REVIEW: “Crawl” (2019)

July 24, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Let’s be honest, it’s hard to enter the new movie “Crawl” without some level of snark and skepticism. I mean we are talking about people being terrorized by man-eating alligators during a Category 5 hurricane. On concept alone it would be easy to dismiss as a throwaway B-movie maybe worth renting after you’ve seen everything else in your local Redbox.

But oh how I love it when a movie surprises me. “Crawl” has no ambitions of being anything other than what it is. It just does what it does incredibly well. It’s a tightly-wound, no-nonsense thriller; a throwback creature-feature that utilizes every second of its lean 88-minute runtime.

The first hint that this could actually be pretty good was seeing Sam Raimi’s name attached. He produces alongside the film’s writer/director Alexandre Aja. Their story is light but their characters are given a surprising amount of depth considering how much time they spend in peril. Family dynamics are laid out and we get enough personal stakes to make us genuinely care about them.

Kaya Scodelario drives the movie with an intensely committed lead performance. She plays Haley, a swimmer for the University of Florida who gets a call from her concerned sister who hasn’t been able to reach their father (played by Barry Pepper). He isn’t answering his phone and with a massive hurricane bearing down his window to evacuate is shrinking.

Haley agrees to check on her dad before she leaves town. She discovers him injured in a crawlspace underneath their old family lake house. It doesn’t take long for her to find out what caused his injury – a massive alligator under the house lurking in the shadows. Trapped there with her father, a growing number of gators, and rising flood waters from the hurricane sets the table for a tension-soaked (and sometimes bloody) survival-horror thrill ride.

One of the first things to impress me was Aja’s camera particularly when shooting in tight spaces. For a movie like this it’s imperative that the audience feel they are in those spaces with the characters. The danger needs to feel palpable. Aja’s camera pulls us in with great effect whether he’s shooting in claustrophobic spaces below the house or giving us tense underwater shots. Combine that with fantastic work from production designer Alan Gilmore who offers up some visually impressive and thoroughly convincing storm effects.

“Crawl” works well because it embraces its simplicity and sticks to its premise. There’s no needless filler or pointless melodrama. Instead we get exciting thrills, economic storytelling, and just enough character development to make us care. And with such good visual technique and devoted central performances, you can’t help but be immersed regardless of how silly the whole thing sounds.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

First Glance: “Light of My Life”

July 24, 2019 by Keith Garlington

I’m a sucker for movies that focus on the relationship between a father and his child. These films speak to me for fairly obvious reasons and I’m always moved by that dynamic when a film captures it really well. That’s the main reason I’m really excited for “Light of My Life”.

Casey Affleck writes and directs himself and relative newcomer Anna Pniowsky in this gritty, post-apocalyptic drama. The film’s father/daughter pair lives in a world where a plague was wiped out the entire female population save one little girl (and I bet you can guess who). To protect his daughter, the dad disguises her as a boy and attempts to navigate her through the ugliness of the new world.

“Light of My Life” has me really excited. It releases August 9th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “The Art of Self-Defense”

July 23, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Few things in our current social conversation are as en vogue as the term toxic masculinity. It’s everywhere with its broad meaning and even broader application. It’s something the new film “The Art of Self-Defense” seems obsessed with and you’ll have a hard time finding a review where it isn’t mentioned (I’m already guilty myself).

The trailers for writer-director Riley Stearns’ sophomore feature left me excited and completely onboard with its quirky, off-beat dark humor. We get glimpses of that but overall it’s hardly the absurdly funny comedy the trailer frames it as. It starts that way, but slowly (and I do mean slowly) spirals into some kind of weird Fight Club/Karate Kid hybrid.

Riley penned his script well before toxic masculinity dread became such a popular thing. Still it seems he is tapping into some of those anxieties which certain audiences are sure to be drawn to. But how serious can you take such intentionally over-the-top characterizations? And can you fully embrace it as effective satire when it’s all over the map narratively, tonally, you name it?

Whatever Stearns’ intent, one thing he does nail is the casting of Jesse Eisenberg. He’s the right guy to play Casey Davies, an ever-squeamish milquetoast trying to navigate through the rough and tough world of hyper-masculinity. He’s bullied by the real men at work, pushed around in the grocery store parking lot, and worst of all severely beaten by a group of motorcycle riding thugs.

While walking home Casey passes by a karate dojo and is drawn to the manly grunts coming from inside. The dojo is ran by the film’s central avatar for toxic masculinity who demands that everyone call him Sensei (he’s played by Alessandro Nivola). Casey explains “I want to be what intimidates me” so he signs up for classes. He’s quickly seduced by Sensei’s machismo and his wacky brand of manhood.

Eisenberg and Nivola fit great with the movie’s deadpan deliveries and bone-dry emotional center. Eisenberg can do these types of roles in his sleep yet he still always brings personality and humanity to his characters. Imogen Poots doesn’t fare as well. She’s given the thankless job of being the film’s lone female punching bag. Basically her role is to make sure we know how bad masculinity can be (in case we missed the message as it constantly blared through the film’s bullhorn).

The comparisons to Fincher’s “Fight Club” comes into full focus during the film’s second half. It’s here that Stearns ditches most of the humor for a darker and more twisted angle. Mr. Miyagi becomes Tyler Durden and for the rest of the way we’re trapped in this not-so-interesting world of embracing violence and reckoning with the consequences. I had me yearning for the first half to come back.

It’s tempting to call “The Art of Self-Defense” an obvious and on-the-nose satirical treatise of its subject. But what exactly is it spoofing? Is it taking shots at hyper-masculinity and the men who prescribe to it? Is it poking fun at how the toxic masculinity consortium views manliness? I guess it depends on how you look at it. Personally, I just wish it wasn’t so wildly uneven and was more committed to its comedy. I guess I’m still wanting the movie from the trailer.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

First Glance: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

July 22, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Last year gave us the fantastic documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” It was a warm and beautiful examination of Fred Rogers (who many of us affectionately know as Mr. Rogers). The film was criminally overlooked at the Academy Awards yet for many its message was needed and timely.

This year brings the much-anticipated biopic of this beloved figure who is forever etched in so many childhood memories. “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” stars the one person who could pull off playing the titular main character – Tom Hanks. It looks to be told from the perspective of a cynical reporter who is reluctantly assigned to write on Rogers for Esquire magazine. The first trailer dropped today and it looks fabulous.

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” hits theaters in the heart of awards season, November 22nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Marvel Announces Phase 4 of the MCU

July 22, 2019 by Keith Garlington

Perhaps the most anticipated batch of announcements from the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con came out of Hall H. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige laid out the blueprint and timeline for Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As you can expect, it left us with plenty of things to talk about.

First some general thoughts. It shows how confident they must be to lay out very specific plans so far in advance. They’ve done it before but never quite to this degree. But money speaks volumes and the MCU movies have made a ton of cash. So it makes sense that they would be full steam ahead.

It also shows just how much of the box office landscape Disney will own in the coming future. I’m not an alarmist but think about how many moviegoer dollars will be going into their pockets via the MCU, Star Wars, Pixar, Avatar, live-action remakes, etc. It will be interesting to see how and if this effects the earnings and number of screens available for other films outside of the Disney umbrella.

But back to the MCU, Feige had some major announcements, many of which were for the big screen but just as many for Disney’s upcoming streaming service due to launch on November 12th. It sounds like the movies and the numerous streaming series will all play key roles in the MCU giving us even more content to consume. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen.

Now onto what they actually announced:

On the movie front “Black Widow” was finally confirmed after tons of rumors. It’s set to release on May 1, 2020 and takes place between “Captain America: Civil War” and “Infinity War”. A truly stellar cast was introduced. In addition to Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, and Rachel Weisz are onboard. It’s a great kickoff to Phase 4.
Next up is a more iffy choice. “Eternals” hits theaters November 6, 2020 and follows these lesser known band of super-powered protectors. How far they will stick with Jack Kirby’s original and relatively obscure creation remains to be seen. Could be good or it could be Marvel finally betting too high on itself.
First up on their streaming platform will be “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”. I’m really excited for this one. As a huge Captain America fan obviously I have an affection for his two best friends. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan are back and Daniel Brühl will be reprising his role as Baron Zemo. Sold!
2021 will be a busy year for the MCU starting February 12th with the big screen release of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. Talk about an announcement out of left field. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the Master of Kung-Fu. But this certainly seems like an out-of-blue choice. Still I’m intrigued especially when it was revealed that the Mandarin would be the villain. Maybe the MCU will get him right this time.
WandaVision hits Disney+ next and it sounds really interesting. Feige kept saying it would be “weird” which I’m guessing was intentional. We also learned that Paul Bettany reprises his role as Vision and the series takes place after “Endgame”. So Vision lives? Oh, and the series will directly connect to their next announcement.
In theaters May 7th, 2021 is “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”. The title alone lets you know that this thing could be pretty gonzo. What was most interesting was hearing director Scott Derrickson call it “the first scary MCU movie”. We also learned that Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlett Witch will have a big part. I think it will also open the door for another announcement we will get to in a moment.
Three Disney+ series will drop in Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2021. Tom Hiddleston is back as the glorious god of mischief in the simply-titled “Loki”. “What If…?” will be an animated series with a massively impressive voice cast. And “Hawkeye” sees Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) shepherding his successor. Hmmm.
November 5, 2021 brings the biggest question mark yet. “Thor: Love and Thunder” brings back writer-director Taika Waititi who apparently plans on covering a ton of new ground, none of which especially sells me on his movie. Chris Hemsworth is so good as Thor and seeing him leave that role behind is a bummer. Tessa Thompson has yet to show the charisma to make her version of Valkyrie remotely interesting. And Natalie Portman as the new Thor? I’m sorry, but while Portman has grown into a good actress, seeing her as The Goddess of Thunder feels like a huge stretch. This could be a mess.
And then two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali walked out. His new character doesn’t appear on the Phase 4 timeline but he’s certainly on the way. Marvel is bringing Blade into the MCU and I can’t think of a better actor to play him. And with Doctor Strange’s movie delving into horror, that opens the door for Blade’s special brand of justice.

Perhaps most exciting is what they tossed out at the end but didn’t show. “Black Panther 2”, “Guardians of the Galaxy 3”, and “Captain Marvel 2” were safe bets but good to have confirmed. The biggest confirmation came when Feige playfully mentioned the Fantastic Four and “mutants” (aka X-Men).

I don’t know about you, but after seeing the Phase 4 lineup I think the MCU needs the X-Men and Fantastic Four sooner rather than later. Yes, these announced movies will still make money and yes, they will still set social media ablaze. But for many of us it’s hard to see any of these newcomers filling the shoes of such iconic superhero characters like Tony Stark’s Iron Man, Steve Rogers’ Captain America, or Bruce Banner’s Hulk. And it’s especially hard to find the same excitement we felt building up to the Avengers.

The MCU will need to lean heavy on Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and the Guardians until the new heavy hitters get on their feet. And what about the villains? We know of a couple but creating compelling antagonists have proven to be tough. This just adds more questions to a growing list.

In a nutshell, Marvel has some work to do.

First Glance: “Top Gun: Maverick”

July 19, 2019 by Keith Garlington

“Top Gun” is one of many 80s movies that I’ve seen more times than I can count. It was among several that always found its way into our family VCR. I’m aware that it doesn’t play as well for younger audiences today as it did then, but I still love it for its undeniable cheese and deeper subtexts.

But even I was surprised to hear that some 34 years later a sequel was on the way. Tom Cruise himself surprised a crowd at San Diego Comic-Con and introduced the teaser trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick”. We don’t see much in terms of story but fans of the original will notice it does hit many familiar beats. Cruise finished up by telling the crowd everything in the film is real and calling the movie “a love letter to aviation”.

I’m really interested to see and hear more, but we will probably have to wait a while. “Top Gun: Maverick” is set for a June 26, 2020 release. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.