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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse finds itself immediately in the “best ever” conversation for animated films and Spider-Man films, animated or otherwise. Regarding sequels in the comic book movie genre – really sequels of any kind – this might also be best. That may sound like hyperbole. It is not. The film doubles and triples down on what made the first movie work while expanding the universe incalculably. It’s the comic book film version of “Aliens.” While Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen already occupy sizable space within the comic book entertainment zeitgeist, this film thrusts both characters into household name status through Academy Award level writing/storytelling, groundbreaking visuals, and most importantly, an emphasis on creating relatable leads that anyone with a pulse will care greatly for.
Across the Spider-Verse is a sincere love letter to comic book fans of all ages without a drop of cynicism. Whether you grew up with the first Clone Saga or the second (from the “Ultimate” Marvel line of comics), see Miles Morales as the primary Spider-Man over Peter Parker, or most associate the Spider-Man universe with Tobey Maguire, the film is here for you. For some the comic nerd minutiae of the preceding sentence holds zero meaning. And that’s fine. The film’s consistently bombastic and occasionally dream-like art style is ceaselessly entertaining and a feast for the eyes. It accomplishes something that feels wholly unique by mashing up a dozen distinct animation styles within the same space. Every frame is a work of ludicrously creative art.
Undoubtedly there are some folks out there who can’t get behind animated films for one reason or another and choose to pass on this one as well as the 2018 original. I pity those poor souls as I can’t think of a better way to kick off the warm weather movie season than with Miguel O’Hara (Spider Man 2099), Miles and Gwen. Sadly, I went into this film unaware that it would end on a cliffhanger with Beyond the Spider Verse set to release in 2024 on 29 March. Come that date we may witness a trilogy that could unseat The Dark Knight trilogy as best ever. I’m betting on Miles.
I walked into psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde, having not viewed the trailer and with zero awareness of squabbles amongst the cast or controversies regarding the films subject matter. I point this out because the additional noise most certainly would’ve impacted my viewing experience. Going in cold was the correct decision as the post-release hullabaloo around the Katie Silberman penned screenplay and the films commentary on Incel culture and the patriarchy is just as interesting as the film itself. And this film is nothing if not interesting. Don’t Worry Darling leans into the fairly common 3-act-film trope of throwing a jarring tone shift/plot twist into the final act that causes the viewer to re-evaluate everything occurring across the first two. It works. The reveal at the onset of the final act is undeniably exciting and will make you want to immediately revisit the films dream-like and trippy first hour. Said first hour is a relentless nostalgia trip into 1950’s American excess layered over the backdrop of a perfect California summer and repeated long shots of immaculately manicured muscle cars pulling out of impossibly perfect driveways in impossibly perfect cul-de-sacs. I remember thinking that the oversaturated and distractingly picture-perfect nature of the cinematography betrayed something sinister. And oh boy was I correct. The film is presented exclusively from Florence Pugh’s point of view, almost stubbornly so, and her performance carries the film. She is required to play so many different aspects of a fractured and confused psyche that you can’t help but feel exhausted for her by the films end. She deserves Best Actress Academy Award consideration. The films manifesto on the dangers of male dominance and desire for unfettered control is polarizing for fairly obvious reasons. Whether you agree or disagree with that premise, one must credit Olivia Wilde and the rest of the creative team for committing to a look and tone that feels fresh and engaging even if there isn’t anything particularly novel about the specific plot twist. Lots of films have delved into the matter of free will and simulated worlds…but not quite like this. It really does feel like a movie within a movie. Give it a shot. Recommended.
The tagline of Orphan: First Kill is “there’s always been something wrong with Esther.” It speaks to the sense of dread permeating every frame of the film. No matter where Esther goes, the worst kind of trouble follows. Her every movement and knowing glance is dripping with tension. And as hard as it might be to empathize with the diminutive slasher, there is a tinge of sadness that accompanies her plight. It makes for a mesmerizing viewing experience. It also allows one to overlook that not much happens across the first half of the film other than Esther making her escape and being creepy to a new family of soon-to-be-victims. The stripped-down narrative works due to a distinctively unrelenting sense of atmosphere and style - high praise for a micro-budget horror/thriller.
Isabelle Fuhrman is the featured act and her performance is equal parts spellbinding and unsettling, aided by clever camera work and the low fidelity yet effective shots/techniques the best of the horror genre is known for. Esther presents with a disarmingly charming and faux-aristocratic quality, the same that left such a lasting impression in the 2009 original. Her personality and presence engender trust while also inspiring madness. Couple the preceding with her omnipresent, simmering rage and unexplainable strength and Esther becomes not unlike a tiny Hannibal Lecter. Just as with Lecter, Esther’s identity and existence is rooted in staying one step ahead of those in her immediate vicinity. She views everyone around her with disdain. Must be exhausting.
The twist this time around is more traditional for the genre but does an excellent job of recalibrating character dynamics over the final act. While the brisk pace is appropriate for this type of story, the aforementioned revelation comes so late in the film that the remainder feels rushed. A few extra minutes of runtime would’ve provided the finale time to breathe. The films conclusion wraps things up with a bow, pun intended, and Esther is left right at that point where we met her in the original. It’s quite satisfying which isn’t always the case with prequels. Orphan: First Kill outpaces its genre trappings by sticking to basics and never forgetting why the first film garnered its following. Time to go back and watch Orphan.
"Motherly" is available now on Shudder/VOD
It took just twenty or so minutes of watching Prey to realize the Predator franchise is back. After years and months of cautious optimism, fans can exhale. Prey, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, is the best film in the franchise since Predator 2 with Nimrod Antal’s Predators now occupying a distant fourth place. Trachtenberg demonstrates a jaw-dropping understanding of what made the original Predator connect with audiences and presents an abundance of evidence that he was the correct choice to take over after the unbelievably awful The Predator (2018).
Like most any antagonist, the predator is only as interesting as its foe is compelling/relatable. Trachtenberg gets this. The Aliens versus Predator films are mind-numbingly boring and sterile because the humans are utterly interchangeable. The predators in those films never stood a chance. Trachtenberg reinvigorates the moribund franchise by going back to a time (the 1700’s) where seeing a predator felt special – both for the characters within the film and for us as franchise fans. He accomplishes this while adding several easter eggs, some more overt than others, that tie Prey inexorably back to the first two films – the best in the franchise. While the predator in this film feels very much like the pop culture stalwart we’ve come to love and respect, its arsenal, movements and approach feel entirely unique. This Yautja is feral, fit, unflinching and less reliant on ranged weapons. He’s not the first predator to sustain grievous battle injuries but might be the first to fight through them without finding a quiet place to patch up. A true jungle hunter.
Amber Midthunder, a veteran performer with acting and writing credits spanning back to 2001, cements herself as a final girl of note. Her performance stands up to that of Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover. Fans who grew up on Predator and Predator 2 know this is the highest praise. The screenplay sidesteps the “mary sue” trope by establishing Midthunder’s tenuous standing within her own tribe and foreshadowing the skills that ultimately allow her to take down her fearsome adversary. A lean 90 minutes, Prey doesn’t take long to get going and once the feral predator shows up it turns into a thrilling adventure that feels like a predator film ought to feel. Finally. Mr. Trachtenberg, we salute you. Fingers crossed he returns for the unannounced sequel. Give Prey 2 a proper theatrical release.
Get Out is a transcendent film and top 10 of the last decade in the horror/thriller genre. It might be a top 10 film in the last decade of any type. The film’s modern, searing and horrifying commentary on race, prejudice and the dangers of wackjob science places it in a venerable spot within the cultural zeitgeist. One does not simply forget Get Out. When a writer/director debuts with such a stunning splash (see Night, M and The Sixth Sense), the weight of expectations for subsequent offerings can be suffocating and relegate a perfectly fine follow-up to a cinematic afterthought. Jordan Peele and his world-class talent are not immune. Sadly, NOPE is the Lady in the Water of Peele’s filmography – 90% style, 10% substance and utterly forgettable. The film is beautifully, almost hypnotically, shot and boasts a handful of quirky characters defined somewhat annoyingly by one or two very specific traits (a classic M. Night conceit). Peele displays an admirable commitment to a tone that is simultaneously fun and foreboding. Unfortunately, his admittedly clever set-ups and concepts simmer below the surface and fail to bubble up to a film that meets the cinematic and storytelling standard we now expect from Peele. It’s disappointing as I went in wanting and expecting to love the film. NOPE, shot entirely in IMAX, looks great and the direction is spectacular but the film itself is mostly just boring, especially across the slow as mud first hour. The central plot revolves around a common sci-fi trope and just as with M. Night film The Village, the plot twist expected to carry the film is wholly underwhelming. The antagonist feels incomplete beyond visual spectacle. Peele’s talent is undeniable but the ideas within the screenplay are more interesting than the actual experience. Sound familiar? Nice to see Michael Wincott acting again, though.
Thor: Love and Thunder is a broad comedy with shallow-end-of-the-pool romantic elements masquerading as an MCU film. This is, after all, Taika Waitiki’s money printing schtick. If you find his dialogue wince-inducing in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, there isn’t much to change your mind here. I happen not to mind Taika’s writing and I definitely laughed out loud at least a couple times during Thor’s 4th big screen adventure. If you can stomach the randomness, there is silly fun to be had. The idea that Event Horizon exists in the MCU is simply awesome and a nice easter egg for existential sci-fi horror genre fans, for example. In short, Thor: Love and Thunder is not nearly as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe. The barebones story is largely superfluous to the greater MCU and the explanation for Jane Foster becoming The Mighty Thor comes and goes so fast you might miss it. It’s as if Kevin Feige and company believe your typical moviegoer is familiar with Jason Aaron’s notorious “Goddess of Thunder” comic storyline from 2016 (they are not). But that’s probably splitting hairs. If you find humor in the notion that Stormbreaker, a heretofore inanimate object, could be “jealous” of Mjolnir, another inanimate object, then you’ll probably enjoy the film. That’s how wacky it gets. I suppose the fact that Mjolnir actively decides who can and cannot lift it suggests that it has at least some agency. Magic gonna magic, I guess. Speaking of magic, Christian Bale’s Gorr The God Butcher is an interesting case of a character that changes radically scene by scene and not for reasons that make narrative sense. He begins as your standard “I am this way because of tragedy/loss” villain only to morph into a comedy act and back again. There is one sequence in the middle of film where he is genuinely terrifying and appears to pose a real threat when facing down Thor, Jane Foster and King Valkryie all at the same time. Impressive. Thor: Love and Thunder is a film that will likely garner more favor with time amongst those who are OK with Thor as a comedy act. Any movie that begins with the lead character karate kicking a tank is not taking itself seriously.
feat: @kingxgreen and @televisionfiend
Volume I of Stranger Things 4 is easily better than 80% of the endless options available on streaming but fails to deliver the can’t-look-away panache or zeitgeist-shifting extreme confidence of the nigh-perfect debut season. Stranger Things (ST) has a fairly obvious success problem. The first season was a simple yet intoxicatingly enthralling mix of mystery, nostalgia and pitch-perfect character that rightly became a phenomenon. The gloriously effortless story of plucky, unafraid kids (one of them with powers!) triumphing over an unknown evil with the help of a hard-drinking, downtrodden sheriff captured the hearts of viewers in a manner that felt and hit different. Still does. Subsequent seasons, for no fault of their own, suffer from increasingly diminished returns. Volume I of ST4 is just the latest case. ST2 was tantalizingly close to matching the debut season while ST3 was an exceedingly gratifying watch that expanded the show to include far more characters and glimpses into greater Hawkins. Volume I of ST4 expands too far for its own good. It’s the fandom-dividing episode 7 of ST2 on steroids (QC Note: I loved EP7 of season 2). The Duffer Brothers wrote themselves into a tough spot in moving several key players out of Hawkins. The entire Russian sub-plot which takes up a good chunk of ST4 Volume I is a chore to watch and completely throwaway. The ultimate reveal of the Demogorgon therein is quite literally superfluous to the greater story. So far, at least. The show drives home at its tail end that fan-favorite Dustin has so much experience with the upside down that he finally “gets” the rules of the shadowy dimension. It comes too late and feels surprisingly flat. While the sequence does set up nicely how the Hawkins crew can now enter and exit The Upside Down at will, it should’ve felt like an exciting capstone to Volume I but instead comes across as a bit sleepy and been-there-done-that. Perhaps if I could watch ST4 Volume I with no memory of the dizzying visual and story heights of the perfectly balanced first season I would have only good things to say. But alas I cannot and thusly must recommend ST4 with the aforementioned caveats. It’s still as good or better than damn near everything else on Netflix within the fantasy/horror/thriller genre.
That there is an Obi-Wan Kenobi “television” show with nearly the same production values one would expect from big screen Star Wars starring Ewan McGregor in the role he’s most associated with is a revelation in and of itself. Obi-Wan Kenobi arrives with lofty expectations on the heels of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and the worldwide phenomenon that is Baby Yoda. Unlike the adventures of Fett, Djarin and Grogu, Obi-Wan Kenobi operates within the confines and from the perspective of (mostly) familiar primary characters burdened with deeper existing canon. After two episodes, results are mixed. While Obi-Wan Kenobi benefits from the streamlined storytelling and fairly simple plot structure we’ve come to expect from Star Wars on Disney plus – both seasons of The Mandalorian being objectively superior to 75% of the runtime of the prequel films, just for example – the show doesn’t quite capture the same quirky and wonderfully unique energy we experienced with both seasons of The Mandalorian. I was floored upon witnessing the effortless charisma and charm of the swashbuckling Din Djarin. The jedi-hunting Inquisitors seem shallow and sterile in comparison and McGregor’s Obi-Wan is surprisingly dispassionate. Perhaps this was intentional. Obi-Wan Kenobi has time to rally and almost surely will, but overall the first two episodes can only be described as slightly underwhelming. This is partly due to the goodwill Star Wars on Disney plus has engendered in fan’s hearts (small head-scratching sections of The Book of Boba Fett notwithstanding). This may be nitpicking, but the music in Obi-Wan Kenobi also fails to impress when contrasted with the unmistakable and instantly iconic score Ludwin Goransson crafted for the The Mandalorian. If it seems unfair to judge Obi-Wan Kenobi under the highly respected shadow of The Mandalorian, think for a moment how you felt after watching each of the premieres. The Mandalorian felt like a new beginning and much needed breath of fresh air for a stale Star Wars franchise. Obi-Wan Kenobi feels good but not great and somewhat rote. What a time to be alive for Star Wars fans. Without spoiling anything, the end of part II leaves us salivating for more and that’s exactly where we should be at this early juncture.
feat: @VegasPG and @KingXGreen
Click through to find out why The Mandalorian is the best use of the Star Wars IP since the OG trilogy.
For more on David visit www.davidnakayama.com or search @davidnakayama on Instagram
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