First Glance: “Underwater”

August 20, 2019 by Keith Garlington

You can’t watch the new trailer for “Underwater” and not see the bevy of movie influences. Right out of the gate William Eubank’s new undersea thriller looks like what you’d get if you crossed “The Abyss” with “Aliens”. Movies like this have always attracted my attention but they can also run the risk of being too conventional and by-the-books.

The trailer for “Underwater” leaves a strong first impression. The plot seems pretty familiar – a team of researchers man a station seven miles below the ocean’s surface. Their experiments (gasp) unearth something horrifying from the deep and the movie’s tense and claustrophobic horror elements take over. Kristen Stewart leads an otherwise okay cast that I hope give us more than cookie-cutter characters. If they get that right this movie could be a real treat.

“Underwater” is currently set to release January 10, 2020 (gulp). Check out the trailer below and let me know if you will be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”

August 19, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Over a year ago I was at a very special event that featured a Q&A with none other than Richard Linklater. It was a great evening listening to a favorite filmmaker of mine talk about making movies. Close to the end of his session he hinted at his most recent project, a movie starring Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. That’s all he said, but it was enough to spark my interest.

It turns out the movie was “Where’d You Go, Bernadette”, an adaptation of the 2012 best-selling novel by Maria Semple. In it Blanchett plays disillusioned misanthrope Bernadette Fox. She pretty much hates everyone save her daughter Bee (newcomer Emma Nelson) and her husband Elgin (Billy Crudup). In fact her general negativity and social anxiety leads her one friend and mentor (Laurence Fishburn) to label her a “menace to society”.

Bernadette is a character perfectly tuned for Cate Blanchett. She’s smart, neurotic, and a ticking emotional time bomb. These are characteristics Blanchett can convey in her sleep. It’s a vibrant, even dominating performance that may be a little too big for some tastes. I found her to be captivating and an essential reason the movie works as a whole.

At first the trajectory of the story is a little confusing and there are early moments when it’s tough to figure out what kind of movie Linklater wants to make (he co-wrote the script with Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo Jr.). But I realized I had made the mistake of approaching the film as a straight comedy when it really isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly get dashes of humor scattered throughout. Some of it lands well, some of it not so much. But this was far more dramatic than I expected and once I had a grasp of that the movie began to speak a much more satisfying language.

Bernadette is an intriguing character from the start and a hard nut to crack (absolutely no pun intended). Her struggles stem from a wide range of personal issues. She was once a famous architect known for her aggressively modern vision and willingness to trust her creative instincts. But when she and Elgin moved to Seattle from LA, his career took off while her fire to create was all but extinguished.

But Bernadette’s descent into cynicism and melancholy isn’t one-dimensional. There are numerous influences and conflicts, both internal and external, that are revealed and play roles in her sometimes fragile state of mind. It all adds a welcomed complexity to the character and keeps Bernadette from becoming some by-the-books stereotype that we often see in movies exploring this same territory.

Bernadette’s many layers show most through her relationships. This includes her tepid marriage to Elgin, the devoted mother/daughter dynamic with Bee, the testy back-and-forths with her next door neighbor (Kristen Wiig), even her one-sided rants with her online secretary and virtual confidant. But when it all begins to overwhelm her, Bernadette sneaks off on a journey of rediscovery. I’m oversimplifying it for the sake of spoilers, but she vanishes leading Elgin and Bee to pop the question asked in the movie’s title.

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is a unique and quirky thing that won’t be for everyone. Then again Linklater movies never score big at the box office. And considering it goes up against a brand new animated film, a shameless publicity-hounding raunchy comedy, and a big-budget blockbuster holdover that trend should continue. But I liked a lot about “Bernadette” – Blanchett’s performance, Emma Nelson’s debut, the film’s big heart. I even liked its messiness. That may be a weird compliment, but this is a weird movie, and I guess I like that about it too.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

First Glance: “Parasite”

August 16, 2019 by Keith Garlington

At first glance (see what I did there) you might be tempted to dismiss the new Bong Joon-ho film as simply a film auteur flexing his weirdness muscle. The early parts of the recently released U.S. trailer for “Parasite” lends to that idea. But the near universal enthusiasm and the heaps of critical praise should indicate that the 2019 Palm d’Or winner at Cannes has much more up its multi-faceted sleeve.

The new trailer shows that Bong Joon-ho has tons more on his mind that being ‘weird’. In fact the trailer alone shows “Parasite” to be a genre-hopping socially conscience experience. And there are so many striking images that stand out from the small slice we’re given. Is it horror, a comedy, or a thriller? Can Bong Joon-ho keep it all corralled? Does his social commentary smother out the drama? Will it get a good-sized American release? I don’t know, but I’m so excited to find out.

“Parasite” is set to release in the U.S. on October 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Kill Bill: Vol. 2”

August 15, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Quentin Tarantino certainly gave in to the decision to make his Kill Bill films two separate movies. But there exists a fairly long-running debate among many faithful fans – is Kill Bill one single movie or two? In a recent interview with CinemaBlend, the acclaimed and playfully controversial filmmaker threw in his two cents – “I made it as one movie and I wrote it as one movie.” Fair enough, but it still feels like a film that justifies its two parts.

Rewatching the first movie I was reminded of why Kill Bill easily sits among my favorite Tarantino pictures. I’m at times at odds with his obsessions and excesses to the point of seeing some of his flourishes as exercises in unbridled self-indulgence. Sure, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” could also be considered quite excessive and self-indulgent. But for the most part it feels much more compact and focused. It’s fully committed to its influences and the excesses are very much a part of the genres he’s celebrating.

Volume 2 begins at Chapter Six with what may be the movie’s best sequence. It’s a flashback dripping in Sergio Leone influence that digs into the events which sparked the Bride’s quest for revenge. She and a handful of others have gathered for a wedding rehearsal in a little chapel outside of El Paso, Texas. Volume 1 tells us how things turn out and Tarantino uses that knowledge to add a very effective layer of tension. The opening 15 minutes mixes together some of the film’s sharpest dialogue and savviest camerawork.

In his signature nonlinear fashion, Tarantino bounces forward to the Bride (Uma Thurman) and her continued bloodlust for those who killed her unborn baby and left her for dead. Her top target is Bill (David Carradine), the head of the disbanded Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. But first she must hunt down and cut through each of his four former assassins. Two were handled in Volume 1. That leaves Bud (Michael Madsen) and Elle (Darryl Hannah).

Once again this is very much a direct continuation of the first film and you can sense that both were shot at the same time. Yet despite the clear cohesion, Volume 2 uniquely stands out as its own thing. It surprisingly digs deeper into its characters, something the first film mostly skimmed over but for good table-setting reasons. And you could say Volume 2 comes across as less spectacular and more driven by Tarantino’s signature savory dialogue.

It also stands apart in how much ground it explores. Volume1 saw Tarantino exquisitely and violently indulging his adoration for the grindhouse martial arts movies of his childhood. This time around his cinematic focus is considerably broader, pulling influence from a wider catalog and experimenting with a number of different techniques and style choices. And all through storytelling that moves to a much different rhythm than the first film.

Tarantino is also known for reintroducing forgotten actors/actresses who have (for one reason or another) fallen off the map. Just think about it, Pam Grier (“Jackie Brown”), Kurt Russell (“Death Proof” and “The Hateful Eight”), Don Johnson (“Django Unchained“), and of course John Travolta (“Pulp Fiction”). This time it’s Carradine and Hannah. Both are great with Tarantino making perfect use of Carradine’s gravelly mellow deliveries and Hannah’s sultry ferocity.

“Kill Bill: Vol. 1″ set some lofty expectations and Volume 2 meets them while taking a dramatically different approach to storytelling. But the marvel of it all is in how well both films gel together. It makes sense that Tarantino would consider them one movie despite each having their own uniqueness. It’s truly hard to imagine one without the other.

As with most of Tarantino’s films, Kill Bill is a celebration of cinema. It’s a wildly entertaining experience full of its own energy and style. But with Volume 2 he adds layers of humanity and pathos that make this more than a filmmaker indulging his inner cinephile. There’s actual heart among the grit and the violence. There’s also the dynamic Uma Thurman who fully commits to every line, every emotion, and every swing of her lethal Hattori Hanzō blade.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

First Glance: “Little Women” (2019)

August 14, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Shamefully I must admit to being pretty ignorant of “Little Women”. I’ve heard of it most of my life, but I’ve never read Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel nor have I watched any of the previous seven film adaptations. So what changed with this newest version? Several things, specifically Greta Gerwig, Saoirse Ronan, and Florence Pugh.

This is Gerwig’s followup to her Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird”. She once again serves as writer and director for this period drama that follows the March sisters in the 1860s. It’s said Gerwig’s version will focus on the sisters as young adults and the new trailer shows that there is plenty of good ground to cover. With an exciting director, a fabulous cast, and an enchanting story, this could be a really big end-of-the-year movie.

The eighth film adaption of “Little Women” hits theaters December 25th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or giving it a pass.

REVIEW: “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”

August 14, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” is in many ways the craziest concoction of the nine (or ten depending on how you look at it) he has made thus far. And I realize that’s truly saying something considering every one of his movies from “Reservoir Dogs” to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” embrace at least some degree of craziness.

Released in 2003, “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” could be defined as a spaghetti western meets chopsocky theater. But even that description seems too narrow considering how much Tarantino stuffs into this picture. We see the influences of blaxploitation and grindhouse cinema. We even get a lengthy flashback in full Japanese anime for goodness sake! And of course there are pop-culture references galore, one of the truest Tarantino signatures.

For the most part the plot is as straightforward as they come. It’s essentially a blood-soaked revenge tale that is set in motion from the very first frame. The opening sequence is shot in vivid black-and-white and mostly focuses on the bloody and battered face of a young bride. Outside of her pained pants, all we hear are the condescending tones of a mysterious man’s voice as he asks “Do you find me sadistic?” These are the first words spoken in the film and you can almost hear the notorious filmmaker posing that very question to his audience.

Uma Thurman plays the young woman who we simply know as the Bride. The voice of the unseen man belongs to Bill (David Carradine), the head of a hit squad known as the Deadly Vipers. The Bride was once part of Bill’s crew but now she finds herself the victim of their brutality. He and several of his remaining assassins kill the young woman and the unborn baby she is carrying.

Or so they think…

Fast-forward four years. The Bride is very much alive and on a personal mission to kill everyone on her hand-written hit-list. One-by-one she will check them off until finally getting to her main objective – Bill himself. But she will have her work cut out for her. The Deadly Vipers have since disbanded and tracking them down won’t be easy. And when she does find them, they certainly won’t go down without a fight.

Tarantino has always been a fan of nonlinear storytelling and he fully embraces it here. He hops back-and-forth on his timeline and for the most part it works. There is one particular sequence that seems rooted in an apparent desire to make the Bride’s experience even more agonizing. In a flashback we see her lying comatose in the hospital following the attempted murder. What follows is unnecessarily cruel, and if that’s the desired effect I guess it works.

Aside from that, Tarantino keeps his eyes on the road. Things get really wild in the final third, and I say that as the highest compliment. The kung fu influences take over and Tarantino lets it rip in a hyper-violent collage of carnage. Amid the sprays of blood and severed limbs is a fascinating array of visual flair, a head-bobbing blend of music, and one intensely effective Hattori Hanzo Samurai sword. It’s a hyper-homage in its truest form but with plenty of individuality from a filmmaker truly in love with what he is creating.

When looking at the acting you almost need an entirely new measuring stick. Each performance leans on intense yet graceful physicality as much as line delivery. Uma Thurman is the perfect choice to carry the workload. She’s strong, steely, and as expressive as she is committed. Also great is the lethal elegance of Lucy Liu’s O-Ren Ishii, tops on the Bride’s hit-list and second on Tarantino’s manic timeline. And Vivica Fox’s more volatile Vernita Green (aka Copperhead). Both offer really fun supporting turns.

“Kill Bill: Vol. 1” ends on a rousing note, setting the table for the inevitable Vol. 2 (hint: it takes the Bride more than one movie to get through her entire hit-list). It’s a fitting ending for a movie that revels in pulpy, old-school escapism. Tarantino runs wild, showing an unquenchable love for genre filmmaking and an almost callous disregard for the squeamish. The result is a sensationally bloody revenge yarn full of cinematic wizardry and driven by a filmmaker’s insatiable appetite for the movies he grew up with. To be honest, it’s amazing that this kind of crazy throwback even exists.