I’m always excited when a new Paul Schrader movie comes our way. Interestingly the acclaimed and often outspoken director, screenwriter, and former movie critic has seen his cinematic voice evolve in recent years. Traces of the same thematic DNA in his work on films like “Taxi Driver” and “American Gigolo” can still be seen in his movies today. He’s still exploring many of the same interests that have fascinated him throughout his near 50-year career.

But movies like 2017’s “First Reformed” and 2021’s “The Card Counter” have revealed a more thoughtful and introspective approach. Both are methodical and precise in execution and focus. Both film’s are steeped in melancholy and revolve around tortured men in their own fiercely private states of crisis. Both feature stories that uncoil under Schrader’s patient and restrained watch.

His latest film, “Master Gardener” slides right in with “First Reformed” and “The Card Counter” to form a thematically connected trilogy of patiently searing character studies. Joel Edgerton operates on a similar bandwidth as Schrader’s other stars, Ethan Hawke and Oscar Isaac. They all play men navigating their own existential minefields. They all are burdened by their own remorse, repression, and self-abnegation. The ever sturdy Edgerton gives an intensely cryptic performance that proves to be a terrific fit for Schrader’s style and interests.

Much like the previous two films in this unofficial trilogy, “Master Gardener” is simmering with subtext about past sins, present day reckoning, and an uncertain future. Interestingly, this is the least cynical of the three movies although Schrader doesn’t shy away from holding a magnifying glass to and giving a sharp-edged critique of a number of relevant topics of our day. Still, there are shimmers of optimism and hopefulness – not many but more than you would expect from a movie with so many similarities to “First Reformed” and “The Card Counter”.

Edgerton plays Narvel Roth who (as the title intimates) is a master gardener. He’s low-key and taciturn yet he’s fastidiously dedicated to his craft and a veritable encyclopedia when it comes to horticultural facts and history. He oversees Gracewood Gardens, an estate of “curated botany” that’s owned by the wealthy and peremptory Norma Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). Narvel lives in a small but quaint cottage on the property where he spends his spare time filling pages of his journal with observations about gardening that mask deeper self-reflections.

Narvel and Norma have an interesting relationship. We learn that Norma took on Narvel despite his dark and troubling past which (in typical Schrader fashion) doesn’t come fully into focus until later in the movie. The gardens have been in Norma’s family for decades and she entrusts him with their care. And over time they have developed a mutual respect. He’s very honest and upfront with her and she seems to take his words to heart. But there’s no question that she clearly calls the shots and ultimately expects her wishes to be fulfilled.

One afternoon Norma tells Narvel about her grand-niece, Maya (Quintessa Swindell) who recently lost her mother. Soon after Maya dropped out of school and got in with a bad crowd. Norma describes her as being of “mixed blood”, her use of words and tone giving away her poorly veiled disapproval. Maya is coming to Gracewood and Norma wants Narvel to take her troubled grand-niece on as an apprentice, teaching her the ins and outs of gardening.

Much of the movie follows their relationship which evolves from teacher and pupil to father figure and daughter figure to potentially something more. Both are kindred spirits with pasts they are trying to overcome. And as you can probably guess, those pasts inevitably seep through the story. As they do Schrader plays around with our expectations, avoiding the more obvious path and taking things in some unpredictable directions. A part of me still questions where their relationship ends up, yet I found every facet of it compelling.

I do love Edgerton’s performance as it offers a beguiling portrayal of a solitary man seeking atonement. Whether it’s the current day scenes or the brief yet unsettling flashbacks, Edgerton captures our attention and keeps it clutched as the layers of his character are slowly peeled back.

But perhaps most interesting is the question of how certain viewers will respond to Narvel. In a day when social media too often decides both judgement and forgiveness, I can see some people recoiling to such a degree that they’re unable to accept where the character goes (vague, I know). I think that’s a struggle Schrader wants people to have. And as with the other two films in this loosely bound trilogy, he’s all about getting his audience to wrestle with uncomfortable themes.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

I’m up for seeing Jennifer Lopez go full-action heroine just as much as anyone. And that’s what we get in director Niki Caro’s new film “The Mother”. Written by the trio of Misha Green, Andrea Berloff, and Peter Craig, this made for streaming genre feature gives the one-time Fly Girl on “In Living Color” turned multifaceted superstar plenty of scenes to show off her physicality. At the same time it follows a very well-worn formula to a tee and the note-for-note predictability ultimately weighs the movie down.

For some it can be easy to forget that Jennifer Lopez is a really good actress. Her coverage is often skewed towards her celebrity status with the press routinely more interested in who she’s dating than the work she’s doing. But the accomplished singer and dancer has proven to have a terrific screen presence. And despite a few questionable film choices, Lopez has always been very comfortable taking on an interesting variety of roles.

In “The Mother” she plays the titular character who we first meet early one morning at an FBI safehouse in Linton, Indiana. She’s an expecting mother who is never named being interrogated by Agent William Cruise (Omari Hardwick) about a weapons deal she set up between an arms broker Hector Álvarez (Gael García Bernal) and a terrorist leader Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes). She’s looking to cut a deal; the FBI wants information; both Álvarez and Lovell want her dead.

Suddenly the safehouse is assaulted by Lovell who kills most of the agents and seriously wounds the pregnant mother. But using her ‘particular set of skills’ the mother manages to survive. She’s taken to a hospital where she gives birth to a healthy baby girl. Convinced by the FBI that her daughter will be an immediate and constant target, the mother agrees to sign over her parental rights and disappear. She has only three conditions: they put her daughter with a stable family, she gets yearly updates on her daughter’s wellbeing, and if there’s any trouble they will let her know.

Twelve years pass and we see the mother living off the grid in Tlingit Bay, Alaska. Meanwhile her daughter named Zoe (Lucy Paez) has enjoyed a normal childhood with a loving family. But this is an action-thriller so we know the peaceful times aren’t going to last. Cruise contacts the mother and informs her that some of Álvarez’s men were apprehended and one of them had a picture of Zoe. The mother springs into action, leaving her isolated life to protect the daughter she was forced to leave behind.

Along the way it becomes evident that this mother isn’t someone to mess with. We learn she’s ex-military and served back-to-back tours in Afghanistan. There she was trained as an expert sniper with more than a few kills to her credit. But none of this is a surprise. I mean most of these movies are built around a protagonist who is ex-military, ex-CIA, ex-FBI, ex-assassin, etc. It’s a handy history to have in a movie like this. It’s also pretty conventional and something filmmakers have gone back to again and again.

Ultimately that’s what this film feels like – something we’ve seen again and again. Yet there’s something to be said about J-Lo’s commitment to her role. Despite the familiarity surrounding her character and the generic framework of her story, Lopez earns our empathy and our investment. She can’t quite make up for everything, but she makes it watchable and has the star wattage to get us through the movie’s shakier parts. “The Mother” premieres today exclusively on Netflix.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Disney and Lucasfilm struck gold in 2019 with their terrific streaming series “The Mandalorian”. The sprawling space western was an immediate hit and a much needed win for the Star Wars universe which was still smarting from some of the reactions to their more recent movies. Season 2 followed in 2020 and it was met with similar excitement and praise (the two share the same 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Needless to say, the anticipation for Season 3 was high.

The first season had a fairly simple roadmap. Most of the episodes were like self-contained adventures that followed bounty hunter Din Djarin and young Grogu as they made stops around the galaxy. The season’s easy-to-follow structure was perfect for casual Star Wars fans who didn’t need to be well-versed in the franchise’s history and lore to understand what was going on. Season 2 was much the same, although it did introduce some new characters and began opening up other corners of the galaxy that would play parts in Favreau and Filoni’s greater vision for their Mandalorian universe.

And then came Season 3 with its different feel and much broader scope. Many viewers have had a hard time connecting with this season and have struggled with writer, creator, and showrunner Jon Favreau’s storytelling. Granted, there is plenty to question regarding the season’s structuring. Yet every episode has purpose and expands the Mando-Verse in a number of interesting ways.

Without question, these latest eight episodes will resonate more with the seasoned Star Wars fan. It demands at least some understanding of the sequel trilogy, the animated shows, Mandalorian lore, the franchise’s history with cloning, etc. in order to fully grasp where it goes (and is going). That’s a big ask, especially for those who simply want more of Din and Grogu bouncing around the galaxy facing new threats and giving us cute gif-worthy moments to enjoy.

But Favreau and company have bigger ambitions. They are building up an interconnected world that will extend into other shows and culminate in a Dave Filoni directed feature film that was recently announced at Star Wars Celebration. You can certainly tell in Season 3 as nearly every episode expands the Star Wars universe in some kind of way. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its issues. Favreau gives us a lot of meat but too much is left on the bone. He doesn’t go as in-depth on some things as he needs to and he doesn’t always communicate well with his audience. It leaves certain story angles feeling underserved, and it’s sure to leave some viewers in the dark.

But what can I say? I love this kind of stuff. I love combing over the episodes, connecting the dots to past Star Wars material, and trying to figure out where things are going to land. In other words, I’m the target audience. And even if the structure is a little wonky and the storytelling a bit demanding, the geek in me found a lot to enjoy in Season 3. And not just from the story stuff, but also the great assemblage of characters, the many scenes of thrilling action, and the jaw-dropping visual effects which are easily the best of the series so far.

Pedro Pascal steps back behind the beskar helmet and armor, reprising his role as bounty hunter Din Djarin. In this season his journey goes from seeking reinstatement into his Mandalorian clan to playing a key part in unifying the fractured Mandalorian tribes so they can reclaim their home world of Mandalore. Along the way he reconnects with such familiar faces as Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) and Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). And then of course there are the shadier sorts such as the villainous Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito), the slimy Elia Kane (Katy O’Brian) and the curious Penn Pershing (Omid Abtahi).

But it’s the Mandalorians who take center stage in Season 3. We once again meet The Armorer (Emily Swallow), Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides), Paz Vizla (Tait Fletcher), and Koska Reeves (Mercedes Varnado). Of them all, Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) is given the biggest boost. Over the course of the eight episodes, Bo-Katan finds her courage, shows her resolve, and proves herself to be the unifying leader her people need. She’s a terrific character dating all the way back to The Clone Wars animated series, and it has been great seeing her get her live-action due

Sprinkled throughout the season are a number of other delights: Anzellan mechanics, R5-D4 facing his anxiety, a…remodeled IG-11, and of course the infinitely lovable Grogu. He’s not as big of a player this season and it’s still bizarre that his big reunion with Din took place in another series (“The Book of Boba Fett”). But he still has a significant presence and he’s given some meaningful character progression.

It should be said that a couple of much-talked-about episodes have divided many viewers. One hones in on Dr. Pershing who is now part of the New Republic’s amnesty program. The episode may seem extraneous, but it actually sheds a lot of light on some of the New Republic’s flaws. And it gives us our first hints on some darker forces at work. Then there’s the reasonably fun yet glaringly contrived “Guns for Hire” marked by its distracting Jack Black and Lizzo cameos. The episode is bookended by a couple of good moments, but otherwise it’s the weakest of the eight.

When taken as a whole “The Mandalorian” has delivered once again with terrific characters old and new, extraordinary visuals, and the kind of Star Wars action fans crave. This season tapped into much of what many of us enjoy about the series while also exploring new parts of this incredible galaxy that so many of us love. That said, I can see it being catnip for diehards and confusing for more casual viewers. But even with its occasional wonkiness and a handful of questionable choices, I found myself locked into every episode. Even better, it ended with a bang and it left me hungry for more. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long. All three seasons of “The Mandalorian” are streaming now on Disney+.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

(CLICK HERE for my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

The very title “Mafia Mamma” doesn’t exactly encourage optimism. To the film’s credit it does offer up an enticing cast, namely Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci. But even they are eventually brought down by the progressively bad material. Good actors can carry a movie, but even they need a little something to work with. “Mafia Mamma” leaves everyone high and dry. I will say it looks like they had a good time shooting it. I wish I could say the same about watching it.

The film is written for the screen by Michael J. Feldman and Debbie Jhoon who are working from an original story by Amanda Sthers. It’s directed by Catherine Hardwicke who handles things well enough from the technical side of things. But the management of the film’s ever-shifting tone is another thing altogether. It’s all over the map to the point that it has no real identity. One minute it’s a mobster movie; a minute later it’s a raunchy comedy; yet a minute later it hits you with grisly violence. It’s hard to make out what the movie wants to be. I’m guessing it looked better on paper than in how it turned out.

I really like Toni Collette, but she’s handed an impossible task. The movie attempts to take her character Kristin on a wild and crazy journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Yet they spend the bulk of the film’s 101 minutes making her out to be weak, shallow, and borderline insufferable. And regardless of how good of an actress Collette is, even she can’t take ten minutes at the end of the film and turn her character into a believably strong and self-reliant woman.

We first meet Kristin as a kind-hearted yet slightly naive woman living on the West Coast with her dolt of a husband Paul (Tim Daish) and her college-bound son Domenick (Tommy Rodger). She works an unfulfilling job as a marketing strategist for a pharmaceutical company where she’s constantly overlooked due to the boy’s club mentality of her male counterparts. Meanwhile her brash and outspoken best friend (because it seems we always need a brash and outspoken best friend character) Jenny (Sophia Nomvete) pushes her to get a backbone and start looking out for herself.

Kristin is surprised by a phone call from a woman named Bianca (Bellucci) who tells her the grandfather she doesn’t even know, Giuseppe Balbano (Alessandro Bressanello), has died and she’s needed in Italy to help settle his affairs. Obviously it doesn’t make sense considering she hasn’t been to Italy or seen any family there since she was a baby. But with her marriage souring and her work stalling she decides to go. I mean who knows, maybe she can have her own “Under the Tuscan Sun” moment.

Once she arrives in beautiful sun-soaked Italy Kristin discovers the first of several family secrets. She learns that her grandfather wasn’t the winemaker he masqueraded as. He was actually a powerful mafia don who was killed in a gunfight along with the head of the rival Romano gang. With a potential mob war looming, both families scramble for new bosses. Next in line to lead the Romanos is Carlo Romano (Giuseppe Zeno). It’s a little more complicated for the Balbanos.

Hungry to lead the Balbanos is the late Don’s hot-headed and ambitious nephew, Fabrizio (Eduardo Scarpetta). But in a video recording left behind by the late Don Giuseppe, he shares his last wishes – he inexplicably wants Kristin, his only grandchild, to take his place as head of the family and entrusts his loyal general Bianca to ensure it happens. Obviously, nothing about his decision makes sense. Why would any mafia don hand over his entire operation to someone he hasn’t laid eyes on in decades? It’s so ridiculous that you keep waiting for what feels like a pretty obvious twist that never comes.

For the rest of the way the mostly suspense-free story haplessly bops along, tossing in some mostly thrill-free action and taking some mostly laugh-free swings at humor. Sadly nothing it throws at the screen really sticks. The ‘fish out of water’ stuff gets old pretty quick. The sudden jolts of gore feel more haphazard than thought out. And so many of the characters are stuck as lame caricatures with no relatable qualities whatsoever. Those things might be easier to overlook if the movie was half as funny as it tries to be. Sadly, it’s not. “Mafia Mamma” is out now in theaters.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

It can be a little challenging to understand Netflix’s metrics for what constitutes a financial success on their platform. To my knowledge the streaming leader hasn’t really opened up about their formula. But rather than box office ticket sales, they seem to mostly rely on viewer counts, click rates, and (of course) revenue, specifically new subscribers coinciding with an original film’s release. And most certainly production budgets have to figure in.

Some believe reviews play a part, which is funny considering Netflix signed and extended a lucrative development deal with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions whose films are routinely hammered by critics. Obviously it’s because Sandler’s films are (by some measure) profitable. Take his 2019 comedy “Murder Mystery”. While I don’t think Netflix ever formally announced the film’s production budget, they did share that it broke a number of the platform’s streaming records at the time despite a pretty tepid reception from critics.

But whether on the big screen or a streaming service, we live in an age of sequels which leads to “Murder Mystery 2”, the latest lightweight Sandler concoction that sees him and several of his friends enjoying more vacation time on Netflix’s dime. This time it’s to the Caribbean and Paris. That means we’re guaranteed some gorgeous sun-soaked island vistas and the beautiful sites of the City of Lights. Unfortunately that’s about all we get.

“Murder Mystery” wasn’t a great movie, but it wasn’t a terrible watch either. In fact, it had its moments and was significantly more tolerable than much of what has come out of the Happy Madison camp. But nothing about its slack and uninspired sequel clicks. It feels as if Sandler and company are simply cashing checks and coasting. There’s no doubt the cast is having a good time. Unfortunately the fun they seem to be having doesn’t exactly carry over to us.

Following the events of the first film, husband and wife Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) Spitz have quit their jobs and gone into the private detecting business. But unfortunately for them, business hasn’t been good. Audrey thinks they need to be officially licensed if they want to make it as private dicks. Nick thinks all they need is better marketing. It never occurred to them that maybe they simply aren’t very good at it. Regardless, their struggles has led to some tension in their marriage.

Then they get a call from The Maharajah (Adeel Akhtar), a billionaire Indian businessman and wannabe rapper from the first film. He tells them he’s about to get married to a French woman named Claudette (Mélanie Laurent – how did she get involved in this?) and invites them for an all expenses paid stay on his private island to attend their wedding. Mutually agreeing that they need a break from “work”, Nick and Audrey take his offer and are whisked away on their posh tropical getaway.

Things seem to be going great until the night of the bride and groom’s extravagant rehearsal dinner. A bodyguard is murdered and the Maharajah is kidnapped and taken off the island. Without much thought, Nick and Audrey immediately deduce that someone on the inside is working with the kidnappers. Their list of suspects includes the soon-to-be married Claudette, the Maharajah’s antisocial sister Saira (Kuhoo Verma), a womanizing former soccer player Francisco (Enrique Arce), and a snooty rich countess named Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith).

Returning screenwriter James Vanderbilt attempts to give each suspect some semblance of a motive. But he and director Jeremy Garelick (replacing Kyle Newacheck) spend so little time on developing their characters (and even less on their story) that it’s impossible to invest much into any supposed mystery. Things only get worse when Nick and Audrey jaunt off to Paris, working with SAS Agent Miller (Mark Strong in a thankless role) to lure out the kidnappers.

After inundating us with lazy gags, lame stereotypes, and unoriginal plot turns, everything culminates in a hopelessly silly action sequence at the Eiffel Tower where the very few pieces of the mystery come together in the most unimaginative way possible. And if that wasn’t enough, the movie ultimately ends with a shamelessly cheap cliffhanger that turns out to be a fitting nail in the coffin of this paper-thin and woefully unfunny whodunnit. “Murder Mystery 2” premieres today on Netflix.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

“The Mechanic” was the second of six movies Charles Bronson and director Michael Winner made together. The action thriller came fresh off the heels of their 1972 revisionist Western “Chato’s Land” and just a couple of films before their most noted collaboration “Death Wish”. Although it received mixed reviews at the time of its release, “The Mechanic” has long been appreciated by Bronson fans and even inspired a 2011 remake starring Jason Statham.

Among the film’s most memorable features is its riveting opening. At just over 15 minutes, with no dialogue, and shrewdly shot by cinematographer Richard Kline, we watch as a highly skilled contract killer (Bronson) sets up shop in an upstairs room above a city pawn shop. There he monitors a man in an apartment directly across the street from his. The assassin notes every detail of the man’s room and memorizes his routine. Then we watch as he meticulously executes his assignment with lethal precision.

The hitman is Arthur Bishop, who is also known as a “mechanic”. He takes exclusive contracts from an international crime syndicate referenced only as “the Association”. Arthur is an expert at his craft, known for his dependability and efficiency. While killing for hire is an ugly job, it pays well, allowing Arthur to live a life of comfort. When not planning and carrying out hits, he loses himself in what he enjoys most – art, a good pipe, and his red silk pajamas.

But we also see signs that Arthur’s work is taking a toll. He takes antidepressants and even ends up in the hospital after an anxiety attack. He frequently visits a call girl (played by Brosnan’s wife at the time, Jill Ireland) to help with the loneliness and isolation his job demands. He pays her to pretend to be in love with him, faking a romantic relationship and even writing fake love letters to help him feel something similar to affection.

Arthur is contacted by his bosses who want one of their owned whacked. They put out a contract on Harry McKenna (Keenan Wynn), an old acquaintance of Arthur’s father who has gotten crossways with the higher-ups. Despite being friendly with his target, Arthur carries out the job without hesitation. As a result, Harry’s cocky and entitled 24-year-old son Steve (Jan-Michael Vincent) inherits his father’s fortune.

If you’ve seen a mob movie or two you may think you know where the story is heading – an angry son sets out to get revenge on the man who killed his father. But writer Lewis John Carlino doesn’t go the predictable route. Instead he throws us a twist. Instead of a quest for vengeance, Steve wants to learn more about his father’s business. He’s especially interested in contract killing. So he seeks out Arthur, knowing he did some work for his father but not knowing he’s the guy who killed him. Or does he? We don’t know, and Carlino does a good job keeping us wondering.

Arthur ends up breaking one of his rules and takes Steve on as his apprentice. It creates an interesting dynamic and builds a satisfying tension. We’re left asking a number of questions. How much does Steve know? Is Arthur letting his guard down? What will the crime bosses do once they get wind that Arthur has brought an unvetted newcomer into their fold? Winner does a good job planting those questions in our minds and unveiling the eventual answers.

The movie bogs down a little once Arthur begins teaching and training Steve in his new craft. Yet these scenes do have value as they help give shape to the relationship between the two characters. But things pick up pretty quick after Arthur takes Steve on his first job, and later when the two head to Naples to knock off a mobster who’s about to talk to the local police. Each scenario is flavored by some good action, particularly one thrilling off-road motorcycle chase, and an even more exciting car chase and shoot-out across the Italian countryside.

Through it all Bronson leads with his signature tough-guy grit and stoicism. It’s a really good performance for a role that was right in his wheelhouse. Vincent, who had a successful but troubled career, is a little more inconsistent. He starts to settle in later in the movie, but early on his attempts at portraying Steve’s spoiled narcissism is a bit spotty.

As for Winner’s direction, he does a solid job building up and bringing together the story and its characters. Aside from a sluggish middle patch, the pacing is good and the payoff is still a satisfying punctuation mark. “The Mechanic” remains a solid entry in Bronson’s filmography and one that sits comfortably in the middle of arguably the best five-year run of the late actor’s four-decade-plus career. I love that it still holds up after 50 years, and it still shows why Charles Bronson was once considered the quintessential movie tough guy.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS