TWISTERS (2024)

July 18, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. Those that have lived through one often describe it as sounding like the roar of a freight train. Of course, they are referring to a devastating tornado … or “twister”. Oscar nominated director Lee Isaac Chung (MINARI, 2020) and writers Mark L Smith and Joseph Kosinski take on the follow up to Jan de Bont’s fan favorite TWISTER (1996). The earlier film featured a screenplay from renowned writer (the late) Michael Crichton and his then-wife Anne-Marie Martin, and the cast included the late Bill Paxton, the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Cary Elwes, and Lois Smith.  In that one, we learned Aunt Meg’s gravy is a food group, and are left with the memorable line, “We got cows”.

Chung’s opening sequence is frenetic and powerful … just as we’d hope and expect. Oklahoman Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones, WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, 2022) is leading her team dangerously close to a tornado so that she might obtain enough data to earn the grant needed to keep her dream alive. Hers is a dream of affecting tornadoes in such a way to minimize their power, and thereby minimize the death and destruction. The team is young and smart and passionate; however, they pay the price for the unpredictability of the same storms they are chasing and studying.

Five years later, we find Kate stuck in a NYC cubicle as a bullpen meteorologist. She’s given up on her dream of minimizing the effects of tornadoes. Well, at least until her old storm chasing teammate Javi (Anthony Ramos) shows up with a funded and credentialed team. All they need is Kate’s extraordinary ability to read storms so they can realize the dreams they had years ago.

Once in Oklahoma, Kate realizes that storm chasing is now entertainment for locals, and a social media ego trip for root’n toot’n cowboy Tyler Owens (Glen Powell, who has seemingly appeared in every single movie over the past two years, including TOP GUN: MAVERICK, 2022). Owens is a cult figure with one million followers as he broadcasts live while creating a spectacle in the storm. Soon enough we and Kate (although she’s a bit slow on the uptake) figure out that Javi’s well-funded team, including snooty MIT grad Scott (future SUPERMAN David Corenswet) is not what it seems (rich guys are evil), and of course, neither is Tyler Owens (there’s a tender heart buried in that ego).

The storm effects here are quite stunning. We feel the power and danger. It’s a remarkable technical achievement. Admittedly, this is a wild and fun ride … one filled with tense action and breathtaking visuals. On the other hand, most of the non-storm parts didn’t work for me, often dipping into a cheesy level. Daisy Edgar-Jones comes across as an Anne Hathaway knock-off, while Glen Powell re-deploys his 1970’s Burt Reynolds imitation filled with grins, smirks, struts, and self-satisfying charm. Both actors are lovely to look at, however, the connection comes across as fabricated. The character interactions and story depth stand in contrast to the original, and it’s impossible to avoid comparison.

Director Lee Isaac Chung last delivered a beautiful film with MINARI. In my review of that film, I called it “gentle story grounded in realism”. Obviously, his latest film was never meant to be that, but it’s a shame some of that couldn’t have been captured here. Perhaps the easiest way for me to explain this is by noting the similar feelings I had for the recent ROAD HOUSE remake of the 1989 original. Both of these new versions have exaggerated characters and hyper-action scenes. On the bright side, this difference is likely one that will only bother me and a few others, as I expect TWISTERS will be a massive late summer hit and one most will find thoroughly entertaining … despite replacing cows with chickens.

Opening in theaters on July 19, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE GREATEST HITS (2024)

April 4, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. If you are one for whom hearing a particular song, no matter how many times over however many years, brings back vivid memories of a person close to you or a memorable event, then you will likely relate to Harriet, the lead character in this film from writer-director Ned Benson (THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY, 2014). Additionally, if you have tragically lost someone special to you and find yourself cloaked in unshakeable grief, then you will also likely find common ground with Harriet.

Harriet (Lucy Boynton, so good in SING STREET, 2016) wears noise-cancelling headphones whenever she is in public. She is so concerned with controlling the songs she hears, that she now works in a library for the serenity that silence brings. These steps are for a good reason … they protect her from instantaneously being transported back in time to a specific moment with her beloved boyfriend Max (David Corenswet, “Hollywood” mini-series, and he’s the new Superman). For Harriet, these aren’t merely flashbacks or memories – she is physically transported back in time when she hears a song. Rather than HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, she’s living “Hi-Fidelity Time Machine”. Her trip only lasts as long as the song is playing, yet she has no control. Once back in real time, she is viewed as having had a seizure. It’s frightening stuff for her. However, instead of being concerned about her health, she is intent on finding the song that takes her back to the moment she can change the past and prevent the accident that cost Max his life.

Harriet’s BFF Morris (Austin Crute, BOOKSMART, 2019), a local DJ, has been very supportive of her grief, but it’s been two years since Max died, and Morris wants his friend to move on with life. Hope springs when Harriet meets David (a terrific Justin Min, “Beef”) at a grief counseling group event. The two are understandable tentative around each other, yet it’s obvious David is a good dude with the necessary patience to allow her to work through her grief. Harriet’s case of déjà vu with David comes full circle, and adds a nice touch to the delicate situation they find themselves locked in.

Wanting to change the past is something we have all thought of at one time or another, yet the physical transformations that Harriet experiences feel like something beyond science fiction, and bordering on psychological torture. Filmmaker Benson has delivered a film that is simultaneously relatable, while also landing pretty far outside the box. There is a throwback feeling here, despite the characters feeling very much of this day. As you might expect, the soundtrack is quite varied with some deep cuts … with Roxy Music being a key. Although there may not be any big surprises in how the story unfolds, the characters are so relatable, and it’s so well acted, that we find ourselves pulling for each of them to have a happy ending.

Opens in theaters beginning April 5, 2024, and streaming on Hulu on April 12, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

“Hollywood” (Netflix limited series, 2020)

May 1, 2020

Netflix limited series premiering May 1, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. “I want to go to Dreamland.” One might assume that phrase is related to Hollywood being the place where dreams can come true, but co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan take us down a much different path. The two have collaborated on the TV series “Glee”, “Scream Queens”, and “The Politician”, and here they offer up a revisionist history on the post- WWII Golden Age of Hollywood, in the vein of what Quentin Tarantino did in INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and ONCE UPON A TIME … IN HOLLYWOOD. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Brennan seemingly focused on idealistically imagining a film industry where one’s race, ethnicity, or sexual preference made little difference. In doing so, they devote significant time to racism and homophobia.

While the series mixes fact and fiction in such a way that the lines are often blurred, there are two main storylines that provide the backbone of the series: the actual suicide of 24 year old actress Peg Entwistle, which occurred in 1932 when she jumped from atop the Hollywoodland sign; and the mostly fictional crossing paths of a handful of aspiring actors, writers and filmmakers as they navigate the treacherous film industry waters. We see the new generation clashing with the establishment – a tale as old as time.

The 7 episodes cover approximately 7 hours, but it was somewhat challenging to make it through the first three. However, I’m so glad I stuck with it. The series starts off with what seems like a concerted effort to push every boundary possible in regards to sex and racism, with an emphasis on the proliferation of homosexuality within the industry. The characters that are new to town are trying desperately to survive as cling to the dream of their big break.

The series elevates significantly in Episode 4 when the attention turns to filmmaking and acting and running a studio. There is a terrific sequence where we bounce back and forth between two pairs of actors rehearsing for their auditions. We feel the pressure that actors endure during the audition process, and note the fine line … almost an indiscernible line … between success and failure. In addition to the newcomers trying to secure roles, we follow a gay, black first time screenwriter and a half-Filipino first time director. As a bonus, Eleanor Roosevelt is portrayed as preaching the social importance of a studio breaking from the industry norm.

“What if you could re-write the story?” is the tagline, and it applies not only to the screenplay of “Peg” (the movie within the movie), but also to Murphy and Brennan as they show how the industry should be, well except for the illicit sex, marital affairs, and mob interventions. Hypocrisy and double-standards are part of the fabric of the movie industry, but what if that gay, black screenwriter didn’t have his work defined by those labels, or the half-Filipino director wasn’t selected because he could pass as white, or if the talented black actress wasn’t relegated to playing domestic help? Those are the core issues at play here, and each of the characters has hopes of changing things in Hollywood.

As you would imagine, the cast here is deep and crucial to whether the project works or not. There are some acting veterans mixed with some regulars from Murphy’s previous projects. The newcomers in town are actor Jack Castello (David Corenswet), actor Rock Hudson (Jake Picking), actress Camille Washington (Laura Harrier), director Raymond Ainsley (Darren Criss), and screenwriter Archie Coleman (Jeremy Pope). These newcomers intermingle with industry types such as super-agent Harry Wilson (Jim Parsons, who gets the best dialogue in the series), Ace Studios owner Ace Amberg (Rob Reiner), his wife Avis Amberg (Patti Lupone), their daughter wannabe actress Claire (Samara Weaving), Ace’s mistress actress Jeanne Crandall (Mira Sorvino), Ace casting director Ellen Kinkaid (Holland Taylor), studio producer Dick (Joe Mantello), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Harriet Sansom Harris). Dylan McDermott shines as Ernie, the owner of Gold Tip Service Station, where customers come for the special service offered with the code word ‘dreamland’.

There is an underlying theme where most everyone here is acting – pretending to be something they aren’t. It begs the question, how much of yourself would you surrender for fame or money, or simply to avoid discrimination and hardship? There seems to a lust for fame, and a lust for just about everything except dignity. Three real life actors are noted for how they were marginalized as people and/or professionals based on either their race or sexual preference. The stories of Rock Hudson, Anna May Wong (Michelle Krusiec), and Hattie McDaniel offer up real life proof of the injustice that was prevalent during this era.

Movie history buffs will enjoy the name dropping, such as George Cukor’s party, and Noel Coward, Tallulah Bankhead, and Vivian Leigh. There is also fun to be had with industry terminology, but the purpose of the project has higher meaning. The dreams of those who arrive versus the power of those already there is on full display. The internal struggles and fallout that occurs when folks are trying to fit an image rather than stay true to themselves – that message is delivered. Dylan McDermott’s Ernie is meant to represent the reality of broken dreams that happen right down the street from where dreams come true.

Stylistically, the series is beautiful to look at. Even the opening credits have a surreal quality. The set/production design is top notch, from the studio lot to the sound stages to the small apartments decorated to the era … and the cars are spectacular. Black and White images are used sparingly, but effectively to stay true to his period in cinema, and the music/soundtrack is perfectly used and could be a top seller as a standalone. Watching the great Patti Lupone is reward enough, but seeing Dylan McDermott and Jim Parsons deliver their best ever work is really something to behold. The debate of Money versus Art versus Social Responsibility could fill many textbooks, and Murphy and Brennan succeed in getting us to think. For those that can fight through the first three episodes, the payoff is there (OK, the ending is a bit hokey), and as Hattie McDaniel tells us, “the most important thing is being in the room.”

watch the trailer:

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Posted by David Ferguson