by Nathaniel R
Each year we dream of saying something about *every* film we see but it never quite works out that way. Herewith some films we didn't review at the time. Better late than never or...? You decide.
THE ADAM PROJECT
Sometimes the premise and basic story aren’t the problem even if they feel like an algorithmic stew of a half a dozen better films (In this case Frequency, The Terminator, Freaky Friday, and Back to the Future mostly). The problem in Shawn Levy’s film is in the execution in virtually every department; competence without anything approaching inspiration abounds. That’s especially true of the casting with every star chosen specifically to do something we’ve already seen them do countless times: Ryan Reynolds continues to be a wise-cracking and generically hot leading man; Catherine Keener continues to make a convincing sweet-talking villain; Zoe Saldana continues to play Ass-Kicking Heroine & Better Half to Heroic White Boyfriend; Jennifer Garner continues to be the good hearted but vaguely sad All-American mom; Mark Ruffalo continues to be a brilliant scientist whose experiments have resulted in something unexpected that he can’t control. As a result no one is hungry or pushing themselves or surprising us. Despite the adrenaline filled situations, there’s a ‘here for the paycheck’ lazy vibe that the film can't shake– partially because it was designed to be exactly this ultra-familiar. It's pleasures are frontloaded so by the time it reaches its generically explosive plot hole riddled conclusion, interest has long since waned. C-
AFTER YANG
Sometimes as a film critic / commentator type person the longer you wait to speak on something the more stressful it becomes to think about doing so; you can’t get that moment back. This is all I said at the time…
Bowled over by the contemplative humanity of Kogonada's 'techno-sapien' drama AFTER YANG. The movie rarely operates above a whisper but plays like a full symphony. Of note: Incredibly rich and thoughtful production design by Alexandra Schaller. #sundance22 pic.twitter.com/BIFZG0T41y
— Nathaniel Rogers ☮️ (@nathanielr) January 21, 2022
Missing the moment feels oddly right as a problem to have about this film which absolutely deserves to be discussed at length by anyone who sees it. In After Yang a father in some future time (Colin Farrell) is trying to recapture something he and his family have lost with the “death” of their AI manny of sorts named Yang (Justin H Min). I found this contemplative sci-fi drama exploring racial identity, technological dependence, the nature of family, and both collective and individual memory just transfixing. I weep to think that most people will never see it in a dark silent movie theater where it obviously belonged. Films with quiet hypnotic resonance like this play best in that environment. A-
APOLLO 10½ A SPACE-AGE CHILDHOOD
The last few years of Hollywood filmmaking have leaned heavily on Nostalgia to do the heavy-lifting when it comes to entertainment value. Richard Linklater's latest feature, a rotoscoped animated memoir (of sorts... Linklater was turning 9 around the time the film takes place) takes that approach to its maximalist end. This film is "ALL NOSTALGIA! ALL THE TIME!" as an older man in voiceover (Jack Black) recounts and thus conjures the summer of 1969 when he was a 10½ year old boy in Houston Texas. That year was a time when all eyes (including his) were on NASA's Apollo 11 mission. He's so caught up with the space program that he's reworked his memories to include himself in the mission. Otherwise though the film is firmly rooted in the day to day realities of 20th century childhood. The film might play like absurdist comedy to Zoomers and Millenials alike since life was radically different then. For Boomers and Gen Xers though, who remember life pre-internet, pre cel-phone and pre-helicopter parenting there are abundant "oh yeah, that!" moments. Despite being lovely and amusing, Apollo 10½ can feel somewhat slight, like an extended short, since a huge portion of the film is devoted to describing the past or even merely listing it. Scenes describing TV shows kids watched (some of which stayed popular through the 1980s via syndication), movies they attended (2001: A Space Odyssey gets a big scene), or games they played outside feel like listicles you might find online, albeit illustrated. That said I squealed when I saw "Red Rover" and "Statue" reenacted which were still popular outdoor games when I was a child but which I can't recall ever seeing in a movie before. B
THE BATMAN
We’ve lost track of how many times we’ve seen Mr and Mrs Wayne shot dead onscreen, how many times the Bat and the Cat have tried to make their broken souls in the night romance work, and how many iterations of Gotham as a hellscape we’ve seen. The latest iteration of the Batman is, thankfully, something a little different, leaning into film noir tendencies and finally tossing the origin story (praise be). Still, in the end, it’s a Batman movie so there’s little new under the sun. (Not that there’s any sunlight in perpetually dreary Gotham.)
It’s appropriate, then, that the “stickiest” moment, the one that lingers, is a tease. Selina Kyle, not yet quite Catwoman, is about to reenter the club she works at, this time with a purpose beyond a paycheck. She’s reluctantly teamed up with Batman to uncover criminal activity in the club. They have different motives but the same agenda. On the rooftop, Beauty and Beast stare deeply into each other’s eyes. Selina feels a sexual charge between them which reverberates out to the audience. Will they kiss? Alas, Batman is only checking the high-tech contact lenses he’s given her. If you want a carnal Bat & Cat collision you’ll still have to travel back to 1992 to get it.
As for the filmmaking, there’s real artistry here. But to what end? The Bat symbol will keep shining in that polluted sky and in a few years time it won’t be Matt Reeves but another filmmaker and not Robert Pattinson (sadly a blank slate this time out after a series of impressive performances) but another man behind the mask. How many times can this story be told? Next time pray that the filmmakers aren’t this self-serious about their own vision and that the running time values your time outside of Gotham. C+
DOG
If you think a post of belated capsule reviews is shirking film-blogging duties, check this out. For many of my thoughts on Dog, just go and read A.O. Scott’s interesting piece about politics and moviegoing. I haven't been hitting the movies alone as much as I used to but Dog was one of those I saw in the afternoon just to have some me time. It was like being on a cathartic road trip where somethings are familiar and predictable and other things catch you off guard. Dog and The Lost City, come to think of it (reviewed in full by Chris), are great reminders that Channing Tatum is a bonafide movie star. We didn't realize how much we'd missed him during that inexplicable four year break – these were his first leading roles since Logan Lucky in 2017! B
FISTFULS OF VENGEANCE
Some people watch very predictable formulaic procedurals as their background TV. Action or supernatural series fill that comfort-food screen entertainment slot for me even if I'm paying slightly more attention and not doing three other things while watching (that's not a judgment on others, just my nature... fact: if I'm looking at my phone, that means the show is really bad). The point is that I watched the entirety of Wu Assassins which was cancelled after the first season so why not watch the feature length follow-up? Was the series this bad and I just didnt notice since people tend to be less critical of tv shows (fact - sorry but it's true)? Nonsensical and childish characterizations, constant easy outs in fight scenes, superpowers without clearly defined rules (a plague on most genre shows/movies now as it lowers all stakes and thrills), repetitive and, quite frankly, annoying dialogue. Yikes. At least the actors are totally adept at the physicality of the fight scenes. D-