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

“Sweetwater” from writer-director Martin Guigui tells the powerful true story of Nathaniel ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton, a naturally gifted and talented basketball player who was among the first African Americans to play in the National Basketball Association. Born October 13th, 1922 in England, Arkansas, Nate Clifton earned his nickname “Sweetwater” from his unquenchable love for sugar water and his kindhearted and easygoing demeanor. He and his family would eventually move to Chicago where he excelled in high school basketball and football.

Clifton would go on to attend college at Xavier University of Louisiana before serving three years in the Army during World War II. After playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, he would sign a contract with the New York Knicks. He played his first game in the NBA on November 4, 1950, helping to break the color barrier and open the door for countless other players.

In many ways “Sweetwater” fits right into that familiar sports drama mold. It has a moving true story as its inspiration. There’s plenty of drama added in for effect. It has that uplifting crowd-pleasing ending that we’ve come to expect from these kinds of movies. Yet there’s something truly endearing about Guigui’s storytelling (minus a small hiccup or two).

The story takes us back to New York City, 1949. The Harlem Globetrotters and their star Nate “Sweetwater” Clifton (well played by Everett Osborne) are taking on the NBA Champ Minneapolis Lakers in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden. In attendance is Ned Irish (Carl Elwes), the owner and president of the NBA’s New York Knicks, and Joe Lapchick (Jeremy Piven), a former player and the Knicks’ head coach.

The Globetrotters were a traveling basketball team founded and owned by businessman Abe Saperstein (Kevin Pollak). Despite being considered by many to be the best team in the world, the Globetrotters were denied entry into the all-white NBA simply because their players were Black and they played a “razzle-dazzle” style of basketball. So Abe took them on the road where they played in everything from big city arenas to small barns in the boondocks.

While basketball plays a big part of the story, Guigui often looks beyond the sport, putting a lot of effort into portraying the various shades of racism these young men faced. While people loved to watch the Globetrotters play for their entertainment, the team still couldn’t get a hotel room or buy gas at a country gas station. They were turned away from certain clubs and were denied tables at restaurants. Even their payouts for performing were far less than the predominantly white teams they were playing against.

After watching Sweetwater play, Ned and Joe immediately realize he’s something special. Joe wants him to play for the Knicks, but Ned is a bit hesitant, unsure of the kind of heat he’ll receive from the league’s other team owners. He does seem to have one ally – Maurice Podoloff (Richard Dreyfuss), the president of the National Basketball Association. A chunk of the film sheds light on the behind the scenes efforts to get Sweetwater into a Knick’s uniform, from the internal debates between Ned and Joe to the boardroom squabbles with other ownership. It’s not the most dramatic parts of the story, but I was glued to it.

While the movie does a good job capturing the essence of Nate Clifton’s journey, it dramatically changes many of the true-life details. This comes out most in the last 15 minutes when Sweetwater steps onto an NBA court for the first time. Guigui puts a lot of his own spin on the story, changing the team the Knicks played against and even the outcome of the game itself. There’s also some cheesy announcing thrown in and the final-act sentiment is knee-deep. Still it’s the ending we’re rooting for, especially after being given such a clear-eyed depiction of the racism, belittlement, and threats of violence Sweetwater faced. And all because he wanted to play the game of basketball. “Sweetwater” is in theaters now”.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Director Herbert James Winterstern takes a swing at the disaster genre (sort of) in his feature film directorial debut “Supercell”. As you can probably tell by the not-so-cryptic title, it’s a killer storm movie set in North Texas and the Midwest. That’s prime territory for a movie like this. Unfortunately the storm-chasing in this modestly budgeted feature never amps up the excitement the way it needs to. And the human drama (though well-intended) isn’t strong enough carry us through.

Winterstern knows his way around filmmaking, having worked as a producer, writer, editor, cinematographer, and in a number of other behind the scenes technical roles. Here he directs from a script he co-wrote with Anna Elizabeth James. Their story attempts to meld straight-up genre thrills with a rather tepid family drama. There’s certainly some heart behind certain characters and you can almost sense a Spielbergian influence in how Winterstern and James handle one teenage boy’s journey. If only the performances had the same voltage as the massive CGI storm cells looming over the plains.

“Supercell” features an interesting supporting cast. First is Skeet Ulrich (“Scream”) who has been popping up in several films lately. It’s good to see. Then you have Alec Baldwin who is currently embroiled in a legal battle following a fatal on-set accident while shooting the movie “Rust”. And there’s Anne Heche, appearing in one of the late actress’ final roles.

The lead is Canadian actor Daniel Diemer who plays Will Brody, the son of renowned storm-chaser Bill Brody. Ten years ago his father was killed chasing a massive tornado near Wichita Falls, Texas. Since then, Will has been raised by his struggling mother Quinn (Heche). She once worked side-by-side with her late husband studying storms. After moving to Florida and filing bankruptcy, she now works cleaning houses to provide for her son.

Lately Will has taken an interest in his father’s work, but Quinn is quick to discourage him. She wants Will to go to college. “It’s your way out, ” she reasons, fearing he’ll meet the same fate as his father. But one day Will receives an old journal in the mail that belonged to his dad. Ignoring his mother’s wishes, Will sneaks off and follows the return address to the Texas home of his uncle Roy (Ulrich).

Once a studier of storms himself, the embittered Roy now drives for a storm-chasing tour line (are those really a thing???) owned by the surly Zane Rogers (Baldwin). An angry Quinn gets word that her son is with Roy and heads to Texas with Will’s soon-to-be girlfriend (Jordan Kristine Seamón) in tow. But wouldn’t you know it, the mother of all storms is brewing which manages to bring all the parties together in its dangerous path for a predictable and rather hammy climax.

It’s hard to watch the movie and not see it as a low-budget take on “Twister” (there’s actually a terrific nod to that 1996 film and Bill Paxton that’s easy to miss). But to Winterstern’s credit he does a lot with the resources he has. There are some stunning wide angle shots showing off the ominous clouds building up across the horizons. And we get a couple of nail-biting moments of pure intensity, the best taking place during a brutal hail storm. Winterstern puts us inside Roy’s van as three-inch hail beats it to a pulp. His shooting and cutting of the scene is top-notch.

But too much of the story is handcuffed by predictability, contrivances, and some shaky character work. Ulrich is a nice fit for Roy, although the character could use more depth. Much the same, Baldwin gives a solid performance. But his character was all over the map and (especially in the final third) never made sense to me. Heche struggles and it’s hard to put a finger on why. Quinn in pretty straightforward, but Heche often feels out-of-sync. And poor Seamón is reserved to being a tag-along with no real story of her own.

There are a few other issues that bring the movie down a bit (getting off to a slow start, composer Corey Wallace’s dramatic yet overbearing score, etc.). But I do appreciate the movie’s attempt at making something other that digitalized disaster porn. While they aren’t quite realized the way they need to be, the characters are the centerpiece. Diemer is a sturdy enough lead and gives the movie a good anchor. But there’s only so much weight he can carry. Ultimately we’re left wanting more, both from the human drama and the computer enhanced storms. “Supercell” is now showing in select theaters and on VOD.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

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

How does this sound to you: Adam Driver playing a space traveler who crash-lands on prehistoric planet earth and fights dinosaurs? There’s enough wackiness in that basic description to get me onboard with “65”, a lean, unambiguous, and all-around fun genre mash-up from the filmmaking team of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. They’re the duo behind the tension-soaked 2018 horror-thriller “The Quiet Place”. Here they pluck genre ingredients of all kinds and mixes them together into an old-fashioned and surprisingly low-key stew. It’s a bit of science-fiction and a bit of horror. It’s a creature feature. It has a touch of character drama. There’s even a little B-movie schlock.

Some may be surprised to see Driver lend his sizable star wattage to a modest small-scale genre flick like this. And I can see where fans of his might go into it with bigger expectations than they should. But again, “65” delivers exactly what it advertises – nothing more and nothing less. It tells a linear story with no big surprises or unexpected twists. That may sound like a knock, but I actually like its simplicity and straightforwardness. I like its indifference to being something revolutionary or groundbreaking. And I like its taut 93-minute frame, which turns out to be all a movie like this needs.

If you haven’t already guessed, the “65” in the title is a reference to 65 million years ago “prior to the advent of mankind”. Driver plays a pilot named Mills. In a brief prologue we see him with his wife (Nika King) and their young daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman) enjoying some family time at the beach on a faraway planet called Somaris. We learn Nevine is seriously ill, and Mills has accepted a job at triple his normal salary to help pay for his daughter’s treatment. The problem is, the job will keep him away from his family for two years.

We then jump ahead one year. While his passengers and crew sleep in cryo-stasis, Mills pilots their long-range exploratory mission. Things are going smoothly until their ship flies into an asteroid field where they take catastrophic damage which sends them careening towards a nearby uncharted planet – our earth some 65 million years ago. The ship breaks apart while entering the planet’s atmosphere and violently crash-lands on the forest surface. Mills manages to survive but his human cargo aren’t so lucky.

Marooned on a mysterious unknown planet, all alone, and with no means of communication, Mills is content to resign all hope (we later see why he’s so quick to give up). But while exploring his strange new surroundings, he comes across a cryo-pod in some wreckage. Inside is a little girl close to his daughter’s age – her vital signs stable. From the ship’s manifest Mills learns her name is Koa (played wonderfully by Ariana Greenblatt) and she was traveling with her parents, both of whom were killed in the crash.

At first a reluctant Mills has no interest in taking on a father figure role. He finds communicating with Koa to be difficult (she speaks a language he doesn’t understand) and her presence sparks some painful feelings. Yet over time a bond forms between the two wounded souls. Even more, Mills feels a connection to his own daughter through Koa. So he determines to get Koa off the planet. But to do so will require them to journey nearly ten miles to the top of a mountain where a escape vessel from their ship has landed.

Of course they quickly learn that the planet they’re on is full of dangers and threats, many of the prehistoric kind. Soon they’re dodging scalding geysers, swatting massive bugs, and frantically running from carnivorous CGI dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. Mills turns into the fatherly protector, blasting away at Raptors and T-Rexes with his space rifle and ushering Koa to safety. But Koa shows herself to be brave and resourceful. Together, Driver and Greenblatt have a warm chemistry, and they’re an easy pair to root for.

Filming took place in the pine-covered hills and hardwood bottoms of Louisiana’s Kisatchie National Forest which gives the 65 million-year-old landscapes both an alluring beauty and a forbidding sense of peril. DP Salvatore Totino bathes too many of his images in cold blues and grays, but the overall look is striking. And there’s a fun and ferocious variety of dinosaurs thanks to the teams at Framestore and Ghost VFX. It all adds a visual quality to a story that may be pretty light, but that is also very honest about what it is. And frankly, that was enough for me. “65” is out now in theaters.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

The unfortunate demise of Zack Snyder’s DC superhero universe has made it hard to know what to expect from upcoming hold-over movies such as “The Flash”, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, and the just released “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”. New DC head-honcho James Gunn has spoken highly of all three films and has indicated that they each have roles to play in what he has planned going forward. Whether that’s true or just studio speak remains to be seen.

I was a big fan of Zack Snyder’s vision. Where Kevin Feige’s MCU sought to stress the humanity of its heroes, Snyder looked at humanity through the prism of his god-like characters. It may sound like a small detail, but it gave the two universes a much-needed contrast. Interestingly, 2019’s “Shazam!” was the most MCU-like DC movie to come during Zack Snyder’s tenure. It made money and received good reviews. But it was a little too silly and lighthearted for my taste.

Regardless of my thoughts of its tone, “Shazam!” was well directed by David F. Sandberg and it had the pitch-perfect star in Zachary Levi. Both return in the inevitable sequel “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”, a movie that began production before the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the dissolution of the Snyder-led DCEU. Now several delays later and with a cloud of uncertainty over the character’s future under James Gunn looming, the film is finally getting its release.

Screenwriter Henry Gayden also returns from the first film, this time helped with the script by Chris Morgan of “Fast & Furious” fame. As before, their story is infused with the same whimsical brand of humor although this time it’s dialed back just a bit. I’m guessing that’ll disappoint some, but for me it was a plus. Interestingly, their two big antagonists, the Daughters of Atlas, are plucked straight from Greek mythology and don’t actually appear in DC Comics. But Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu) turn out to be a fun and menacing (enough) duo.

Once again the movie follows the spirited teen Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who is transformed into a super-powered adult (played by Levi) whenever he yells the magically charged word “SHAZAM”! That’s when he’s instantly imbued with “the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury”.

Despite getting more comfortable with his powers, Billy still finds it difficult juggling life as a 17-year-old living with his foster parents (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) and being a superhero to his hometown Philadelphia. Even more challenging for a kid in an adult’s body is his well-meaning yet sometimes overbearing impulse to lead and protect his super empowered foster siblings. It’s especially frustrating to his foster brother Freddy (a delightful Jack Dylan Grazer) and his foster sister Mary (Grace Currey).

Sandberg kicks things off with two terrific scenes that serve as introductions. The first takes place at a museum in Athens, Greece. Two people decked in Ancient Greek armor enter the crowded museum like cosplayers at a convention. But they quickly reveal themselves to be the Daughters of Atlas, and they’ve come to reclaim a broken staff that’s said to be crafted from the mystical Tree of Life. They believe it to be rightfully theirs, and once they seize the two pieces, they let out some of their anger on the museum-going innocents. It’s a grim sign of things to come.

Over in Philadelphia, Billy and his super-family race to help the many citizens trapped on the collapsing Ben Franklin Bridge. They get everyone to safety but don’t exactly save the bridge, prompting the local newspapers to label them the Philly Fiascos. Back at home, Billy is worried about aging out of the foster system and losing another family. Meanwhile Freddy hits it off with a new girl at school named Ann (Rachel Zegler). These are just some of the human elements that play a big part in the movie, much as they did in the first film.

Of course everything leads to the Daughters of Atlas coming to Philly to duke it out with Billy and his fam. The buildup to the big climax is filled with giddy talk of magic and mythology, but Sandberg is smart enough not to take things too seriously. Much of it comes from Djimon Hounsou who returns as the master wizard still regretting choosing Billy as his champion. His story here doesn’t make much sense, but he’s sure having a great time. Same with Mirren and Liu who are given the bare minimum to get by in terms of backstory. But they’re a lot of fun in their roles.

With the exception of a few underwritten characters, some occasional convolution, and a little late movie cringe, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” was an unexpected treat and a surprising step up from the first film. It’s unashamedly silly, but it has the heart and humor fans will be looking for. There’s some cool creature designs, big action, and several fun set pieces. Oh, and there’s a dragon. Yet underneath the layers of expensive digital effects is a story of friendship, family, and sacrifice. And it’s all once again carried by Zachary Levi, who may never suit up as Shazam again, but he’s sure been good when he has. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” hits theaters today.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

It was just last year that the once thought dead and buried Scream franchise was brought back to life with an unremarkable and at times painfully dumb fifth installment. In keeping with the goofy yet popular trend, that movie was simply titled “Scream”, despite being the fifth film in the slasher series. It brought in some legacy characters, mixed them in with a new younger batch, and spent much of its time killing off many of them. Most importantly (especially for Paramount), the movie was mostly well received and earned a hefty profit at the box office.

That means a sequel was all but guaranteed, and surprisingly they didn’t wait long. “Scream VI” lands in theater just a little over a year after its predecessor. It brings back most of the survivors from the last slaying (notably absent is Neve Campbell – a shame) and it adds a few newbies to the slaughter. Thankfully, “Scream VI” is a step up from the last year’s flick. Unfortunately it stumbles in some of the very same places, especially in the final 30 minutes where the unintentional goofiness overflows.

One thing I enjoy about the Scream movies (more specifically the first two) is how its cutlery-loving killer Ghostface isn’t some unkillable supernatural monster under the mask. In fact Ghostface is never the same person which adds a fun whodunit element to the stories. While it has increasing gotten harder to believe, the idea is that the killer is a regular Joe (or Joes) with his or her or their own twisted motivations for carving up their fellow cast members.

While Ghostface might not be supernatural, in “Scream VI” you start to wonder if everyone else is. With a near laughable regularity, characters survival brutal encounters with Ghostface’s blade, quickly bouncing back as if nothing happened. Several characters get savagely gut-stabbed but within seconds are perfectly fine. One gets stabbed at least ten times but a minutes later is alive and cracking jokes. One gets stabbed several times and even shot, but don’t worry. After a short breather they’re good to go. Another gets cut and sliced to the point where I was waiting for their guts to slither out. But mere moments later they’re making their escape out a window. You’d think it was an ongoing joke except it’s never played for laughs.

And then we get to the story itself. Returning screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick move the story from the blood-soaked California town of Woodsboro to New York City. Half-sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega), both survivors from the previous film’s killing spree, have moved away from Woodsboro but the trauma has followed them across the country. Tara enrolls in college hoping to put the past behind her. It’s tougher for Sam, who attends therapy and is the subject of nasty online conspiracies claiming she orchestrated and carried out that more recent Woodsboro murders.

Sam and Tara are accompanied to the Big Apple by twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), also Woodsboro survivors. This “Core Four” is joined by the erotically charged Quinn (Liana Liberato), the shy and geeky Ethan (Jack Champion), Mindy’s flame Anika (Devyn Nekoda), and Josh (Danny Brackett), a hunky neighbor with eyes for Sam. A couple of classic characters return s well, Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor of the 2011 Woodsboro slayings and now an FBI agent, and investigative reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox).

The movie wastes no time getting going with Ghostface butchering two film school students in their New York City apartment. Quinn’s father, NYPD detective Wayne Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) calls Sam in for questioning after her ID and a Ghostface mask is found at the murder scene. A little later, her therapist (an expendable slab of meat) is brutally done away with and yet another clue is left pointing to Sam. She and her friends know she’s being set up, but by who?

From there, it’s all about survival and suspects as co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett usher us through another Scream installment that feels bigger and broader than it actually is, in large part thanks to its New York setting (it was actually shot in Montreal). But at its core, “Scream VI” is really more of the same. It follows its signature formula, mixing horror and black comedy with varying degrees of success. And there’s also the meta-commentary, although here it feels much more tacked on and out of obligation.

As for the characters, they’re a pleasant enough group and there’s some decent chemistry between them. But too often logic gets tossed out the window and some of their actions (especially in the final third) are mind-numbingly dumb. You go for the knife in the downed killer’s hand rather than the gun that’s right behind you? You really leave your sibling behind on the subway despite all that’s going on? Just a few of the many headscratchers that are no fault of cast (Barrera and Ortega are especially good). But the writing does them no favors.

All of that said, “Scream VI” isn’t without its strengths. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett serve up the goriest Scream movie to date. Watching victims hop up and walk away from Ghostface’s attacks neuters some of the brutality. But we still get some delightfully effective kills. We’re also treated to some tense and thrilling set pieces. One takes place in a downtown bodega. Another is in Sam and Tara’s apartment. And there’s a great sequence on a subway that builds some palpable suspense before ending terribly. These scenes are when the movie is at its best.

“Scream VI” is sure to make a lot of money which all but assures us a seventh installment. As for this one, it takes its show on the road but mostly sticks with what has worked for it. Aside from its setting, if there is another noticeable difference it’s that the film takes a step away from traditional horror. Scares are traded in for more action. Think “Fast & the Furious” minus the cars and starring Ghostface (there’s even a reoccurring mention of “family” in case you needed proof). Yes, it brings a new energy to the franchise. But as a big fan of Wes Craven’s original, it’s kinda sad to see the series go the more poppy route while merely giving lip service to the things that made the early films great.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Randall Park makes his directorial debut with “Shortcomings”, a romantic(ish) comedy written by Adrian Tomine. In many ways the film bucks many of the trends that have become synonymous with the romcom genre. But in several other ways it falls right in line with what we’ve come to expect. Ultimately it’s that inconsistency, along with some pretty glaring box-checking, that keeps the movie from fully gelling.

At first, Ben (Justin H. Min) and Miko (Ally Maki) seem like a form-fitting couple. They have their different likes and unique perspectives. For example he’s obsessed with artsy cinema while she’s much more politically minded. Yet differences aside, they’ve been together for six years and seem to love each other. But we start seeing cracks in their relationship which comes to a head when Miko gets accepted to a three-month internship in New York City. They agree to take “some time off” and she goes to the Big Apple while he stays in California.

Ben is a mix of pitiful and insufferable, and his only release outlet is his best friend Alice (Sherry Cola). She’s your stereotypical romantic comedy comic relief. She risqué, eccentric, and faithful, but mainly there to fill in a role and get some quick laughs. Cola’s performance is good and she does hit us with a funny line or two. But she’s the prototypical romcom sidekick who stands by the lead character and drops nuggets of wisdom in between her crude gags and obvious observations.

After Miko doesn’t answer his calls, Ben quickly looks for a cure to his loneliness. He starts by hanging out with Autumn (Tavi Gevinson), a wacky new employee at the movie theater he manages. Later it’s an acquaintance of Alice’s named Sasha (Debby Ryan). But they only open his eyes to what he had with Miko. The question is, has he waited too late to finally realize what he had? And does he have it in him to put his own ego aside?

We get some really good performances from Min and Maki who both do well in bringing out their characters’ personalities. But best is how Park writes them. While Ben is tough to bear, Miko is no angel which leads to some fairly interesting second half tension. Jacob Batalon also pops up in a small but funny role (he has one particularly funny line that Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will definitely enjoy).

Yet as a whole “Shortcomings” doesn’t offer as much to its genre as it clearly hopes to. It shows signs of originality and even ends on a pretty satisfying note. But you can see it working hard to have a modern appeal, despite leaning on a few too many tropes. Ultimately nothing about it feels all that fresh. It’s certainly a solid debut for Park. But the inconsistencies of the script, are a little too much for the first-time director to overcome.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS