REVIEW: “The African Doctor” (2016)

April 11, 2017 by Keith Garlington

Kamini Zantoko (known simply as Kamini) is a French rapper of Congolese decent who became an internet sensation with his music videos depicting life in rural France. His first single was 2006’s “Marly-Gomont”, a song about growing up in a small Picard village of the same name. The humor-filled rap was actually based on Kamini’s life experience. As a young boy his father moved him and his family to Marly-Gomont to become the town’s doctor.

The influence of Kamini’s experience extends beyond rap tunes and music videos. It also drove him to co-write the script for the 2016 comedy-drama “The African Doctor”. It tells the story of Kamini’s father Seyolo Zantoko (portrayed by Marc Zingo) who is the only African graduate from his French medical school. Seyolo turns down a lucrative job in his home country and accepts one in the small all-white village of Marly-Gomont. But Seyolo and the desperate town mayor who hired him underestimate the backlash from the townsfolk who can’t shake their own ingrained prejudices.

Director Julien Rambaldi (who also co-wrote the script with Kamini) examines this social quagmire through two intriguing narrative threads. The first is the most obvious – the plight of a black family trying to integrate into a narrow-minded, all-white community. Seyolo’s plan is to simply endure the initial discomforts and win over the villagers. But the fears and prejudices he and his family face are significant and at times overwhelming.

The other thread centers around Seyolo’s bull-headed vision for his family. In his mind his desire for French nationality and better education for his kids can only be accomplished through the Marly-Gomont job. It’s an interesting position that subtly speaks to the lack of opportunity available at that time. But it also creates a wall between this genuinely loving father and his family. His insensitivity towards the pressures and persecution they are enduring threatens to tear them apart.

Seyolo’s wife Anne (wonderfully played by Aïssa Maïga) is smothering in loneliness and dreams of moving to Paris or Brussels. With her family in Africa and no friends in the village, her patience is paper-thin. His daughter Sivi (Médina Diarra) is a soccer prodigy but prohibited from playing on her school’s team first because she’s a girl and second because her father feels soccer is a waste of time. Young Kamini (Bayron Lebli) is a smart well-behaved boy who is forced to face racism for the first time at his new school. Yet Seyolo is impervious to their struggles.

Considering all of that it’s hard to envision this as anything other than a heavy, troubling social drama. Actually it’s a very funny film that often puts a humorous spin on the absurdity of the ignorance on display. The village has its assortment of oddballs that add some good laughs while feeding the central conflict. Some may find this to be too lighthearted of an approach considering the topic, but I never lost sight of the seriousness amid the comedy. And I trust Kamini’s first-hand experiences enough not to view this as a sugar-coating.

“The African Doctor” is a quirky movie with a good sense of humor, a better message and a lot of heart. The balance of comedy and biting social drama is well-managed though it may not impress those looking for a more serious, aggressive take to the subject matter. But I would argue there is a lot of meaning packed into this film and the approach it chooses to take suits it just fine.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “The Lobster”

April 4, 2017 by Keith Garlington

Occasionally you stumble across a movie that is nearly impossible to describe. In many of these cases it’s tough enough wrapping your own mind around what your seeing much less putting it into words. That is certainly the case with “The Lobster”, the latest film from Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos.

Much like his Oscar-nominated “Dogtooth” before it, “The Lobster” is a wacky surrealist concoction originating in the idiosyncratic mind of Lanthimos. I guess you could call the film a romantic dystopian sci-fi black comedy, but even that doesn’t cover all the bases. “The Lobster” once again finds Lanthimos toying with cultural standards and wickedly satirizing society’s view on love and relationships. For my money it’s funnier, stealthily more romantic, and a bit more digestible than “Dogtooth”. Yet it still requires a willingness to embrace the bizarre nature of its story.

That last sentence is a biggie. “The Lobster” demands that we just go with it. It’s imperative. Spend too much time thinking on the absurdity and you’ve already gotten off on the wrong foot. Lanthimos starts off by setting the rules. In this ‘not too distant future’ being single is against the law. Those not married are taken to a hotel where they are given 45 days to find a new mate. If they do they are given the opportunity to earn their release back into the city. If they don’t they are transformed into the animal of their choosing and released into the wild.

See what I mean, bizarre beyond description yet within the boundaries set by the filmmaker it works. The main character is David (Colin Farrell). After his wife leaves him for another man, David is taken to the hotel where he begins his 45 days. Once registered David is placed within the hotel’s strict program featuring all sorts of weird companionship training and preparation. He makes friends with fellow residents John C. Reilly and Ben Whishaw, but finding a future wife before his time runs out proves to be a challenge.

It’s best to be vague and let you sort through the nuttiness on your own, but I will say “The Lobster” has a sense of humor all its own. It’s rarely laugh-out-loud hysterical (although it can be). Instead the bulk of the humor is found in a variety of unexpected places. It’s all conveyed through an incessant deadpan style from straight-faced characters who live in a constant state of melancholy. There is also a smattering of brief bursts of violence to make things feel even more off-kilter.

There is a fairly dramatic shift at the midway mark and the second half sets off in a much different direction. The tone remains the same and the humor is still wacky and offbeat. But Lanthimos pulls back the reins and changes his focus as Rachel Weisz and Léa Seydoux are introduced into the story. Both actresses are really good, especially Weisz who gives us a reminder of why she’s an Oscar-winner. But the slower pace of the second half becomes an issue and it starts to wander as it makes its way to the finish line.

And that brings me to the ending (without getting into spoilers). So many critics love ambiguous endings and “The Lobster” feeds those hearty affections. I too enjoy them as long as they leave me with something to chew on. This film’s abrupt, open-ended finish is more of an eye-roller than a thought-provoker. It doesn’t offer near enough in its ambiguity to contemplate other than the base narrative questions.

Despite its slow third act and frustrating end, “The Lobster” is uncompromising, provocative, and highly original at every turn. You literally never know where it’s going next. In this his first English-language film, Yorgos Lanthimos showcases his darkly funny form of absurdism through his own moody, muted lens. With “The Lobster” he works with a sharp satirical edge destroying our notions of companionship while also declaring our genuine need for it. The movie may lose some steam near the end, but it consistently engages us with this compelling idea.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

REVIEW: “Deepwater Horizon”

March 27, 2017 by Keith Garlington

I well remember the 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and the resulting 210 million gallons of oil that blanketed the Gulf of Mexico. My family and I had a Caribbean cruise set for a couple of months after the explosion. We stayed glued to the news coverage as efforts were made to keep the oil slick’s damage to a minimum. We wondered if our cruise would be canceled, but far more important than our measly vacation plans were the eleven lives lost and the ecological damage caused by what was the worst oil disaster in the nation’s history.

The film “Deepwater Horizon” is based on these terrible events of April 20, 2010. Mark Wahlberg plays Chief Electronics Technician Mike Williams who leaves his family for a three week rotation onboard Deepwater Horizon which sits 40 miles off the Louisiana coast. He arrives with navigation officer Andrea Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez) and crew chief Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) to discover certain safety tests were skipped by the previous shift.

With the rig’s stability in question Jimmy confronts the BP representatives who are onboard to find out why the operation is over 40 days behind schedule. A delightfully sleazy John Malkovich plays Donald Vidrine, a BP manager willing to skirt around safety protocols for the sake of the company’s bottom line. There is some great headbutting between the profit-driven Malkovich and the salty realist Russell.

Writers Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand break their story into two halves. The first is focused on developing the tension between the Horizon’s crew and the corporate reps. One of the best early scenes has Wahlberg challenging and exposing Malkovich by saying “hope is not a tactic”. Through these clashes we are fed more and more insight into the calamity we know is on the way.

The second half becomes a story of survival as the film shifts to the explosion and the people trapped on the rig. It’s a much different turn but it’s just as gripping. The film wisely keeps its characters grounded and at no point do they come across as superheroes. It’s also helped by tremendous special effects (which earned an Oscar nomination) and top-notch editing that covers all of the story’s angles at a fast and fluid pace.

“Deepwater Horizon” is the second of three straight collaborations between director Peter Berg and the every-man Mark Wahlberg. Their story of unflinching heroism in the face of undaunted corporate greed is both revealing and inspiring. I’m an admitted disaster movie junkie, and many of them depend on some level of sensationalism. “Deepwater Horizon” keeps its focus on the 126 crew members aboard the rig on that horrible day. Some barely survived while others lost their lives. The movie is always conscious of that truth and as a result we are too.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Remember this trailer? #4 – “Top Gun” (1986)

March 20, 2017 by Keith Garlington

Classic Trailer Flashback – “Top Gun” (1986)

“I feel the need, the need for speed”. It’s a ridiculous, cheesy, and absolutely fantastic line that captures what makes “Top Gun” such a great movie especially for teens of the 1980s. It actually wasn’t the trailer that first got me excited for “Top Gun”. It was the music video for “Danger Zone” by movie soundtrack superstar Kenny Loggins. But when I saw the trailer with my family my dad was sold. The movie actually had something for everyone and the trailer shows that. It is 100% a product of the 80s which may hurt it with younger audiences, but I loved “Top Gun” as a kid and…well….I still do.

So, do you remember the trailer for “Top Gun”? What do you think?

REVIEW: “Christine” (2016)

March 16, 2017 by Keith Garlington

The on-air suicide of news reporter Christine Chubbuck has long been considered one of television’s most shocking moments. Behind that tragic event lies a troubling story of a young woman’s loneliness, self-doubt and severe depression. The movie “Christine” sets out to explore the final few days of Christine Chubbuck’s life right to its violent end on live tv.

Craig Shilowich wrote the script after feeling a deep personal connection to Chubbuck’s story. His own seven-year bout with depression inspired him to explore the issues that could have drawn Chubbuck to such a drastic final act. Shilowich interviewed family and coworkers in an attempt to piece together Christine’s state of mind. Director Antonio Campos allows Shilowich’s story to slowly boil which is perceptive but also harrowing since we know how it will end.

Christine Chubbock is played by Rebecca Hall who gives us a remarkable performance that burrows deep beneath her character’s fragile surface. Hall’s physical and mental transformation show an intense level of commitment that draws us deeper into the story. Hall’s method is somber and restrained which helps her to visualize the crippling effects of depression.

The film explores several areas of Chubbock’s life, each contributing to her troubled mental state. First is her personal life, specifically her lack of companionship. Campos puts a heavy emphasis on Chubbock’s loneliness. Her past is hinted at through references and the relationship with her mother offers some of Christine’s most vulnerable and perceptive moments.

We also spend a lot of time in her workplace – a Sarasota, Florida television station. Her main focus as a news reporter was on local community pieces. This puts her at odds with her abrasive and mildly chauvinist boss (Tracy Letts) who pushes for more sensationalism in her stories. She also finds herself lagging behind her competition for a new promotion in a bigger news market. There’s even a sudden health issue she is forced to deal with.

Subtly the film grows more unnerving with each step forward. Campos methodically puts together the pieces of this story and it’s tough to endure knowing the tragic finale that lies ahead. The presentation is authentic thanks to dashes of retro 70’s detail. The performances are superb especially from Hall who should be mentioned among the best of the year. But the real punch comes from the story itself, a mournful heart-breaking account of Christine Chubbuck’s final days. The filmmakers understand that which makes “Christine” all the more powerful.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

REVIEW: “Kong: Skull Island”

March 13, 2017 by Keith Garlington

I’m sure we’ve all had movies we have really wanted to be good but secretly feared would disappoint. I can name several and most of them probably fell in line with my fears more so than my hopes. “Kong: Skull Island” is a movie I’ve wanted to love since seeing the first trailer. But there were several reasons why it could have failed and I was never quite able to shake my skepticism.

Sometimes I love being wrong. “Kong” is an absolute delight and a rousing throwback to the creature features that permeated the 1950s. King Kong has had several big screen features, not as many as fellow movie monster icon Godzilla, but enough to earn him a pretty legendary status.

This film version steers clear of the traditional King Kong story. There is no damsel in distress, ventures to New York City, or the Empire State Building. This time we stay put on Skull Island, a beautiful uncharted South Pacific island by air but underneath its lush canopy is the home of the wildest assortment of creatures. The island is shielded by an ever-present storm wall but by 1973 satellite innovations led to its discovery. The most interested party is a shadowy government outfit called Monarch.

John Goodman plays Bill Randa, Monarch’s senior official who convinces his government contact to fund an expedition to map out Skull Island. He requests a escort from the battered and bruised US military who in 1973 was in the process of leaving Vietnam. Their escort is led by Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson). Randa also hires a British SAS tracker named Conrad who knows the mission stinks but needs the money. They are joined by Brie Larson’s tough and feisty anti-war photojournalist Mason Weaver.

Let’s go ahead and state the obvious – the mission doesn’t go very well. The film wastes no time introducing the characters to their Kong – more of a towering monster than a big gorilla. The team’s surprise introduction and initial clash with Kong may be the film’s best sequence. It’s an intense, violent collision filled with chaos and carnage that leaves the team’s survivors grounded and separated. There they must navigate a treacherous landscape filled with a host of dangerous digital creations. Oh, and there is John C. Reilly, a true scene-stealer playing a World War 2 pilot who has been stranded on the island for 30 years. He’s a hoot.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts has only one other feature film credit to his name and it’s a far cry from “Kong: Skull Island”. What he manages here is pretty incredible – a swift on its feet thrill ride with plenty of action and just enough wit. Most importantly it doesn’t get bogged down in its pretty looks. It’s one thing to look really good. We’ve come to expect it in this age of digital effects. Vogt-Roberts and company goes beyond that by finding clever ways for the visuals to make the action more cinematic and to emphasize the smallness of man compared to their giant beastly threats (There almost seems to be a crafty Vietnam War metaphor is hidden in there somewhere).

Vogt-Roberts has stated he pulled inspiration from a wild assortment of areas including “Apocalypse Now”, “Platoon”, the films of Hayao Miyazaki, and of course the original “King Kong” film from 1933. Several hands went into the script including Max Borenstein who penned the first draft. Dan Gilroy (“Nightcrawler”) did some important touch-up work and Derek Connelly who came in for some final rewrites. Their story smartly passes on getting too deep in backstory and relationship building. There’s some of it but for a story about a group of strangers thrust into a horrible situation it is held to just enough.

Another smart move is putting together a fabulous cast. Hiddleston, Larson, Jackson, Reilly and Goodman are all great fits with their characters. But just as fun are other characters played by quality supporting actors. Tobey Kebbell, Corey Hawkins, Shea Whigham, John Ortiz and Thomas Mann all contribute plenty and each have their moments.

It may be tempting to dismiss “Kong: Skull Island” as typical CGI-heavy blockbuster mush. In fact it may be easy to do so because “Kong” doesn’t shy away from what it is. But this is no Transformers-like brain cell killer. It’s a well made, fast-paced monster movie with far more craft behind its presentation and storytelling than you would expect. I love the Vietnam War era setting, the jamming classic rock soundtrack and the old school creature feature nostalgia. It all clicks in a way I wish all big budget movies did. Oh, and be sure to stay until after the credits.