more conventional thriller. But Bezucha (who both writes and directs) burrows into his two lead characters making them the focal point. I haven’t read the 2013 novel by Larry Watson, but Bezucha’s adaptation centers itself on the themes of grief, regret and loss, examining them with heartfelt and earnest emotion. The film does have a few genre flourishes, but they come well after we’ve connected with these characters which give the scenes more weight than they would have otherwise.

Set in the early 1960’s, George and Margaret Blackledge (Costner and Lane) are still struggling to cope with the death of their son. Margaret, once an accomplished horse trainer, lost her enthusiasm and has quit riding altogether. George has buried his pain, content with locking it away rather than dealing with it. Both go about their days work on their small Montana ranch doing an admirable job concealing their heartbreak. But it gets tougher when their son’s widow Lorna (Kayli Carter) remarries, this time to a miscreant named Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain).

Neither George or Margaret like Donnie and are especially worried about their grandson Jimmy (played by twins Bram and Otto Hornung). Their suspicions are confirmed after Margaret witnesses Donnie slap both Lorna and Jimmy. The next day she goes to check on them only to discover that they have packed up and left town. No notice, no goodbyes. Determined that her grandson won’t grow up in an abusive home, Margaret convinces George to help her track them down and bring Jimmy home. But Donnie’s a Weboy, a notorious family name known all across North Dakota. The Blackledge’s track Jimmy to the remote Weboy farm house which is ran by the family matriarch Blanche Weboy (a wickedly fun Manville). And let’s just say she’s not too keen on letting Jimmy go.

Photo Courtesy of Focus Features

As you can tell there is a lot of room in the story for tension. And we do get some really good white-knuckled scenes when the Blackledges and the Weboys get together. But at the same time there is a quiet solemnity that runs through much of the film. Bezucha leans heavily on Lane and Costner and their ability to convey deep emotions often with little dialogue. Both performances are superb and give us layered characters rich with honest feelings and unshakable authenticity. It helps that Lane and Costner have a strikingly natural chemistry. Of course this isn’t the first time they played husband and wife on screen. They were also Superman’s earth parents Ma and Pa Kent.

The film’s shakiest scenes come when the Blackledges befriend a thinly sketched Native American named Peter (Booboo Stewart). We see shades of an interesting character but he needed more attention. Otherwise “Let Him Go” hits all the right chords from its wonderfully low-key early rhythm to its effectively pulpy final third. It helps to have seasoned talents giving perfectly calibrated performances. And the story’s unexpected layers of humanity make us genuinely care while ultimately bringing out the deeper meaning to the film’s title. “Let Him Go” is now showing in theaters”.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Fatman” (2020)

November 9, 2020 by Keith Garlington

‘Tis the season for Christmas movies galore and I guarantee you won’t find one quite like “Fatman”. Think about it, Mel Gibson playing a down-on-his-luck, liquor-swilling Santa who has to resort to taking military contracts in the off-season just to keep his workshop open. Obviously that’s just a sliver of the movie’s plot, but you have to admit there hasn’t been a Christmas movie in the same wacky vein as this one.

“Fatman” comes from the writing-directing duo of Eshom and Ian Nelms. The two brothers have crafted a movie that’s part dark comedy, part action flick and with an ever so slight Western vibe tossed in for good measure. It even finds time to fire a couple of shots at out-of-control consumerism and commercialism. But social commentary isn’t the main thing on its mind. “Fatman” is more of a fun and playful genre-mashup with some enjoyable performances and a goofy enough story to be both funny and entertaining.

Photo Courtesy of Saban Films

A well-cast Gibson has a ball playing a grizzled Chris Cringle. Times are hard for the not-so-jolly old elf who feels tossed aside by the cold and selfish world. “I’ve lost my influence,” he laments to his devoted wife Ruth (Marianne Jean-Baptiste). She’s an encourager by nature but also level-headed and not afraid to speak the truth when he needs to hear it. I couldn’t help but love the simple yet sweet chemistry between Gibson and Jean-Baptiste. They make for a convincing couple.

On the business side of things, kids are naughtier than ever which means fewer toy deliveries. This displeases the US Government who sees Chris as an economic asset. “We want your holiday spirit. It generates holiday spending.” With their yearly subsidy set to be well below his current budget, Chris agrees to take on a military contract to make ends meet. The sheer absurdity of it had me laughing out loud – subsidies, bottom lines, the elves in Santa’s workshop manufacturing jet fighter parts for the military. It’s funny stuff made even funnier by the film’s straight-faced approach.

But soon Santa has more to worry about than finances. After a rich and insufferable little snot named Billy (Chance Hurstfield) gets a lump of coal for Christmas, he secretly uses his family’s wealth to hire a hitman (Walter Goggins) to kill Santa Claus. Goggins hams it up playing a cold-blooded sociopath with his own bone to pick with Chris over a Christmas present he never received as a kid. Perfectly reasonable reaction, right? But hunting down the Fatman won’t be easy. It’s not like Santa’s workshop is marked on a map or can be found on a GPS.

Photo Courtesy of Saban Films

So Chris tries to find his lost Christmas spirit while keeping his elves employed and his business afloat. Meanwhile there’s a contract on his head and an eager assassin is ready to cash in. It leads to the inevitable bullet-riddled final act that is far more satisfying than it has any right to be. The Nelms brothers show off a knack for shooting action but don’t expect a lot of it. Most is contained in the final 15 minutes or so.

About a month ago “Fatman” introduced itself with an unexpectedly diverting trailer. The finished product is equally surprising and just as fun as I had hoped. There is a stretch where not much happens; where the movie is content with simply goofing around within its wacky premise. But I admit, I even got a kick out of that. More importantly the whole thing works as waggish escapist entertainment which is exactly what the filmmakers were shooting for. “Fatman” opens November 13th in select theaters and November 24th on VOD.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Books of Blood” (2020)

November 6, 2020 by Keith Garlington

In 1984 and 1985 author Clive Barker published his “Books of Blood”, a six-volume collection of thirty horror short stories. A total of eighteen of the tales were retold in the comic book series “Tapping the Vein” and several have been adapted into movies and a handful of television episodes. The latest came just in time for Halloween. Aptly titled “Books of Blood”, this Hulu Original anthology film attempts to capture the terrifying vision of its inspiration but only scratches the surface of Barker’s classic work.

The film is helmed by director and co-writer Brannon Braga, known most for his work in science fiction including the “Star Trek” franchise. Here he takes on a project originally planned as a television series but then whittled down into the first film of a possible movie franchise. You can tell. The three unique yet interconnected narratives only vaguely tie into Barker’s original stories. And despite flickers of macabre and gory goodness, the movie can never quite shake its underwhelming made-for-TV vibe.

Photo Courtesy of Hulu

The film’s thinly linked stories center around three people, each with their name carved in the flesh-covered Book of Blood. We meet a troubled young woman named Jenna (Britt Robertson) who recently dropped out of college following a horrible undisclosed trauma. Off her meds and at odds with her parents, Jenna sneaks away from home and hops a bus for the West Coast. After a tall creepy fellow forces her off the bus she ends up in a cozy bed and breakfast ran by a strangely zen older couple. Other than a slight roach problem it seems like a great place to settle down. But c’mon, the movie is called “Books of Blood”. Things can’t be as ideal as they seem.

Then we move to an author and professor named Mary (Anna Friel) who lost her six-year-old son named Miles to leukemia. Embittered by her loss, she now works to disprove any belief in an afterlife. But then she’s approached by a medium named Simon (Rafi Gavron) who claims to have a message from her dead son. One eerie bare-butted séance latter and Mary’s skepticism begins to crack. But one thing horror movies have shown us, when you play with the dead you never know what you may find.

Both of these stories are book-ended by the weakest of the three joints. A hitman named Bennett (Yul Vazquez) knocks off a bookshop owner but not before learning the location of a mysterious and priceless Book of Blood. Seeing this as his potential last big score, Bennett and his partner go to the location told to them by the owner of the bookshop but find something far more sinister.

Photo Courtesy of Hulu

Bennett is easily the most thinly sketched of the characters and his main purpose is to stitch all three stories together. To be honest, I did get a kick out of the final 15 minutes or so where Braga and his co-writer Adam Simon bring everything together in a fairly cohesive and utterly bonkers way. But getting to that point isn’t nearly as fun as the payoff.

While there’s nothing particularly terrible about “Books of Blood”, there’s nothing especially memorable as well. That’s because none of the characters get the treatment they need to stand out. The performances are fine especially from Robertson and Friel. But their characters are trapped inside narratives better suited for episodic television. If you’re able to watch the film from that point-of-view you can squeeze some fun out of “Books of Blood”. If not you may want to look elsewhere for your post-Halloween frights. “Books of Blood” is now streaming on Hulu.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

5 Phenomenal Movie Presidents

November 5, 2020 by Keith Garlington

It seems that the end of this exasperating election season is mercifully in sight. And as partisans delude themselves with grandeur, the rest of us brace for impact. In the meantime I thought it would be fun to slip away from the curdled political landscape and look at some of my favorite movie presidents. It goes without saying that the movies have used the office of the presidency in a myriad of fun ways and here are some of my favorites. In light of that I wouldn’t consider this the definitive list. But there’s no denying that these five movie presidents are most certainly phenomenal.

#5 – President Benjamin Asher

Ok don’t laugh, but this one is admittedly a guilty pleasure. Aaron Eckhart’s President Benjamin Asher was a key part of the corny but fun shoot-em-up “Olympus Has Fallen” and the best part of its forgettable sequel “London Has Fallen”. Eckhart ends up being a great fit, bringing what the role needs most – physicality and believability. And that’s saying something in movies where believability is more-or-less tossed out the window.

#4 – President Thomas J. Whitmore

I mean President Whitmore from “Independence Day” has to be on the list right? I mean a leader who can give that kind of speech during a global alien invasion is pretty much a lock. Bill Pullman’s Whitmore not only says the right things but he puts his money where his mouth his, entering the fight against the invading alien forces and saving the earth as we know it. If that doesn’t earn his a second term nothing can.

#3 – President James Marshall

This pick could have easily been #1 on my list. Harrison Ford became everyone’s president when “Air Force One” came out back in 1997. Ford is terrific as President Marshall – tough, determined, and not too fond of hijackers taking over his plane. Don’t believe me? Just ask Gary Oldman. There’s a vulnerability to Marshall but also a firm resolve to save his staff members at 35,000 feet. Who wouldn’t cast their ballot for a guy like that?

#2 – President Merkin Muffley

I make no apologies for having President Merkin Muffley from “Dr. Strangelove” this high on my list. In fact he could’ve easily taken the top spot just for his hysterical phone call with Dimitri, his Russian counterpart. President Muffley is one of three parts Peter Sellers plays in this Stanley Kubrick classic and it’s easily my favorite. His sly mix of humor and sincerity really anchors this 1964 Cold War black comedy and watching his War Room jostling never gets old.

#1 – President Abraham Lincoln

For a while I was tempted to limit my list to only fictional movie presidents. But during the entire time I was putting this thing together, I couldn’t quit thinking about what may be the preeminent portrayal of a president ever put on screen. Daniel Day-Lewis’ Oscar-winning performance in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” is a master class on bringing detail and utter commitment to a role. It’s stunning work from one of our greatest living actors.

And there is my list. What do you think? What would have made your list? Please let me hear from you in the comments section below.

REVIEW: “Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight” (2020)

November 4, 2020 by Keith Garlington

A group of teenaged internet addicts go to a rehabilitation camp only to find something terrifying lurking in the forest. That’s the unashamedly simple premise of the trope-soaked Polish horror flick “Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight”. To its credit, this goofy and often gruesome horror flick is very open and honest about what it wants to be and it barely diverts an inch off of its path. In the process director Bartosz M. Kowalski shows off a keen cinematic eye, but don’t expect anything new in terms storytelling.

It’s opening scene will have you swearing you’re watching a spoof. A new group tech junkies arrive at the camp HQ where they are immediately relieved of all smartphones and laptops. During orientation a mutton-chopped counselor barks orders and lays out the plan for their next few days. Kids draw numbers and are broken up into groups of five. The campers we follow fit the horror movie model: the geek Julek (Michal Lupa), the sexpot Aniela (Wiktoria Gasiewska), the athlete Daniel (Sebastian Dela), the jerk Bartek (Stanislaw Cywka), and the troubled good girl Zosia (Julia Wieniawa). It’s all such familiar genre fare.

Photo Courtesy of Netflix

The five meet their their group leader Iza (Gabriela Muskala) and set off into the woods to begin their “offline survival”. The entire hike sequence is basically a chance for the filmmakers to reinforce their character types. In other words the jerk acts like a jerk, the camera zooms in on the sexpot’s backside, the geek says really geeky things, and so on. They finally arrive at their spot and set up camp. But remember that ‘something lurking in the woods‘ I mentioned? It comes in the form of a grotesque boil-covered backwoods brute who has an insatiable appetite for all kinds of meat.

As you can guess it becomes a movie of survival as the group are trapped in the woods with no means of calling for help. In one scene the geek worriedly explains the Six Deadly Sins of Horror Movies (ala “Scream”). And of course the group breaks every single one of them, making a host of dumb choices and illogical moves leading to some bloody (and more importantly fatal) results. Slasher fans will have fun with gloriously gory kills, some of which are borrowed from other films, others that are brutally original. If you’re squeamish be warned. The second half is pretty much soaked in blood and body parts.

Photo Courtesy of Netflix

There are some brief moments where the writers try to add a little nuance to a couple of the characters. But these scenes end up being hammy and completely unconvincing. So with the exception of Zosia (who is paper-thin in her own right) we end up with a cookie-cutter variety of disposable players. Therefore the movie really becomes all genre and no emotional connection whatsoever. But again, Kowalski really knows how to shoot a scene and his crafty use of camera and setting always gives you something cool to look at.

The movie’s biggest stumble is in the writing. From a story point-of-view it brings nothing new to the table, borrowing from countless genre films that came before it. That wouldn’t be a big deal if it really was a spoof. But the filmmakers quickly extinguish that idea and ratchet down on the more serious horror elements. Perhaps a more optimistic view is that the film is a celebration of horror’s gory slasher sub-genre. Maybe it is attempting to say something about the importance of tech but also the dangers of dependence. I don’t know, I think it’s more dim teenagers getting hacked to bits. But that can be fun too, right? “Nobody Sleeps In The Woods Tonight” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT- 2.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Kindred” (2020)

November 3, 2020 by Keith Garlington

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a rollercoaster year for the movie industry. But hats off to distributors like IFC Films who throughout the year has steadily released an incredibly diverse selection of high quality movies across streaming platforms. Family dramas, psychological thrillers, war–time period films, unconventional biopics, a hysterical road trip comedy, and that just scratches the surface. IFC has made a tough year a little bit better for movie fans.

Their latest film is yet another solidly entertaining entry into their catalog. “Kindred” is a mature, slow-boiling drama with a baked-in tinge of psychological thriller. It comes from first-time feature film director Joe Marcantonio who uses a very unobtrusive touch to tell a story rich with meaty subtext. The script (co-written by Marcantonio and Jason McColgan) takes its time unfolding, putting the bulk of its focus on the characters and their tense relationships. It’s sure to play too slow for some, but I found myself caught in the film’s devilish web.

Photo Courtesy of IFC Films

Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance) and her boyfriend Ben (Edward Holcroft) have made the decision to finally move from the UK to Australia. What should be an exciting time is dampened when the couple go to inform Ben’s mother Margaret (Fiona Shaw). The bitter matriarch lives in a deteriorating family estate which Ben, the lone blood heir, is in line to inherit. The problem is he doesn’t want it which is something his mother can’t accept. “Nine generations!” she screams as temperatures reach their boiling point.

Then things are complicated even more when Charlotte finds out she’s pregnant. With a baby due Margaret expects them to stay, but after hearing they still plan on moving she loses it. “You’re not stealing my own flesh and blood to the other side of the planet.” Meanwhile Ben’s measly and frustratingly cordial stepbrother Thomas (Jack Lowden) slickly tries to play peacemaker. But when Ben is killed in a tragic stable accident the film takes a sneakily sinister turn.

Photo Courtesy of IFC Films

After an altercation with Margaret at the hospital, Charlotte blacks out and later wakes up at the family estate. Margaret and Thomas pledge to take care of her until she’s well, but it doesn’t take long for Charlotte to start questioning their motives. As Charlotte pushes back, Margaret tightens her grip because in her words it’s “what’s best for the baby“. This ends up being the film’s central conflict. The gaslighting story angle is certainly nothing new, but Marcantonio infuses a familiar idea with grounded character-centric twists. And the performances from Lawrance and Shaw create and develop a palpable tension between their characters.

There are plenty of other ingredients that help enrich the movie. There are the brief appearances of crows scattered throughout the film hinting at something psychological or possibly supernatural. There’s the crumbling manor itself, a fitting metaphor for what’s left of the family who lives there. There’s Carlos Catalán’s evocative cinematography and one of the best mood-setting scores of the year from Jack Halama and Natalie Holt. It all culminates in a chilling final act that is remarkably restrained (like the bulk of the film) and perfectly fitting.