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

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT (2023)

December 22, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. It’s always disappointing when a book is so interesting and enjoyable to read, only to be followed up by a movie version that doesn’t live up to the source material. My son recommended the 2013 best-selling non-fiction novel from Daniel James Brown, and it was truly fascinating to read such an inspirational story around the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Of course, we all know the Jesse Owens story, yet somehow the remarkable and unlikely tale of the University of Washington crew team never received the publicity it earned. Director George Clooney (GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, 2015) and screenwriter Mark L Smith (THE REVENANT, 2015) have attempted to reach a wider audience by adapting Brown’s book for the big screen.

The story begins in Seattle during the Great Depression. Engineering student Joe Rantz (an excellent Callum Turner, EMMA., 2020) is behind on his tuition and has had no luck securing work. We learn Joe has been on his own for years, and has remained focused on his education despite living in such poverty that he frequently goes without meals and uses folded newspapers to keep dirt and moisture out of the hole in his shoe sole. His buddy Roger (Sam Strike) informs him of crew tryouts, and a spot on the JV team comes with a job and stipend. No-nonsense coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) isn’t much for motivational speeches and lets the rookies know most won’t survive the training to claim one of the eight seats on the boat.

Contradictory arguments can be made that director Clooney either took on too much of the story, or not enough. The result is a middling movie about an incredibly inspirational story of underdogs reaching the highest levels of achievement. Included here are only brief glimpses of the personal life of Coach Ulbrickson and his pertinent past, the motivation and wisdom of boat maker George Pocock (screen vet Peter Guiness), and the blossoming romance between Joe and Joyce (up and coming Hadley Robinson, LITTLE WOMEN, 2019). However, the biggest gap here is the connection and camaraderie between Joe and his teammates. The importance of working together “as one” is preached, but we aren’t privy to how this happened so quickly. Skimming over this is the film’s major flaw, as that bond is the key to their growth and success. By the end of the film, most will only recall Joe’s name and two or three other faces on the team.

The racing scenes on the water were surely challenging to film, and come across as realistic, even though we know these are actors and not world class athletes. The rich versus poor element is touched on, as are the politics which, yes, even existed in sports 90 years ago. Initially it’s the newcomers against legendary coach Ky Ebright (Glenn Wrage) and his favored team from Cal, and then it becomes the blue-collar Washington boys against the Ivy League elites … before heading to Berlin. The Olympics give us swastikas, a cheesy meet between the boys and Jessie Owens, and Daniel Philpott reprising his portrayal as Hitler from “The Crown”, only with more outlandish mannerisms.

The radio broadcasts provide a nostalgic look of how challenging it was to keep up with things during the era, and the newsreels are another nice touch. For those who have never been part of a crew, the term coxswain is likely a new one, and Clooney includes actual photos of the team over the closing credits. The memorable quote is “We were never eight, we were one”, but for some reason director Clooney thought it a good idea to have a lame framing device set in more modern times around this historic tale. Somehow, we don’t feel the adrenaline rush we should during this movie as it falls short of Oscar winner CHARIOTS OF FIRE (1981), perhaps the film that Clooney was attempting to mimic.

Opening in theaters nationwide on December 25, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER (2023)

November 3, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. Karen Dionne’s 2017 bestselling novel is the source of this film from director Neil Burger (THE ILLUSIONIST, 2006), and it has been adapted for the screen by co-writers Elle Smith and Mark L Smith (THE REVENANT, 2015). Having not read the book, I am unable to offer a comparison, however, it’s probable that the film moves at a faster pace and that the book fills in much detail that the two-hour runtime is forced to skip over. Typically, neither of this would result in an improvement, yet the performances are strong enough to generate enough tension and suspense to satisfy most viewers (if not the book’s fans).

Opening with some very cool shots through the marshlands, the story takes us deep in the forest as a father (Ben Mendelsohn) teaches survival skills to his 10-year-old daughter, Helena, played by Brooklynn Prince who was so memorable in THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017). One of the lessons ends with the father proclaiming, “You must always protect your family.” Yes, it’s about as obvious as foreshadowing can get. There is a level of creepiness to the off-the-grid cabin living of Jacob, his daughter Helena, and Helena’s mother (Caren Pistorius, SLOW WEST), and once we realize the situation, it leaves us wishing we had experienced a bit more of the misery and fear that will ultimately determine the future of these three people (plus some others). In other words, the film shoots through this first act a bit too quickly.

We then flash forward twenty or so years, and find a grown-up Helena (Daisy Ridley) married to Stephen (Garrett Hedlund, MUDBOUND) living a comfortable suburban life as they raise their young daughter Marigold (Joey Carson). Helena has chosen not to tell Stephen her past, and that secret comes crashing down when her father Jacob (known as The Marsh King) escapes from prison and comes looking for her. Father and daughter reunite at the old cabin in the woods, and things go a bit bonkers; however, that earlier foreshadowing comes into play, and Helena finds herself utilizing those early daddy lessons against that same daddy.

Daisy Ridley has the physicality required to pull off this role and her resemblance to young Brooklynn Prince is uncanny. Mendelsohn is, as always, a menacing presence using subtle movements and that remarkable voice. A supporting nod goes to Gil Birmingham (HELL OR HIGH WATER, 2016) for a key role as well. At its best, the film (and I assume the book as well) captures the sometimes remarkable contrast between childhood perspective and that of a grownup. We can only hope that for most folks, it’s not similar to that of Helena.

Opening in theaters on November 3, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE MIDNIGHT SKY (2020)

December 22, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. Screenwriter Mark L Smith has described his adaptation of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s book, “Good Morning, Midnight”, as a cross between the Oscar-winning GRAVITY (2013) his own THE REVENANT (2015, nominated for 12 Oscars). It’s a lofty comparison, and unfortunately, one that doesn’t prove out. Two-time Oscar winner George Clooney takes on the dual role of director and lead actor, and it’s his first movie role since 2016’s MONEY MONSTER.

Clooney plays Dr Augustine Lofthouse, a renowned scientist, and the only one staying behind as everyone else evacuates the Arctic Observatory after some unspecified “event” as left the earth uninhabitable. Augustine has a terminal disease (also unspecified) and evidently decides to stay behind because he likes drinking alone and self-administering blood transfusions. The drinking alone fun ends when he “finds” a stowaway young girl named Iris (Caiolinn Springall in her first film) and must assume the role of father-figure. To complicate matters, Iris doesn’t speak.

It’s 2049, and the film cuts between 3 storylines. While Augustine and Iris and working on a survival plan, we get flashbacks to a time when he was a younger scientist (played by Gregory Peck grandson Ethan Peck) and sacrificing a relationship with Jean (Sophie Rundle, “Peaky Blinders”) to focus on his career. The third story occurs simultaneously with Augustine and Iris, and involves Aether, a manned spacecraft on a years long mission to determine if Planet K23 can be inhabited by humans. The crew is commanded by Adewole (David Oyelowo, SELMA), and includes his partner, a pregnant Sully (Felicity Jones, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING), pilot Mitchell (Kyle Chandler, “Bloodline”), navigator Sanchez (Demian Bichir, THE HATEFUL EIGHT), and rookie astronaut Maya (Tiffany Boone, “Hunters”).

When Augustine learns of Aether and its route back to Earth, he takes it as his responsibility to inform them that they need a new plan. In order to do this, he and Iris must trek across the frozen Arctic tundra through a blinding snowstorm to reach the satellite equipment that will allow communication with Aether. This road trip through a whiteout allows for the best effects during the Augustine/Iris section. Aboard Aether, the crew is relatively non-descript, but there is a spacewalk segment that is quite something to watch thanks to the cinematography of Martin Ruhe. There is also a visually interesting segment featuring blood in zero gravity.

So what we have is a three-piece post-apocalyptic science-fiction space survival tale with a surprise twist that won’t surprise anyone. It’s likely meant as a warning about how we are destroying our planet, and global catastrophe may not easily be solved through space exploration. The film presents an interesting symmetry between the vast wasteland of Arctic winter vs the vastness of space … neither seem to have borders or boundaries, yet are fraught with dangers. If you pay much attention to the story, you’ll likely be disappointed; however, if you watch for the visuals, you should be fine.

Premieres on Netflix December 23, 2020

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Posted by David Ferguson