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Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Next Goal Wins (2023)

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Films based on actual events tend to be compelling, and sports-related ones are no exception. Next Goal Wins is a sports film based on a soccer team’s real-life defeat and a 2014 documentary on said game. The people associated with the American Samoa soccer team are still alive; a filmmaker can talk to those associated with the team and see what became of those individuals in preparing a film like this. It’s an advantage because the game happened within the last 20 years, not 200. First-person accounts are invaluable to any story being told, no matter the method of storytelling. 

Taika Waititi is the first thing you see in the film, and it’s jarring, setting an uncomfortable tone for the film immediately. He also narrates throughout the movie, and it would have been better if he hadn’t, or at least used another character to do it. But he doesn’t know when enough is enough. The same is true of his jokes; they are not funny and make the American Samoans in the movie seem like idiots. They’re not, but how you frame/depict a culture or nationality on a global scale that probably knows nothing about them matters. Island life is much different than how mainlanders live; Taika knows this, so it’s surprising that many aspects of them came across that way. 

I’m less shocked that the American Samoa team lost so horribly to Australia in the 2001 World Cup qualifier 31-0 than I am that director/writer Taika Waititi made a soccer film that doesn’t actually focus on soccer. They practice and play in the movie, and they point out how horrible they are (repeatedly). The entire film centers around them wanting to score a single goal so much that they get a new coach. But the reason why they all play, despite being the worst team in the world, is never mentioned. 

Scene from ‘Next Goal Wins’ Image: Searchlight Pictures

Anyone familiar with the bizarre and often complicated rules of international soccer (football) understands that many teams/clubs have to fund themselves. The American Samoa team is no different; all the team members work multiple jobs to fund the team they play on, and jobs on an island are not infinite. So it’s fair to wonder why anyone wouldn’t just give up and let the team die. If Waititi knew the answer, he left it out of the film. Playing soccer on an island is reasonable compared to the 1993 film Cool Runnings, about a Jamaican bobsled team. If you’ve never seen it, I do recommend it for your watchlist, early 90s Disney that it is. In Cool Runnings, you didn’t have to wonder why those teammates wanted to do the impossible, what drove them, and what pushed them to improve. Or the simple fact that they collectively tried at all. The fact that the audience does about a soccer team, anywhere, shows how much Waititi missed the point of his own movie. 

I used to be a fan of the Chicago Bears, and I’ve seen Welcome to Wrexham, so I understand sticking with a team because of home team pride. What drives those to stick with the American Samoa soccer team doesn’t shine through in Next Goal Wins. Instead, it tries and poorly executes, making it about Thomas Rongen (Fassbender). He’s a terrible coach that no one wants, sent to a team no one takes seriously. On America Samoa, he’s oddly put in the position to get over himself while babysitting a team that can’t play. He’s so preoccupied with self-loathing and liquor that he doesn’t even notice they don’t fully understand how to play soccer. A team member, Jaiyah (Kaimana), takes pity on Rongen and helps him so he won’t quit them, too, while he views her as a surrogate daughter for his own whose phone calls he keeps missing. It’s the most self-esteem and character development in the whole film, and it’s absolute bullshit. The depiction of Coach Rongen in this film is the opposite of the man in real life. When adapting something to the screen, there has to be room for artistic license, but that’s not the same thing as what Waititi did in this film regarding Rongen’s character. 

Michael Fassbender in ‘Next Goal Wins.’ Image: Searchlight Pictures via theguardian.com

I wanted to see this because Michael Fassbender was in it. They can’t all be winners. Fassbender alone isn’t enough to save this film from itself or Taika Waititi. Next Goal Wins isn’t redeemable because it lacks a clear direction and is demonstratively insulting to those it’s based on. It’s easy to say a film like that has no place on anyone’s watchlist. If you’re genuinely interested in the American Samoan soccer team or the 2001 game, watch the 2014 documentary instead.

  • A Pen Lady

Directed: Taika Waititi  Rated: PG-13  Runtime: 1h 44m  Studio: Searchlight Pictures  Screenwriter: Taika Waititi, Iain Morris  Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kaimana, Oscar Kightley, Elisabeth Moss

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Madame Web (2024)

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Not every character who has graced the pages of a comic book needs an origin story. Many characters can be fleshed out from page to screen successfully when their tale is interwoven with another’s. The back and forth, like the ebb of the tides, is a manner of storytelling that (when done correctly) creates intrigue, character development, a good pace, and investment in the unfolding story. Sony’s Madame Web is absolutely none of these things! 

In Madame Web, the main character is Cassandra Webb (Johnson), a paramedic partnered with Ben Parker (Scott). Yes, that Ben Parker. The film thinks it’s set in 2003. However, multiple pop culture references throughout the film indicate that research and continuity meant nothing to the movie’s creators. So, let’s stick with 2003. While Ben’s character is largely inconsequential to the film, it’s a nice nod to his character being depicted by someone other than an old man. 

The hot mess of a storyline centers around Cassandra, aka Cassie, trying to save three teenage girls, Julia (Sweeney), Anya (Merced), and Mattie (O’Connor), from a man in a black bodysuit, Ezekiel (Rahim). Spider-man doesn’t exist yet and won’t for a while, so I’m not saying spider-suit because it creates the wrong image in your mind. Ezekiel has powers and visions of the three girls above killing him one day, though, in his vision, they are much older and have powers of their own. To survive, he has to kill them first. No other motivation or explanation exists. There is also zero indication of how these three women will one day become versions of Spider-Woman. Putting the three of them in costumes for less than a minute of screen time and overhyping that in the trailer is nothing short of catfishing by the studio. 

Isabela Merced, Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, & Celeste O’Connor in ‘Madame Web.’ Image: Sony via hollywoodreporter.com

This story has no character development, thus no creation of intrigue of what will happen next to any of the characters, so you’re not invested in the outcome of any of them. This is all on top of Cassie’s clairvoyant powers, which are so heavily visualized in the film, so there is no tension or suspense because you already know what will happen or not. 

Sony does what they want with the Marvel characters they own the licensing rights to. The problem is that despite doing films with these characters “in association with Marvel,” Sony doesn’t ever seem to care about how much better their characters could be or how much money they could make by not cutting off their own nose to spite their face. For example, in the comics, Madame Webb is a mutant. Given that Marvel will hopefully utter the “M” word at some point in a live-action project again one day, why would Sony create this origin story? Not all roads need to intersect, but why try and fix what isn’t broken? Cassie’s origin in Sony’s telling undermines the iconic and older origins of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. Considering how well each iteration of his storyline has done for Sony over the last twenty years, it’s not a leap to wonder why.

Dakota Johnson in ‘Madame Web’ Image: Sony via ImdB.com

Rahim’s Ezekiel is the primary source of terrible audio dubbing throughout Madame Web, though he’s not the only character. So, in films, when it’s too loud to catch a line an actor has said, or when it gets muddled during an action sequence, actors go into a studio after the fact and re-say their lines so they are clear and understandable. Good audio editors will add them and match the words with the mouth movements, and the audience is none the wiser except when it’s not. Even worse is when the studio is too lazy or cheap to reshoot the scene in question when that doesn’t match up, or the lines are outright changed long after the scene has been shot. In foreign films, I get it. When it happens in the original language of the project, no. 

Holding up Ezekiel to every other actor who has depicted a Marvel villain associated with Spider-Man, he sucks. There is no comparison between him and William Dafoe or James Franco’s Goblins. Madame Web’s attempt at a bad guy is a first-year film school lesson on what not to do. Madame Webb as a character should have been performed by someone able to play indifference well. Dakota Johnson gives off that vibe without any effort. As for the teenage trio, they run around with little to do than bicker. 

Tahar Rahim in ‘Madame Web’ Image: Sony via superherohype.com

Sony won’t, but Marvel should forget this film ever happened in terms of reusing characters and introducing them later into the MCU. Retcon this movie, relegate it to someplace in the multiverse no one will ever visit. Except to recast Sydney Sweeney as Felicia Hardy/BlackCat one day. Next to Morbius (another Sony/Marvel film so terrible I won’t even review it), Madame Webb is a hot mess unworthy of your time or higher brain functions and has no place on your watchlist. Sony really should stick to making TVs and audio speakers and not on filmmaking; it’s not where they shine.

  • A Pen Lady

Director: S.J. Clarkson  Rated: PG-13  Runtime: 1h 56m  Studio: Sony/Marvel Studios  Screenwriter: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker  Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Adam Scott, Emma Roberts

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

The Skeleton Key (2005)

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“It can’t hurt you if you don’t believe.”

Have you ever been told a story by someone and impatiently waited for them to get to the point? Or, wondered what the context was to make it worth your time and worth caring about? We all have, even to the point that we avoid people who ramble on and on. It’s not that what they have to say isn’t interesting, but how they tell the story is confusing or boring. The Skeleton Key can be viewed as such a story. 

It’s a shame because once you get to the end of this movie, you understand what was explained previously (early on in the film) as very relevant, but the delivery is off. In any thriller, you want breadcrumbs, even false leads, but you want something to engage the audience and build up suspense. One could be forgiven for thinking the director constructed a poor story frame because of ineptitude. However, I posit it was done as a method for the audience to feel what the main character, Caroline (Hudson), felt. To be in the mindset of the protagonist. 

Caroline is a hospice caregiver working toward nursing school who leaves a facility to work as a live-in aid for a woman’s dying husband. Caroline cares so much that people don’t die alone; she ignores the warnings. Several other people have left the job posting, which pays $1,000 a week. It’s remote, the wife is deflective and rude, and the husband doesn’t actually seem like he’s dying. Mix all that in with some psychological swamp magic, and you have the setup for Skeleton Key.

Kate Hudson in ‘The Skeleton Key’ Image: Universal Studios via imdb.com

Part of getting into the mindset of the characters of this story for the director was filming on location in Louisiana. The atmosphere of the area, the house, would be a supporting character in a way for the cast to work off of. In a psychological thriller, I can see how that would help an actor’s performance. 

This role is a nice departure from the romantic comedies that Kate Hudson usually did when this film was made. It allowed her to flex her acting chops in a different manner, and it worked for her. Working alongside Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, and Peter Sarsgaard must have helped because they are all, respectively, amazing actors. John Hurt has only one line in the entire film; the rest is facial expressions and body language. He was an exceptional actor. 

John Hurt & Kate Hudson in ‘The Skeleton Key’ Image: Universal Studios via imdb.com

If you think of The Skeleton Key as a movie you turn your brain off for, ignoring logic for the duration of the film, it’s not a terrible way to spend almost two hours. It creates tension and suspense more than it scares. Considering the onslaught of horror/gore/thriller movies out there as a dime a dozen now and the mislabeling of most of them, it can be hard to find a film that fits what you are looking for as a viewer. I don’t like gore or over-the-top spectacle. What I appreciate is the buildup, suspense, and thrills with a twist. Something reminiscent of John Carpenter’s original Halloween or Alfred Hitchcock than Rob Zombie. To each their own. 

If you’re looking for a change of pace, something new to watch, or a new addition to a Halloween night movie line-up, you can’t go wrong with The Skeleton Key. It’s well written, if not purposefully ambiguous in the beginning, well acted, and has a good ending. If you go into seeing this knowing nothing about it, the more surprised you’ll be, which is how it should be: spoiler-free. So go ahead and add The Skeleton Key to your watchlist.

  • A Pen Lady

Director: Iain Softley  Rated: PG-13  Runtime: 1h 44m  Studio: Universal Studios Screenwriter: Ehren Kruger  Cast: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt, Joy Bryant

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

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Director & Screenwriter: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert  Runtime: 2h 19m  Rating: R  Studio: A24  Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong 

Metaphysical, Philosophical, Enlightened, Trippy, Emotional,

Everything Everywhere All At Once won the Academy Awards for Best Picture. It had a solid cast, great directing, and cinematography. The script was well-written, though the story was weird as flark to me. 

Michelle Yeoh is incredible (as always) as a Chinese female Dr. Strange knock-off named Evelyn. With hotdog fingers, googley-eyes, and repeated references to a multi-verse, it’s a pretty apt parallel. She is pushed through multiple points in the multi-verse, where she encounters various versions of herself, which are all vastly different from her, of course, where she alone has to save all universes by interacting with her other selves. All while during an IRS audit by Agent Beaubeirdre (Curtis). Who doesn’t want to experience an acid trip or mental breakdown while at the IRS? This is the most minor mind-bending aspect of EEAAO. 

 Along the way, she encounters other versions of her husband, Waymond (Quan), daughter Joy (Hsu), and father, Gong Gong (Hong). All give fantastic multi-faceted performances. Playing one version of a character is one thing, but playing multiple versions of that character is another level of acting ability. 

Brian Le, Michelle Yeoh, Andy Le in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ 
Image: A24 via entertainmentweekly.com

The set designs are believable in the mundane, like the laundromat and apartment, to vivid and surreal other places. At a point, a person explodes into confetti just by being touched. While that’s bizarre, it’s also creative. Most of this film is full of examples of eccentric displays of behavior that borders on off-the-rails fun, and where the hell is this going? What’s the point of all this? This is the point, the second act, where I was done. There is so much going on simultaneously with no sense of where most of it connects to something else. Madness; it’s just chaotic. 

It’s not lost on me that this chaos personified parallels the madness we all face in life. A whole host of random shit we encounter and thus must deal with where from the outside it looks like total anarchy, and only from our inside takes does any of it make sense or have meaning. That mixed in with a question of “what if” about our potential and how and where our choices in life lead us. Family is also a big theme in this wacky film. Like the protagonist, there’s nothing humorous about my life. While I wish I could find solace in this cinematic display to enlighten people, they are not alone; they’re all on a similar, trippy ride, I can’t. It’s not my cup of tea, and that’s okay.

Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, & Jame Hong in ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once.’ 
Image: A24 Studios via Syfy.com

That’s the beauty of so many stories and points of view within a global film industry; everyone can tell a story that’s (ideally) meaningful in some way to some.

One of my first thoughts on this film was, what were the writers on when they wrote this? I thought the same thing about the original Willie Wonka movie with Gene Wilder once I understood what hard drugs were because I didn’t enjoy it as a kid. I can watch it now as an adult, and maybe I’ll come around someday, too, for Everything Everywhere All At Once. Despite my aversion to this movie, I’d still say put it on your watchlist because if the story doesn’t bother you, you’ll find a well-directed and performed two hours of entertainment. 

-A Pen Lady

Movie Reviews

The Marvels (2023)

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Directed: Nia DaCosta  Runtime: 1h 45m  Rated: PG-13  Studio: Marvel Screenwriter: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik  Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, Saagar Shaikh, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapoor

This is the perfect example of how to do a movie trailer! That was an excellent use of a Beastie Boys song, too.

The Marvels has a solid, serious plot yet, at the same time, is lighthearted and fun. After the decade-long buildup to Avengers: Endgame and Infinity War, Marvel Studios had nothing left in the tank, and phases 4 and 5 showed that. The best thing to come from those periods was their TV show, Ms. Marvel. The titular character in the show, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, is the burst of fresh energy the MCU desperately needed. Iman, like Kamala, is every comic book superhero fan personified by her character’s unbridled wonder and enthusiasm. She represents what every kid (and some adults) wonders, ‘What if I had superpowers?’ 

Kamala’s biggest role model is Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Larson). Larson reprises her role in what is effectively the second Captain Marvel movie. Larson and Villani are joined by Teyonah Parris, who reprises her role from WandaVision as a grown version of Monica Rambeau. Their mix of technical, brooding, and unabashed joyful personalities create this solid dynamic. And what makes the audience feel for the characters and their journey as they are thrown together. 

Iman Villani, Brie Larson, & Teyonah Parris in ‘The Marvels’ Image: Marvel Studios via Complex.com

This film still doesn’t address why Carol hasn’t aged in thirty years but shows why she never returned to Earth. That is the springboard for the plot of The Marvels. While the Kree are still entirely unlikeable in this film, because of Carol’s actions, you can feel why the villain of this film is doing what she is. Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn, the (now) leader and general of the Kree. 

I liked how The Marvels built on the origin story of Kamala’s powers and seamlessly and believably worked it into space, the Kree, and time travel. Those are where Carol and Monica operate, along with Nick Fury (Jackson) and Goose the Flurken. It feels organic in their meetup rather than manufactured as an excuse to get these characters together in the same room (project). I especially loved that they have Kamala’s family in the film, too! They are all wonderful in the Ms. Marvel TV show and a welcome addition to the film as well. I love the energy and love they all display. So happy they were included. 

Iman Vellani, Saagar Shaikh, Zenobia Shroff, & Mohan Kapoor in Marvel Studios film ‘The Marvels’ 
Image Credit: Marvel Studios via Geekculture.com

The first Captain Marvel film, and Brie Larson in particular, have endured a lot of hate and bullshit since its 2019 release, all of which is unnecessary. Many don’t love Iman Villani because viewers don’t like a TV show geared towards a younger audience. Or, they don’t respect that heroes are global and come from cultures different from Steve Rogers’s. Haters gonna hate. The MCU is a worldwide phenomenon, and as such, it should represent heroes from many backgrounds. While many movies come from America, it’s not just us who watch them. Many people worldwide come across this blog, so if this content isn’t your thing, don’t rag on it. Move on. 

Only some things need to be CGI heavy, and The Marvels is a good blend of special effects and actual people. It connects to the multiverse and answers previously unanswered questions while leaving the doors open to other areas of the MCU. Those areas can be tied to existing ones fans still hope to see manifested on screen. I appreciate the story of The Marvels for what it is: a needed stepping stone or foundational piece to building up new characters and stories. Viewers who always expect constant action without the buildup to the action don’t have an appreciation for storytelling. They also don’t have an attention span. I say that, and I have ADHD! Viewers are expected to care about the plot when watching a TV show or film and to be invested in the character’s journey. To do that, you need a buildup.

Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn in ‘The Marvels’ Image: Marvel Studios via heroichollywood.com

The Marvels is the return to a fun comic-based story with a point the MCU sorely needed. It helps set up the re-entry for old and new characters, continuing to intertwine Earth, space, and beyond and all the characters that come with it. The MCU’s phases four and five were a horrible intermission break, but time will show how the start of the second act with The Marvels was the way to go. This movie belongs on your watchlist. 

-A Pen Lady

Movie Reviews

Pause the Watchlist. Go Read a Book or Play a Board Game.

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After Covid shut the world down for two years, I knew there would be a wait for new content to hit screens. And so I waited, like everyone, and then things got released by studios and streamers. Content that had been pushed, or things that needed to finish in their various places in development. Mostly, I was vastly unimpressed, some of it being hot garbage unworthy of my brain cells. I became so fed up that I stopped reviewing anything for the bulk of this year. The number of things being released lacked anything truly joyful to watch, let alone rewatch in the future. Quality matters to me. Studios and streamers are only interested in cranking out as many unoriginal, overused ideas/themes (packaged in a matter that signals viewers lack an attention span or IQ to know better) as possible.

In the past, I’ve felt my “reviews” were basically rants. Not that I can’t follow a structure in how to frame my reviewing/commenting process to make it more uniform, I can, but originally I thought, ‘why’? It’s not like I have a publisher or editor to answer to with their own guidelines, it’s just me and the inside of my head. To a point, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as I stay true to this blog’s main goal/premise: to talk about movies without spoilers. That is so much harder than I thought it would be, but it is worth the effort! Yet, when all the stuff I watched ended up with me writing negative reviews…why post only those? I want a balance of the bad with the good. So, I needed to step back. If I watch movies, as I’ve always done, to be entertained, whisked away to somewhere else, into a story that makes me think and feel, that tone, positive or not, should be easily reflected in how I post about it, otherwise why bother?

Weeks after my decision to do that, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike. To date, they still are as are the actors/members of the Screen Actors Guild and at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) now as well.

Do I write about movies when I feel like it again if the strike is still on? I mulled that around for a few weeks a couple of months ago. The answer was simple to me: no. To review something a reader may add to their watchlist would, by extension, support studios and certainly streamers with “views” and/or rentals of items not on a streaming platform. I’m not delusional, there are not enough people who follow this blog for that to matter. It would be like a raindrop in the ocean, insignificant in the grand scope of it all. Yet, in good conscience, I have not. Fully understand that because of these two strikes, there will be another lull in new content after they end. I can wait. As I do, I only hope what comes out is better quality than what came out after the world went indoors for two years.

Whether I liked a film or not doesn’t matter because everyone who works on these projects deserves fair pay, healthcare, sane working hours and conditions, protections against AI and studios stealing one’s likeness, and more. No matter what job a person has, everyone deserves a livable wage, a safe place to work, and to be treated with respect.

I am not a member of the WGA or SAG-AFTRA so nothing prevents me from talking about past or current movies. While mentally I am ready to post again, I will not as a continued show of solidarity with WGA especially, and SAG-AFTRA members.

– A Pen Lady

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

The Founder (2016)

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Directed: John Lee Hancock  Rated: PG-13  Runtime: 1h 55m  Studio: TWC   Screenwriter: Robert Siegel  Cast: Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Linda Cardellini, Laura Dern, Patrick Wilson

The Founder follows the life-changing meetup of Ray Kroc (Keaton) and the McDonalds brothers. Highlighting the rise of instant gratification, meeting consumerism, and the billion-dollar-a-year business it all gave rise to; under the golden glow of some arches. 

In 1954 Ray Kroc was a desperate, terrible salesman. He saw potential buyers as dollar signs, nothing more. His only sales pitch never connected to those he attempted to sell milkshake machines. Except for one place, it wasn’t because Ray was a good salesman. 

John Carroll Lynch, Nick Offerman, and Michael Keaton in ‘The Founder’ Image Credit: TWC via Setdecorators.org

That big sale was to Dick (Offerman) and Mac (Lynch) McDonald’s restaurant in Southern California, the co-owners of the legitimately first McDonald’s hamburger joint. They liked what they had, appreciated that it worked (with proper oversight), and were content with their creation. Ray, on the other hand, saw potential and lots of dollar signs. That’s part of the ‘American dream,’ right? Why be content when you can be rich?

In the film, Ray aims to get the brothers to franchise and to see things his way. But they always say no. Some see the brothers as stubborn fools, but they aren’t; greed wasn’t their thing. They were happy, and Ray couldn’t understand this because nothing satisfied him.

‘The Founder’ Image: TWC via beyond50radio.com

That’s what The Founder boils down to, an antagonist who didn’t understand contentment and protagonists who were blind to how deep ambition went, what Ray calls persistence.

The casting for The Founder is superb. Offerman and Lynch are so in-tune with their characters and how they play off one another. It’s seamless. Keaton does a marvelous job of playing well–the walking personification of a greedy dick. 

Michael Keaton in ‘The Founder’ Image: TWC via Vox.com

Films based on a true story are only sometimes well done, let alone accurate, but the essence of the characters in this movie is spot on. It’s an excellent example of a cautionary tale of what happens to the “little guy” when legal loopholes, someone else’s vision, and manipulation play a role in a takeover. 

Cinematically this film is well-directed, edited, and flows logically from one part to the next. It’s easy to watch and compelling enough of a story to keep viewers engaged. I found it interesting, and I don’t even like McDonald’s. I haven’t eaten there in almost 20 years. Not every bio epic is done well, but The Founder is and is worth a place on your watchlist. 

A Pen Lady

2/23/23

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Causeway (2022)

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Directed: Lila Neugebauer  Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry Rated: R  Runtime: 1h 32m  Studio: A24/Apple TV  Screenwriters: Ottesa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel, Elizabeth Sanders

Causeway follows Lynsey (Lawrence), a woman from a crappy family who gets out of her Louisiana town the same way many in her situation do; she joins the military. When an explosion overseas leaves her with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), she’s sent home. She believes, as many service members often do that she’ll recover enough to return to duty. But to recover, she’s sent to the one place she doesn’t want to be; home. 

The filmmaker starts with the mundane—the part where Lynsey must learn how to be a person again. Cinematically the tone of the film conveys “the everyday person” and the settings that go with it. It’s subdued but thoughtful. The characters are silently driven by deep emotions, which reverberate in everything they do. 

Nothing exciting happens in this film. It’s the exhale between heartbeats, where the precipitating events already occurred, and what’s left is the aftermath. Being in the shoes of the broken is what Causeway wants from its audience. Usually, stories about returning war vets are male leads/perspectives and how it affects them and their families. It’s refreshing to see a female lead because women also serve and are affected by war trauma. 

Brian Tyree Henry and Jennifer Lawrence in A24/Apple TV’s ‘Causeway’ via NYT.com

The script is well written. It considers the nuances of dealing with a TBI, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, guilt, and depression. The life-numbing psychological toll it plays on a person, with none of the loud, stereotypical bullshit. Lynsey is in her own private hell, so when she encounters James (Henry), who is living with his own pain and guilt from a life-altering event, the two become friends. Lynsey’s personality makes this new relationship difficult, but James mostly understands. 

Causeway’s script is a masterclass depicting people in their most vulnerable state. Showing the raw emotional parts of ourselves that we all have, but without the fluff, heavy exposition, and unnecessary buildup. The tone and flow of this film are spot on. Those involved did their homework on these topics or knew someone well enough to reflect accurately on them. 

Jayne Houdyshell and Jennifer Lawrence in ‘Causeway’ from A24/Apple TV via IMDb.com

I wasn’t sure I wanted to review this film because, at first, I wasn’t sure how to articulate the nothingness I felt when it was over. Causeway didn’t make me consider the perspective of people with TBIs, PTSD, or guilt. And I appreciate serious films that make the audience think about the subject matter they’re watching. I felt nothing about how the movie ended. I’m not heartless, but I know people who have gotten TBIs. I have PTSD and a few members of the alphabet soup club, so I get it. I don’t have to put myself in the character’s shoes; in a way, I already have a pair. In this movie, the audience doesn’t see who Lynsey was before, only how she is now. The adulterated version of her is what there is now, despite whatever progress she makes for herself. 

Causeway is a looking glass into a subject, a reality for many that aren’t talked about enough and not understood enough by the average person. It depicts valuable insight into a reality many deal with and suffer through and is worth discussing. You may only ever watch it once, but Causeway deserves a place on your watchlist. 

-A Pen Lady

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Moonfall (2022)

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Directed: Roland Emmerich  Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 2h 10m Studio: Lionsgate Movies Screenwriter: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Spencer Coen 

Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Charlie Plummer, Michael Peña, Kelly Yu

Some movies are “so bad, they’re good,” which is a polite way of stating ‘it sucks, but not so much I couldn’t sit through it again.’ Moonfall is no such movie.

Watching the trailer for Moonfall, I cringed and snickered while the lines from a Britney Spears song popped into my brain regarding director and writer Roland Emmerich; “Oops!…I did it again!” 

In Moonfall, it’s not an all-out alien invasion, this time out to destroy Earth. No, it’s the ludicrous, deeply implausible manner in which the moon will swing around Earth until it smashes into it completely. 

Emmerich certainly has a genre type he likes to make, but his problem isn’t the genre; he can’t write anything original for it anymore. He suffers from the same issues as director/writer James Cameron; they recycle their past works with new packaging. It’s reminiscent of a bad copy-and-paste job for a word file. We, the audience, see it and the flaws, but why do we keep going to see these? Continuing to see these insults to cinema is (partly) why studios keep green-lighting these projects. We, the movie-goers, must stop this crazy cycle! Other filmmakers are guilty of this too, but it takes a certain level of arrogance and stupidity to keep letting it happen with high-budget projects. How many regurgitations of the same story from the same filmmaker do we need? 

Halle Berry & Patrick Wilson in Lionsgate Movies ‘Moonfall’ via NYT.com

Besides Moonfall giving off watered-down Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, and Transformers vibes, in the weakest sense, plot and storyline-wise, is the terrible dialogue! Point of observation, if you, the writer, write lines so frequently, in a non-comedic attempt, that has viewers thinking, “no shit, Sherlock,” or “thank you, Captain Obvious,” so much you could get half drunk a third of the way in, you need to rewrite. Or burn the script and start again. 

Even a good cast couldn’t have saved Moonfall from this poorly-written script, even with a good director. Yet, with Moonfall, the writing is mediocre (I’m being kind), the plot/story is ridiculous…and the acting. They may be lovely people, but when Halle Berry and John Bradley are your prominent cast members, even next to Patrick Wilson, what about that casting choice implies this film won’t be an abject failure? Halle Berry is the top billing for this film; I know it’s going to suck before I ever watch the trailer (totally misleading, BTW) because she can’t act! 

Image from Lionsgate Movie’s film ‘Moonfall’ via Polygon.com

The characters are all just…there. You can tell who’s related, who can’t stand who (and why), and how others are connected. Cool. It’s the end of the world, so who wouldn’t want their families safe? Still, none of them have depth or develop into someone or a subplot you want to root for. Why bother watching if you’re not invested in the characters or the story? 

There are so many plot holes and basic scientific blunders; the moon might as well be real Swiss cheese! How many people are required to launch a space shuttle? Three? Five? Oh, and the arrogance factor! A global catastrophe is occurring, and America is the only country to act or have a say in what to do about the moon. And, of course, there are nukes. At least in Emmerich’s Independence Day, there was communication and cooperation, or attempts at it. Here, no one but NASA is in charge until even they say, “fuck it, I’m out.” It’s a wonder the writers of this film had the balls to think the sequel they set this film up for would ever see the light of day. That will never happen! 

John Bradley in ‘Moonfall’ by Lionsgate Movies via DigitalSpy.com

If Independence Day 3 ever happens, I’d rather see that than watch this film again, let alone a sequel. Comparatively, Independence Day: Resurgence was a far superior film (that Emmerich only directed, thankfully) worth rewatching, or just about any other disaster/apocalyptic movie. 

Moonfall isn’t “so bad it’s good;” it’s a master class on multiple things not to do in a film. Ever. That’s nothing to waste your free time on, so skip placing this movie on your watchlist.

-A Pen Lady

Film Critic, Movie Blog, Movie Reviews

Empire Records (1995)

apenlady

Director: Allan Moyle Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 1h 30m
Studio: New Regency (Warner Bros.) Screenwriter: Carol Heikkinen
Cast: Liv Tyler, Ethan Embry, Robin Turner, Johnny Whitworth, Rory Cochrane, Debi Mazer, Renée Zellweger, Coyote Shivers, Maxwell Caulfield

Adolescence is messy and confusing; adulthood doesn’t improve this, and Empire Records zeros in on this truth, though audaciously. 

Films set in ’a day in the life’ can be challenging to embody multiple points about movies that make them watchable. Character development is such an area. Several characters staff the store at Empire Records, but there isn’t just one main focus. This film is centered around the plot, with the characters woven in, telling the story (as they should be) even if none of them is deep or developed. There’s just this right mix, blending, to make it all right. 

Rory Cochrane in ‘Empire Records’ by New Regency via IMDb.com

Joe (Lapaglia) is the manager of Empire Records, who is beloved by his (clearly longstanding) employees. Lucas (Cochrane) learns that the owner, Mitchell, wants to sell the store to a big box chain music outlet. Doing so insults independent stores and expression and would see them all fired. So, he takes all the money from that day’s sales and heads off to Atlantic City instead of the bank. That doesn’t go to plan and helps fuel the main drive of the story. To top off learning he’s been robbed (the next day), Joe must contend with the has-been 80s pop star, Rex Manning (Caulfield), being in his store signing autographs. The filmmakers seemed to go for a mashup of David Hasslehoff and Fabio, wearing tight ass pants and a puffy pirate shirt. 

Forget the reality that the store is constantly full of people, and a large chunk of the film centers around most of the staff in the back or elsewhere. Those extras are off-screen; think of them as paused for these moments. In these moments, we see slices of each employee as people and friends. Professionally who wouldn’t want all their workers to jive well together? Who wouldn’t want to go to a job they enjoyed without worrying about co-worker goobers? I think it’s a great accomplishment writing-wise and shown cinematically because they are all very different people. But that’s what you should strive for in a business like a record store, a great blend of people who are going to know a bit about every music type so they can best interact with the customers. However, there are few interactions with the customers in this store. There’s still time to catch shoplifters, which is one of the funnier sequences in the movie. 

Maxwell Caulfield & Brendan Sexton III in New Rengecy’s ‘Empire Records’ via Slashfilms.com

The cast is full of many actors who were early into their careers and went on to do more significant and more notable parts. Liv Tyler for Armageddon and Lord of the Ring trilogy. Ethan Embry for Can’t Hardly Wait, Sweet Home Alabama, Once Upon a Time. Robin Tunny in The Craft and The Mentalist. Empire Records is a fun story that needs to be enjoyed for the feel-good comedy of becoming an adult in the mid-90s. It’s not campy or cheesy and has a well-blended soundtrack that merges perfectly with the pace and tone of the overall film. Was it a box office flop? Hell yes! 

Empire Records is a film that knows what it is. It was never difficult to sell or market to the public, yet the studio utterly failed with the trailer for this film. They over-explained, gave away too many details, and left nothing to the imagination. If they had given this movie a proper trailer, more people would have gone to see it. Empire Records is on the list of films that bombed at the box office but rose to cult classic status, deservedly. 

Johnny Whitworth, Renée Zellweger, & Liv Tyler in New Regency’s ‘Empire Records’ via Ranker.com

If watching comedic movies without thinking about them seriously is your idea of a good time, Empire Records is a hidden nugget worth a place on your watchlist. Watch the trailer at your own risk. I dislike it so much that I opted not to include it in this post, but nothing I said was a spoiler, as it was in the trailer. Cheers!

-A Pen Lady