Back in 2011 writer-director Sean Durkin made a splash with his feature film debut “Martha Marcy May Marlene”. The small budget psychological drama not only introduced a fresh new filmmaker, but it was the eye-opening first film for Elizabeth Olsen. “Martha” wow’d most critics with its handling of mental trauma and cult life. Yet to this day I still grit my teeth at its abrupt unsatisfying ending – a frustrating exercise in ambiguity that’s simply too clever for its own good.

It’s been almost ten years since “Martha” and we finally get Durkin’s follow-up. “The Nest” is a slow-burning family drama that dangles genre teases in front of us like a carrot. Sometimes it hints at being a thriller, other times a horror film. In reality its thrills are muted and the horror is of a deeply human nature. The tension it builds is relational rather than supernatural; personal instead of maniacal. It’s channeled through the story’s centerpiece – a corroding relationship between a husband and wife. Durkin digs deep into the minutiae of married life, showing the slow steady decay of a once loving union and the unsettling effects it has on their entire family.

Photo Courtesy of IFC Films

Jude Law has always possessed a disarming charm and Durkin uses it to the fullest. He’s in top form here playing Rory O’Hara, a commodities broker in a state of disillusionment. Everything looks ideal. He has an attractive and seemingly happy family living well above the poverty line. The money’s great and they have a nice house. His wife Allison enjoys being close to her family and training horses while their two kids Ben (Charlie Shotwell) and stepdaughter Sam (Oona Roche) love where they are.

Then Rory drops the line “Things aren’t working for me here.” He’s had a taste of the American Dream and it wasn’t filling, so when a “business opportunity” opens up in London he decides to uproot his family from their comfortable suburban life and move overseas. Allison is rightfully frustrated. It’ll be their fourth move in ten years. Yet she goes along with it, doing what a good wife is expected to do in the mid-1980s. Her mother even tells her “It’s not your job to worry. You leave that to your husband.”

I should mention the movie doesn’t explicitly tell us when it’s set. But it’s clear by mentions of President Reagan on newscasts, Heart and The Thompson Twins playing on the radio, and by someone using an actual rotary phone (you older readers remember those, right?). Durkin gives us a good example of how to use a time period without exploiting it or overusing nostalgic callbacks.

The first thing Rory does in England is rent out a massive country estate in Surrey. Can they afford it? He certainly lives like it, but Allison knows better. She has long played the role of the dutiful wife, supporting her husband while setting aside her own ambitions. But under the surface she’s an intelligent, strong-willed woman who’s starting to see through her husband’s facade. She knows something is out of whack. When she begins noticing inconsistencies with his stories and behavior she questions him. His responses are telling. “I deserve this!” he screams, like a petulant entitled child.

Photo Courtesy of IFC Films

Coons is fantastic and we see much of the film through her eyes. But we also get some interesting changes in perspective. At first it seems like the story is being told from Rory’s point-of-view, but it quickly shifts to Allison who carries us through most of the movie. But then when you least expect it the film makes yet another transition in the final act. But it’s still Coons who anchors our sympathies and gives us the most clear-eyed insight.

While “The Nest” may throw off those expecting a more traditional psychological thriller, I was hooked thanks its two penetrating lead performances and Sean Durkin’s meticulous handling of their characters. Unfortunately like “Martha”, Durkin’s latest doesn’t end on the strongest note, leaving us to do more speculating than deep thinking. The story slowly and methodically builds the tension before coming to a screeching stop. Of course there is artistic intent behind the abrupt finish, but as a viewer it left me feeling a little unsatisfied. “The Nest” opens September 18th in select theaters and November 17th on VOD.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman head the upcoming family drama “The Father” from director and co-writer Florian Zeller. It had its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival and the initial reviews have been strong. One quote that stood out to me came from The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy who called it “The best film about the wages of aging since AMOUR eight years ago.” As someone who adores that Haneke film, that is high praise.

Hopkins plays an elderly man struggling with early-stage dementia. He moves in with his daughter (played by Coleman) and son-in-law (Rufus Sewell) who attempt to care for him while coping with the sad reality of his condition. Imogen Poots also appears playing a young caregiver. While this subject matter has been dealt with before and will certainly hit too close to home for some, the first trailer shows astonishing humanity. And with Hopkins and Coleman leading the way you have to be optimistic.

“The Father” premieres December 18th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

A Charles Dickens timeless classic gets a shiny modern update with Armando Iannucci’s “The Personal History of David Copperfield”. The 1850 novel is no stranger to the big and small screen, having been adapted at least thirteen times prior to this latest vision. Iannucci directs, co-writes, and produces a spirited update that unquestionably reveres Dickens’ Victorian-era tale. But his film feels like its only scratching the surface of the story and his chatty high-energy approach can be exhausting.

In Iannucci’s defense David Copperfield isn’t an easy book to adapt especially in a mere two hours of running time. So the Scottish filmmaker is content with just hitting the high points, focusing more on building a diverse cast and imbuing nearly every scene with positivity and a feel-good spirit. Obviously those are good things in their own right, but Iannucci’s script (co-written by Simon Blackwell) needs more. In its effort to be chipper it rarely conveys the pain behind the struggles we see. And that’s an issue since struggle is such a big part of the story.

Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

One thing the film gets right from the very start is the casting of Dev Patel. As David Copperfield he brings admirable sincerity, a wide-eyed enthusiasm, and one great head of hair. Beginning with the same first-person perspective as the book, David begins telling his life story, the joys and the trials, while highlighting the key players who he meets along the way. And they are an eccentric lot, chewing up tons of screen time and often pushing Patel (unfortunately) into the background.

Our first stop on his journey to become a gentleman and a writer is during his childhood (younger David is played by Jairaj Varsani). He lives with his widowed mother Clara (Morfydd Clark) but he’s closest to their maid, the warm and caring Mrs. Peggotty (Daisy May Cooper). When Clara remarries we’re introduced to two of the film’s early villains, the abusive and domineering Mr. Murdstone (Darren Boyd) along with his sister and enabler Jane (Gwendoline Christie). The sibling devils take over the household and ship off the non-compliant David to work in their bottle warehouse in London. While there David stays with the quirky but ever optimistic Mr. Micawber (Peter Capaldi) who is in debt with every creditor in town yet always remains positive.

Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Having grown up in child labor and poverty, an older David (now played by Patel) runs away seeking the help of his kooky but well-to-do aunt Betsey Trotwood (Tilda Swinton). Her maternal instincts kick in high gear once a tired and famished David shows up at her spacious donkey-free cottage. David immediately hits it off with Betsey’s lodger, the even kookier Mr. Dick (Hugh Laurie) whose obsession with the beheaded King Charles I keeps him rattled and unable to finish his writing.

Even more people are introduced including Benedict Wong as a boozy Mr. Wickfield, Rosalind Eleazar as his daughter Agnes, Ben Whishaw as the wormy, vulturous Uriah Heep, Aneurin Barnard as the hard-to-read Steerforth, and Morfydd Clark popping up again playing David’s love interest Dora. So as you can see, it’s a character-rich story, so much so that their stories sometimes overpower David’s.

Back to Patel, few actors embody kindness and likability the way he does. He’s also a good David Copperfield for a movie wanting to infuse a modern vibe into a classic story. From the start you believe he’s a young man anxious to take on a cold, cynical world with a smile on his face, embracing its wonder and merrily working through its hardships. It culminates in an inspired journey of self-discovery and Patel gives us someone we’re eager to root for.

Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

On paper that sounds great and I appreciate a movie with such strong feel-good aspirations, especially in 2020. But its unbridled buoyancy strips the story of much needed tension. I mean we are talking about subjects like child labor, child abuse, and crippling poverty. But the movie breezes by these issues, certainly acknowledging them, but with barely a whim of commentary. I’m not saying every movie has to make deep thoughtful examinations of their subject matter. But gleefully glossing over it leaves the film feeling frustratingly lightweight.

In fairness to Iannucci’s film, maybe that’s the point. Maybe this is meant to be a breezy, glass-half-full romp. A big-hearted period comedy overflowing with rip-roaring non-stop banter much of which David (like us) can only sit back and observe. Personally I prefer the quieter moments and tender touches. Such as David documenting human behavior on scraps of paper and keeping them in a cigar box like his most valued treasures. Or older David watching his own birth in awe-struck wonder. These are the kinds of scenes that stood out the most. If only we got more of them. “The Personal History of David Copperfield” is now showing in theaters.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS



One of the most anticipated movies of the Fall got its first trailer over the weekend. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” was originally slated to be released in theaters by Paramount but was sold to Netflix following the COVID-19 theater closings. The star-studded Aaron Sorkin legal drama features names like Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Michael Keaton, Mark Rylance, Jeremy Strong, William Hurt, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. among others. Talk about an attention-getting cast.

The film follows the Chicago 7, a group of anti-Vietnam War and countercultural protesters who were arrested and charged with inciting riots (among other things) at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The group’s diverse makeup of political activists, flower children, anarchists, and revolutionary socialists made them easy targets. Sorkin’s film doesn’t seem afraid to get its hands dirty which is the only way to really dig into this story. Hopefully this is a fact-based retelling. If so it could be something special.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” premieres October 16th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Tell me how this sounds: Robert De Niro as a cash-strapped film producer, Morgan Freeman as a mobster, and Tommy Lee Jones as a washed-up Western star. That’s all I needed to be onboard with “The Comeback Trail”, the new crime comedy from George Gallo. 

Set in 1974, De Niro’s character finds himself in deep debt with a local mobster played by Freeman. After an accidental death on the set of another movie earns its producer $5 million in insurance money, De Niro devises a scam. Hire fading Western star Duke Montana (Jones), insure him for a ton of money, and then set up his “accidental” death while shooting the film. The first trailer shows Gallo and his cast having loads of fun with the concept. Hopefully we in the audience will too.

“The Comeback Trail” is set to release November 13th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.