Alyssa Milano plays a crime novelist helping police find her sister’s murderer in the new Netflix thriller “Brazen”. Based on the 1988 novel “Brazen Virtue” by Nora Roberts, this by-the-numbers murder mystery makes an effort, but it’s never able to get above room temperature. Admittedly, some of the unintentional silliness is actually kinda fun. But ultimately it plays like a movie that would get mixed reviews on the Hallmark Channel.

“Brazen” is directed by Monika Mitchell from a script co-written Edithe Swensen, Donald Martin, and Suzette Couture. Early on the movie resembles a relationship drama with glimmers of promise. But you quickly begin to wonder if Mitchell and the film’s trio of writers watched A LOT of television crime mysteries for inspiration. Their movie follows the formula beat for beat before coming unglued in a ridiculous third act where the thing crumbles under the weight of absurdity.

Milano’s Grace Miller is a popular novelist promoting her latest book when she gets an urgent call from her sister Kathleen (Emilie Ullerup) who she hasn’t seen in five years. Grace flies to Washington DC where Kathleen lives in their old family home. After some initial petty bickering, they get down to the reason Kathleen called.

Turns out Kathleen has a troubled past where she left her husband and son after becoming addicted to pain meds. It led to an ugly divorce. But now that she’s off the pills and has a steady job teaching at a prominent private high school, she wants custody of their son. But she’s worried that her rich, well-connected, and fittingly scummy ex-hubby Jonathan (David Lewis) will smear her in court as the ‘bad mother’. But she has an ace up her sleeve. She has information proving Jonathan has been stealing from his family’s trust. Should she use the information as leverage? She has a lot of decisions and she needs some sisterly advice.

What Grace doesn’t know is that her sister has a kinky internet alter-ego, a dominatrix named Desiree. Kathleen dresses up and performs for online “clients” from a secret studio hidden behind a padlocked door in her closet. Her virtual one-on-ones are hosted by a company called Fantasy Inc. Not much subtlety in that company name.

Enter muuuurder. After finishing up an evening performance, Kathleen is attacked and strangled to death in her bedroom. Immediately, hunky homicide detective Ed Jennings (Sam Page) is put on the case. He also happens to be Kathleen‘s next-door neighbor. As you might expect, Grace and Ed hit it off, leading to a lukewarm (at best) romantic angle.

And then things really get ridiculous. After two more Fantasy Inc. performers are attacked, Grace’s “instinct for motive” is all it takes to convince the police captain to put her on the case with Ed, granting her full access to all the department’s evidence, witnesses, and resources (is it really that easy?). It all leads to a preposterous final 30 minutes as the movie’s bland and utterly forgettable mystery is reveal. Call it a fitting finish for a movie that you will have forgotten before the end credits finish rolling. “Brazen” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

Once upon a time in television history over 40 million people would spend their Monday evenings tuned into CBS to watch “I Love Lucy”. The half-hour sitcom ran from October 15, 1951 to May 6, 1957 and for four of its six years (including its final year) it was the most watched show on television. The show’s stars, real-life husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, quickly became household names for a variety of reasons.

Wordsmith Aaron Sorkin takes on a slice of the TV couple’s life in his new film “Being the Ricardos”. This isn’t your conventional biopic so those looking for such might leave this movie disappointed. But with its more zoomed-in focus, Sorkin’s knack for snappy dialogue, and some knockout performances, “Being the Ricardos” offers a zesty peep into the charismatic couple and the creative process which brought their beloved show to life.

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are wonderful stepping into the skins of the titular celebrity duo. The movie gives a couple of flashback sequences noting their early years together, but the story mostly unfolds over one particularly stressful production week of “I Love Lucy”. Sorkin’s script nimbly weaves together both Lucille and Desi’s personal and professional relationships (which were often inseparable in real-life).

One of the real treats of the film is the behind-the-scenes look it gives into the making of an episode of “I Love Lucy”. There is a terrific table reading sequence where we get a good sense Lucille’s brutal honesty compared to Desi’s more subtle authority. It’s also where we’re introduced to the witty and hard-drinking William Frawley (played with awards-worthy panache by J.K. Simmons) and the snarky Vivian Vance (a really good Nina Arianda). Frawley and Vance played Fred and Ethel Mertz on the show, the Ricardos’ best friends.

Along the way Sorkin shows us Lucy and Desi butting heads with longtime producer Jess Oppenheimer (Tony Hale). We see their occasionally tempestuous run-ins with their writing team. And then there’s the sometimes combative shoots especially between Lucy and director Donald Glass (Christopher Denham). These scenes are often mixed with these strange documentary-styled interview segments where actors play older versions of the production team recalling their time working with Lucille and Desi. Much better are the incredibly detailed black-and-white recreations of some of the show’s most memorable moments.

While Sorkin’s timeline may differ from the actual account, he does pack in a number of defining points from Lucille and Desi’s relationship and their career together. There are references to Lucille’s time stuck as a contract player at RKO Pictures and to Desi’s family fleeing Cuba for Miami in 1933. He also digs into the accusations that Lucille was a communist, something that was reported by the media despite its lack of credibility.

The movie’s attempts at covering Lucille and Desi’s strained marriage is noble but not as well-rounded as the TV stuff. It’s never insincere and there are several heartfelt moments. But by limiting its overall scope, the movie doesn’t leave itself much space to do more than highlight their highs and lows. Regardless, both Kidman and Bardem are magnetic, pulling us deeper into their characters’ story than the script sometimes allows.

Again, “Being the Ricardos” may disappoint those hoping for an exhaustive biography of one of television’s most famous couples. This isn’t that kind movie nor does it ever try to be. But it does give us a good sense of who Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were at this point in their marriage and careers. It’s also richly entertaining with crackling dialogue and a cast who burrow into these characters and bring both them and the era to life. “Being the Ricardos” is getting a limited theater release before premiering December 21st on Amazon Prime.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

What better day than Black Friday for an alien parasite to crash to earth turning bargain-hungry shoppers into flesh eating mutants? While COVID-19 and online shopping may have been the death knells for the “busiest shopping day of the Christmas season”, many of us still remember the absolute madness that was (and in a few places still is) Black Friday.

Director Casey Tebo’s horror comedy, fittingly titled “Black Friday”, takes its above-mentioned nutty concept and runs with it. Written by Andy Greskoviak, the story centers on a group of disgruntled toy store workers forced to work Thanksgiving evening as hordes of Black Friday shoppers line up across the front and around the corner of the store. Little do they know an alien parasite has made its way to earth. Soon the blood-thirsty shoppers are turning into blood-thirsty zombie-like mutants, leaving the employees to fight for their lives.

The characters mostly consist of a blend of personalities and the movie follows the familiar “who will survive” blueprint. Devon Sawa plays Ken, a divorced father of two who’s stuck in a go-nowhere job. Marnie (Ivana Baquero) is a young disillusioned clerk. Archie (Michael Jai White) is the brawny maintenance man. Chris (Ryan Lee) is a germaphobe still living with his parents. There’s the new guy Emmett (Louie Kurtzman). And running the store is regional manager Jonathan (the great Bruce Campbell) and Brian (Stephen Peck), Jonathan’s overly enthusiastic lackey in charge of the sales floor.

There’s not a lot in “Black Friday” that will catch you by surprise. We’ve seen variations of this kind of story several times before. The big difference here is the setting and a gooey alien parasite which is brought to life via some pretty cool makeup and practical effects. The problem is the movie never fully embraces the goofiness of its premise. Things starts off on a fun and silly note, but the humor gets a little more sporadic in the second half. The film never takes itself seriously. It simply doesn’t take the absurdity as far as it needs to.

It also never builds any real tension to speak of. It’s not that the story needs a lot. But when you dial back the humor you need something to take it’s place. As a result “Black Friday” sits and spins its wheels in the second half, seemingly unsure of how far to take things. We’re left with a middling and sadly forgettable horror comedy featuring not enough horror and not enough comedy. Still, it’s an entertaining premise and the cast are all onboard. That’s enough to keep your attention, but not enough to stick in your memory. “Black Friday” is now available on VOD.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

The first trailer and a wave of good reactions from the festival circuit catapulted “Belfast” high up my most anticipated movies list. Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale is full of ingredients that tend to grab my attention. But that doesn’t automatically equal a good movie. Thankfully, Branagh’s stroll down memory lane is an absolute delight. His film is an earnest and intensely personal reflection on his childhood growing up in Belfast during the tumultuous 1960s. And while it plays out to the backdrop of violence and unrest, Branagh maintains a heartfelt focus on family and community.

Similar to Fellini’s “Amarcord” and Cuarón’s “Roma”, “Belfast” sees a filmmaker honoring the memories of his past. In Branagh’s case it’s not just an instance of recalling but also reckoning. He sets out to both pay tribute to and get a firmer grasp of those complex times in his life. And as he sorts through those memories you can sense the sorrow and fear that he and so many others experienced. But Branagh also conveys the intimacy of his family, an imperfect bunch bound by their hardy and unwavering love for each other.

“Belfast” opens with a musical prelude reminiscent of Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” where images of the city are put together in a way that captures its beauty and character. From there Branagh makes a stunning transition from color to monochrome; from present day to the past. An exquisite tracking shot takes us through a vibrant bustling Belfast neighborhood where everyone knows each other and the sounds of children playing fills the air. And just like that we find ourselves transported to the filmmaker’s youth.

The camera settles on a nine-year-old ball of energy named Buddy (newcomer Jude Hill) running through the street with a wooden sword and a trashcan lid for a shield. Carefree and happy, Buddy bounces towards home but suddenly freezes when something frightening catches his eye. At the end of the street protests erupt into violence between groups of Catholics and Protestants. Soon an explosion sends everyone in the street scurrying, the sound of children’s laughter now replaced by screams as chaos pours through the tight-knit neighborhood.

That jolt of an opening introduces us to the community where we’ll spend the rest of our time and also to the three-decade-long conflict known as The Troubles (I encourage anyone unfamiliar with the conflict to read up on it. Having even a basic knowledge of it is not only enlightening, but it adds more context to what happens in the film).

Buddy serves as our eyes and ears in his neighborhood as it tries to adjust to this new normal where everyone is uneasy and the threat of violence only seems to grow. The expressive young Hill makes for a wonderful guide, giving an incredible debut performance full of joy and heartbreak. Representing Branagh as a child, Buddy is full of childlike optimism that he struggles to hold onto the deeper we get into the movie. Hill embodies every facet of his character and there’s not a false note to be found in his performance.

We learn more about Buddy as we learn more about his working-class Irish family. His Pa (Jamie Dornan) is away for long stretches at a time, working construction jobs in England. The pained look on his face every time he has to leave let’s us know he hates to leave his family. But they need the money. That leaves Buddy with his Ma (played by a sublime Caitríona Balfe), a loving yet tough woman who manages the home the best she can. Buddy also has his salt of the earth grandparents, the easy-going Pop (Ciarán Hinds) and his straight-shooting Granny (Judi Dench). Hinds and Dench have a lovely chemistry and both bring warmth and emotional depth to every scene they’re in.

Things get harder for the family as extremists become more of a threat, aggressively pitting the once friendly Protestants and Catholics against each other. Soon Buddy’s family is faced with a decision too many were forced to make – stay in Belfast or leave the only place they have ever known. Through it all, a disciplined Branagh keeps things firmly in Buddy’s perspective. That may push away viewers looking for a harsher and more politically charged story. But Branagh speaks with such detailed clarity through his characters and his camera that we get all the information we need.

“Belfast” is filled with a number of terrific touches. I like how Branagh lets old television footage do most of the political heavy lifting. I love how cinema provides a much needed escape for Buddy and his family (“One Million Years B.C.”, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “High Noon”, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” all make appearances). Even Van Morrison slips in a song every now and then. But it all comes back to this family, doing what they can for each other and finding humor and joy even in the most difficult times. That idea of family burns at the heart of “Belfast”, an earnest, sincere and utterly irresistible movie that had me in its grip from start to finish. “Belfast” is now playing in theaters.

VERDICT – 5 STARS

Fårö sits just off Sweden’s mainland and is probably best known as the home of the late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. The acclaimed auteur lived on the idyllic Baltic island from 1965 until his death in 2007. His affection for Fårö led him to make a total of six features there including “Through a Glass Darkly”, “Persona”, and “Shame”. It’s also where he shot “Scenes From a Marriage”, a television mini-series that was recently remade by HBO and starred Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.

Fårö practically has a mythology all its own and over the years it has become a popular tourist spot for Bergman faithfuls. The island is a key player in the new film fittingly titled “Bergman Island”. Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, this thoughtful yet scattered drama poses as a love letter to the cinema legend. But at its core, “Bergman Island” is much more interested in fractured relationships and the creative process. Its effort to fuse those two themes together is admirable, even if the results are a little mixed.

Hansen-Løve’s early focus is on Chris (Vicky Krieps) and Tony (Tim Roth), a filmmaking couple who travel to Fårö for a screenwriters conference. Tony is an established director who is comfortable with his achievements but not so much the attention that comes with it. Chris is less renowned and even less confident; successful but seemingly stuck under her husband’s shadow.

The program’s organizers put them up in one of Ingmar Bergman’s homey cottages that sits in a quiet grassy field next to a picturesque old windmill (at one point it’s noted that they’re actually staying in the same house where “Scenes From a Marriage” was filmed – yikes). Both are whittling away on new screenplays and create for themselves separate writing spaces to work in between nostalgic 35 mm film screenings, lectures, and Bergman bus tours.

Hansen-Løve moves Chris and Tony around with a delicate wistful rhythm, but getting a good grasp of their relationship is a challenge. Along the way we see tiny cracks in their marriage and the film hints at (though doesn’t explore) some even bigger issues. Yet Chris and Tony aren’t at each other’s throat and there’s no detectable bitterness or animosity between them. Still, it’s clear they’re missing a spark and have lost their passion. And their poorly veiled detachment echoes a certain longing, but for what?

There’s something equally fascinating and frustrating in trying to solve the puzzle that is Chris and Tony. Amid the sumptuous scenery and persistent Bergman name-checks, the couple’s relationship seems to be dissolving right before our eyes. We see it when Chris skips out of Tony’s lecture to do some flirty site-seeing with an incredibly dry Swedish film student (played with an almost jarring lethargy by Hampus Nordenson). We also see it in Tony’s cold reception to Chris’ attempt at intimacy.

But just as we’re getting a feel for the characters, this meta-drama jaunt suddenly shifts gears. Hansen-Løve’s focus moves to Amy (Mia Wasikowska) and Joseph (Anders Danielsen Lie), two fictional characters from Chris’ screenplay. This ‘movie inside of a movie’ twist sees Tony vanish (never to return) and Chris taking more of a background storyteller role.

Hansen-Løve’s narrative twist might work if Amy and Joseph’s story had the same allure. Instead, this paper-thin romance about a young woman reconnecting with her first love at a mutual friend’s wedding lacks an emotional pull. It too is set on Fårö and it too has an undercurrent of longing. But it mainly features a lot of moping, gazing, and frolicking in various states of undress. And while it’s easy to see what Hansen-Løve is going for, there simply isn’t enough depth to make it interesting. Even it’s internal connections to Chris aren’t pronounced enough to leave an impression.

I was ultimately left wishing I was back with Chris and Tony. Their story, with all of its intricacies and imperfections, gave us something to look deeper into. It also gave us more Vicky Krieps. The Luxembourg born actress was magnetic in 2017’s “Phantom Thread” and she’s had a busy 2021. She was good in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old” although it was mostly an ensemble film. And she had a small but effective role in the underseen John David Washington thriller “Beckett”. But here she reminds us of why she grabbed so much attention opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson’s gem. And once her screen time shrinks so does much of the movie’s appeal.

“Bergman’s Island” starts promising, pulling its audience in with its breezy and beguiling charms. But there comes a point where the movie steps away from its strengths and ends up in a place where it’s simply too crafty for its own good. And as it wanders farther and farther away from its appetizing setup, even Bergman (much like Chris and Tony) becomes nothing more than an afterthought.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

I’ve never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and there’s plenty of evidence to prove that I’m not. Case in point, the hilariously titled new horror film “Bingo Hell”. Embarrassingly, it wasn’t until the neon lit title screen that I made the bingo HALL connection. It turns out that wasn’t the only chuckle I would get out of this just released Amazon Studios Original.

Directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero, “Bingo Hell” is the fifth installment of Amazon’s “Welcome to the Blumhouse” horror anthology. As the name intimates, the series of feature films are developed and produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse productions and highlight stories told from filmmakers with fresh visions and perspectives. As with any ambitious endeavor like this, you have your hits and misses. But I appreciate what it’s doing, hiccups and all.

“Bingo Hall” is an interesting entry. It’s a brisk and straightforward movie with enough genre flourish to keep horror fans interested. It’s also laced with a fair amount lightly breaded social commentary on class, community, the allure of money, gentrification, etc. Not all of it makes sense nor does it come across as anything especially new or revelatory. But it does offer a unique perspective and its cast of likable characters help overlook some of the storytelling issues.

The story is set in the sleepy little fictional town of Oak Springs. It’s a place where development companies are buying up property and homes while many of the decades-old hometown businesses are closing up shop. The changing landscape doesn’t sit well with some of the town’s old-timers, especially Lupita (Adriana Barraza), a surly and outspoken local who simmers at the influx of coffee shops, vape lounges and the young hipsters who frequent them. Oak Springs is her life, and she’s not about to let it dry up without a fight.

To let off steam Lupita, her best friend Dolores (L. Scott Caldwell), and a fun assortment of other elderly townsfolk enjoy bingo at the town community center. But you know it’s trouble when a fancy black sedan rolls into town with pitch-black tinted windows and a license plate that reads “BIG WINN3R”. The car belongs to a sinister looking cat who goes by the name of Mr. Big (a fittingly creepy Richard Brake). Lupita and her friends learn that Mr. Big has purchased the community center and seemingly over night turns it into a bingo hall with enough flashing neon inside and out to rival anything on the Las Vegas strip.

His glaringly evil look and the movie’s title let us know that Mr. Big is up to no good. Soon his fancy parlor and high stakes bingo games are luring in citizens from all around the city. And as you can guess, the big winners of his games don’t get to enjoy their winnings for very long. In fact, winning gets you a briefcase full of money and a gory death at the hands of this poorly defined supernatural menace. Just who is Mr. Big? What’s he after? What’s with all the green goo that had me thinking about Slimer from “Ghostbusters”? I still don’t know. He throws out a couple of generic lines about feeding on souls, buts that’s about it. Clear as mud.

While Guerrero does a good job early on introducing us to her characters and setting up her story, the buildup to the predictably inevitable ending feels remarkably light. It consists of a lot of elderly bickering but little in terms of development or revelation. The performances liven up the characters and there are some really good interactions between them. It’s hard not to enjoy their individual charms and there is some fun humor that seeps out of their relationships.

Guerrero also shows a good eye behind the camera. She uses a captivating blend of angles, perspectives, and color palettes that really speaks to some of her influences. But “Bingo Hell” needs more than sharp visuals and fun characters. The story is all buildup but little payoff. It introduces a menacing villain, but he’s too thinly sketched to feel like a real threat and we’re left wondering about him rather than being spooked.

So “Bingo Hell” is flawed and doesn’t quite fulfill the potential it shows early on. Yet I’m glad I watched it. It’s hard to let some of the nagging issues slide, but it does have some alluring traits and clever filmmaking touches that show why Guerrero is considered by many to be a young talent to keep your eye on. “Bingo Hell” is now available to stream on Amazon Prime.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS