Review by Sean Boelman
For a while, competitive cooking shows were all the rage on television, but it seems like their time has mostly come and gone. The Danish drama A Taste of Hunger would have been a hit had it come out in the height of their popularity, and while Christoffer Boe’s film is mostly enjoyable, it also isn’t spectacular.
The movie follows a couple whose personal life becomes rife with turmoil when they set out to earn a Michelin star, the highest honor possible in the culinary world. However, those hoping for a scrumptious cooking thriller about chefs trying to create the best dish possible may be disappointed, because this is more interested in the behind-the-scenes drama, for better or worse. One of the most frustrating things about the film is that it doesn’t seem to understand how to establish stakes. It really banks on the audience knowing the significance of a Michelin star (granted, it’s a pretty well-known accolade) for their understanding as to why it’s important. And in terms of the melodrama, the movie leans into the histrionics without really heightening the emotion. It definitely would have helped had the characters been a bit more well-developed. It’s clear that Boe and co-writer Tobias Lindholm are trying for the characters to be flawed but relatable, and while they aren’t exactly unlikable, they also come across as frustratingly distant, it also doesn’t help the audience connect.
The film also doesn’t say anything particularly interesting for the genre. What is said about the toll that chasing perfection takes on a person isn’t new or different from what similar movies have explored before, but perhaps more damningly, the way it says it doesn’t feel distinctive whatsoever.
Katrine Greis-Rosenthal and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau are without a doubt the best parts of this movie. They both give very good performances that are far more grounded than the material they are working with. Greis-Rosenthal, in particular, is impressive, giving a turn that feels like much more than the soap opera lead which it effectively is. There are the obligatory food shots sprinkled throughout the film, and while they look extremely appetizing, they are too sparse in quantity for them to be especially memorable. It’s a shame that the culinary aspects of the movie seem like an afterthought here, as it is this context that makes it stand out. A Taste of Hunger has some really strong things going on, and it’s a mostly entertaining watch, but there is not enough substance here. It’s like going to most fancy restaurants — the entrée may be tasty, but the portion is underwhelming for the price. A Taste of Hunger hits theaters and VOD on January 28. Rating: 3/5
0 Comments
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Films about people with disabilities or diseases aren't anything new in Hollywood or foreign countries' film industries. Even films featuring the main character with Down syndrome have been done before, most recently The Peanut Butter Falcon in 2019. The New Zealander film Poppy is the latest film featuring a main character with Down syndrome.
Poppy (Libby Hunsdale) is a young woman who has Down syndrome. She's relatively high functioning. She even works at her father's automotive shop with her brother (Ari Boyland). Her brother is not dealing with a recent tragedy very well. She's trying to become more independent. The first step is getting her license to drive. Her brother though doesn't think a person with her disability should have much freedom. She finds a friend who will help her, though, in a local busker (Seb Hunter). The two become quite close. This film has a lot to say about various topics including Down syndrome, alcoholism, and responsibilities. This is a very educational movie with topics a lot of people can learn from. This disability featured in the film is usually one that has to have a lot of supervision, but Poppy has the drive to want to be on her own and be independent. Having a boyfriend, driver's license, and a paying job help her with this. The filmmaker, Linda Niccol, who's also the film's writer, gives Poppy a lot of obstacles for her to overcome. One of them is her brother. She has enough going on in her life already and her brother is something she never thought she'd have problems with. His alcoholism is quite the problem for both of them. She has more of a mature nature as a disabled person than he does. Her drive to succeed in life no matter what helps her deal with these obstacles. Aside from Ari Boyland, the other actors in the film are relative newcomers to acting. Especially Libby Hunsdale. Still, she seems very seasoned with the various scenes she has and all the emotions she has to go through. The romantic scenes, as well as the action sequences, show she knows what she's doing. Having Boyland to work off of is just what she needs to stretch herself as an actor. Niccol gets the most out of this newbie and the film is better off because of it. Niccol shows she deeply cares for this subject matter and the young actress who portrays the main character. She has a lot to overcome but handles it all like a seasoned pro. This film handles a person with Down syndrome very respectively. It shows that these people can be productive citizens in civilization. They are people that need love and care and this film shows that from various angles. Niccol was the perfect director/writer for this material. Poppy is screening at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 27-February 6. Rating: 3/5
Review by Camden Ferrell
Clean is a new thriller movie that might remind viewers of recent films like John Wick or Nobody. Written and directed by Paul Solet, this movie had its premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. It features a determined performance from Adrien Brody, but unlike the films it evokes, it lacks the drive, energy, and emotion that is essential to making these movies memorable.
Clean is a garbage man with a murky past. In an attempt to reconcile these mistakes, he aims to live a life of redemption. His string of good intentions and actions unintentionally make him the target of a small-time crime boss. Clean must now go on a journey of violence to reconcile with his past. This story is interesting, and while it isn’t original, it’s a great premise for an action thriller such as this one. From the start, the script, written by Solet and Brody, feels incredibly cliché. It’s a boilerplate thriller that replays tired tropes and dialogue that doesn’t do much to grab the audience’s attention. It may feel like John Wick on some superficial levels, but it lacks any of the heart that made it great. The writing feels fairly stale and doesn’t do much to adequately tell Clean’s story.
Unsurprisingly, Brody is quite good as a leading man in this movie. He has always been talented, and even though this is not among his best works, it’s undeniable that he is almost singlehandedly holding the film together. Brody’s performance proves to be the lone highlight as the supporting cast of Glenn Fleshler and Richie Merritt, among others, is bland and pale in comparison to him.
A movie like this one can still have narrative shortcomings but still succeed if its action is superb. Unfortunately, I found myself underwhelmed by the execution of the film’s big action sequences. It isn’t as high-octane as I would have liked, and the choreography of the fights aren’t creative or particularly engaging. An action-thriller lives and dies by its fights, and I didn’t find much to commend in the action of this movie. Clean wanted to be what John Wick is, but it falls flat on many levels. Nobody can deny that Adrien Brody enjoyed this role, but he couldn’t save the film and its many shortcomings. It’s not actively unpleasant at all, but it doesn’t do much to justify its existence throughout. Clean is in theaters and on demand January 28. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Cooper Raiff’s directorial debut Shithouse seemed like it captured lightning in a bottle, a relatable romantic comedy with its finger on the pulse of what young people are feeling right now. His sophomore feature Cha Cha Real Smooth proves that he is maybe the best young voice in filmmaking today, an equally compelling film at a larger scale.
The film follows an aimless young man who is struggling to find his way fresh out of college, as he finds a job as a Mitzvah party host and forms a bond with a mother and her autistic daughter. For a film that has so many subplots, Raiff manages to make everything feel fully developed, which is part of what makes it so charming. The script is impeccably paced, finding a wonderful balance between its humor and its more sentimental moments. The film hooks the viewer with light and airy comedy before reeling the film in with the final act that is equal parts heartwarming and soul-crushing. And even though the film’s plot starts to seem a bit maudlin at times, Raiff reins it in by basing it in honest emotion. Ultimately, the themes that are explored in the film are nothing new, but Raiff brings such an authentic voice to it that it feels fresh and original. Few filmmakers as young as Raiff have gotten the opportunity to work at this scale yet, and so other young people will likely feel a deep empathy with what he has written. The film also subverts a lot of expectations when it comes to character archetypes. The protagonist starts out as an aimless, lovesick college graduate trying to find his way in life, but it soon becomes clear that this film isn’t about him trying to grow up — it’s about him realizing that he already has. The co-lead is equally unorthodox, not a manic pixie dream girl by any means. Like Shithouse, Raiff also acts in the lead role in this film, and that is what makes a lot of it feel so personal. His chemistry with Dakota Johnson is exceptional, and Johnson is doing some career-best work, with an extraordinary amount of vulnerability. Also noteworthy is Vanessa Burghardt, whose performance should be a breakout. This production definitely had more money at its disposal than Raiff’s first, and so it feels much more like a traditional studio comedy. That said, there are a few touches that give it a nice sense of style. Raiff shows a developing talent for sight gags, with a few really funny ones set up. And the soundtrack is filled with some great song choices that give it a distinctly youthful feel. Cha Cha Real Smooth is one of the most personal, intimate things to have come out of this year’s Sundance. After an already great debut, Raiff has shown that he still has plenty yet to say in his career. Cha Cha Real Smooth screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually from January 20-30. Rating: 5/5 Review by Adam Donato Compartment No. 6 was the Grand Prix winner at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. That alone should be a justification to give this movie a watch. Juho Kuosmanen had previously directed The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki back in 2016, which also received awards recognition. This movie is based on a novel written by Rosa Liksom. Riddled with issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s a miracle this movie was even finished. Seidi Haarla stars as Laura, a woman who departs from her love on a train and has to endure being seated in the same compartment as a rude drunk. The rude drunk is a man named Ljoha, played by Yuriy Borisov. Laura resists communication with Ljoha before letting down her walls and finding herself relating with this man. It’s a really cute story where we get to flesh out these two characters as we see them connect over their troubles in life. The two leads are both great in this movie. Ljoha looks almost identical to James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell Crumb. It’s just a bald, white man in good shape, but especially during his more eccentric moments, the resemblance is there. Laura is a much more relatable character as Ljoha is quite unlikable for the first half of the movie. What’s more relatable than being put into an uncomfortable situation when traveling. Other people are so annoying and the workers have zero patience. Every annoyance Laura has to endure cuts to the core. Her turn to opening up to Ljoha feels earned as it’s not until he does several acts of good will to counteract the fact that he ended their first conversation by asking if she was a prostitute. At a solid 107 minutes, the only part that feels unnecessary is this man that Laura allows to stay in their compartment after the train station clerk was impatient with the man’s inability to speak their language. Usually movies like this have that cliche moment where the two leads face a major setback in their relationship that brings us into the third act. This setback is usually an extremely contrived situation. Here, Ljoha comes off as jealous of this man who is objectively more attractive and plays the guitar. Yeah, that’s the song that Bill Nighy sings in Love Actually. Cut this fifteen minute detour to give us a crisp ninety minute runtime and it’s golden.
During Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar acceptance speech, he pleaded that American audiences would open themselves up to so many more quality films if they were willing to read subtitles. Compartment No. 6 is certainly a movie that falls under that category. It's a sweet story about two random people coming together, working past their differences, and leaving a positive impact on one another. The ending of this movie is sure to leave you with a smile on your face. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this picture in the Best International Film category come Oscar season. Compartment No. 6 is now playing in theaters. Rating: 4/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Netflix has had a lot of shows that have captured the public consciousness over the past few years. They get into the minds of those watching and one by one, person by person they get shared via word of mouth. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window will transit audiences as much as some of the streamer's biggest hits.
In an idyllic neighborhood on a normal street lives a lady (Kristen Bell) who likes to look out of her window. When a good-looking man (Tom Riley) and his daughter (Samara Yett) move across the street, she is instantly enamored with him. She brings over a chicken casserole and stays for dinner. The next day she is going to visit again, but she runs into the neighbor's girlfriend (Shelley Henning). When she sees the girlfriend supposedly get murdered through her window, all kinds of thoughts run through her mind. Bell's character has been dealing with a tragedy of her own. Her daughter had passed away in an accident. She stays at home and drinks a lot of wine. Her neighbor tries to set her up with his business acquaintances, but she stands them up. This murder investigation sends her down a path that changes everything for her and her life. Bell has played an investigator before in Veronica Mars, so this sort of show is right up her alley.
The show creators Rachel Ramras, Hugh Davidson, Larry Dorf, and director Michael Lehmann have fallen back on familiar tropes to tell this domestic violence tale of a woman who doesn't know up from down or who's who. This show and story had all kinds of twists and turns. It's hard to know what's what in this show. That makes for a very good show because the viewer can't figure out what's going on. The mystery doesn't unfold normally like a lot of other shows, but it is very familiar to other films, like The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams and Julianne Moore.
The series has a mental disorder angle to it that puts Bell's character in a state of denial. Sometimes she doesn't know what is real. She imagined things due to her psychosis of losing her daughter and all the drinking she's been doing. Her mental health issues have caused her to not see what's going on around her. And the people in her life. They aren't who they are perceived to be. That's what helps to make an engaging show. The show has some very good technical aspects. The look of it is very crisp and clear. The cinematography is fantastic in the series. The light of the day helps make for a good-looking show. The score is very broad and reaching as well. It has moments of sweetness with violins and strings and then drums and lower tones. The show looks very modern and up to date for today's times. The creators had a great plan for how this show is supposed to look and sound. Along with the cast, this is a very engaging entertaining series. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window streams on Netflix beginning January 28. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
There is something to be said for an understated role in a movie. They don't have to be big and loud and boisterous to be effective. A more subtle performance can go a long way at times. Tim Roth gives a very subtle performance in Sundown that anchors this film.
Tim Roth plays a man who is vacationing in Acapulco, Mexico with his family when his sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg) gets a phone call about a tragedy in the family. She decides to pack up her things and get the kids and get on a plane and go back home very quickly. When it's time to get on the plane, Roth's character makes up a story about forgetting his passport at the hotel. He ends up not getting on the plane with his family. Sundown has a main character that is very quiet and doesn't say much. Even when people are yelling incessantly at him, he remains very calm and collected. Roth's performance owes a lot to the script because the script, written by Michael Franco, who is also the director of the film, makes Roth's character very mysterious because he doesn't say much. His lack of speaking creates tension in the film which in turn makes all that drama that happens all the more powerful. It's not a spoiler to say Roth's character is having a midlife crisis and many men his age such as myself can relate in a way. He is just sick of the family drama his sister, Gainsbourg, creates. He falls in love with a local woman and pretty much all they do is sit by the ocean and watch the waves go back and forth and people watch. He also makes friends with a local cab driver. Money, which he has, can buy you this freedom. Most people don't have this luxury.
Michel Franco tried to put the viewer such as myself into the shoes of this man, but it's not that easy. He just forgets his family and stays in sunny Acapulco and shacks up with this local woman in a hotel. That is not very admirable. Sure we all have problems in life, but we can't just abandon our families in crisis and vacation just because we want to forget everything and everybody. This man is very shallow in that regard. Even though (to some extent) I'm empathetic to his cause, it's not right.
Franco does a few things right with this film and one of those is its runtime. This is a quick eighty-three minutes. It doesn't drag this sad story out for a very long time. It gets to the point of the story and has resolutions for its characters. The acting by all is very serviceable, especially Roth and Gainsbourg. The look of the film is very nice as well. How could you make Acapulco look very bad? Sundown has some admirable qualities to it. The acting is good and the look of the film is beautiful. The runtime is a plus so the film doesn't drag out the somber story. The overall story is the problem with the film. Some people may relate to this aging man going through a midlife crisis. I didn't though because the fact that he had money and he does whatever he wants isn't very realistic to people such as myself. Most people aren't independently wealthy like him. Most people struggle to make ends meet and that is why they have mental illnesses, marital problems, or even work problems. Money doesn't solve all problems in the world, it just makes them. Sundown hits theaters on January 28. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Sundance likes to feature documentaries with stories that are so weird they must be true, and that film this year is My Old School. An unpredictable and fun ride, the movie makes something unexpectedly compelling out of a story that is ultimately at a much smaller scale than it presents itself to be.
The film explores the story of a teenage boy who, after achieving unexpected popularity as the new kid in school, is discovered to have committed an extraordinary ruse. At first, one may wonder why they should actually care about this story, but it’s easy to get invested in this tale that is stranger than fiction. There is definitely a sense of humor about the whole thing given the ridiculousness of the premise. Jono McLeod thankfully doesn’t take the whole thing too seriously, refusing to approach it as an exposé and instead presents it as this crazy communal experience that all of them had. At a few points in the movie, it seems like McLeod is going to use this story of a case study as to how the system was such a failure and led to these events, but the film soon pivots back to being a lighthearted (albeit piteous) recollection. And it’s actually refreshing to see a movie that knows what it is and not make too big of a deal out of itself. The film’s director was enrolled at the school where the events depicted in the movie occurred, and so for better or worse, it has that personal feeling to it. McLeod recruited several of his former classmates and teachers to give talking heads in the film, and they have a surprising amount of personality given that they are effectively showing a bunch of old friends reminiscing about their high school years. Even more interesting is the fact that McLeod uses actor Alan Cumming as a stand-in for the movie’s subject. Although the subject wouldn’t appear on camera, he agreed to be interviewed, so McLeod has Cumming lip sync the audio of the interview. It’s an intriguing method that is really creative, even if it doesn’t have much of an effect on the story itself (positive or negative). There are also many animated sequences (with animation reminiscent of the television show Daria) that are used to illustrate the story in the past as opposed to traditional reenactments. It gives the film an infectiously fun atmosphere, especially when compounded with the great soundtrack. My Old School may not be one of the more hard-hitting documentaries in this year’s festival, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy of your time. It’s just an enjoyable movie which realizes what is compelling about its story in the first place, and makes the most of that. My Old School screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually January 20-30. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic competition is always a great place to find budding voices in international filmmaking, and The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future director Francisca Alegria is one of the greatest discoveries of this year’s festival. This is definitely an idiosyncratic film, but it thrives in its ambition.
The movie follows a woman who returns to her family’s farm for a family emergency when, in the wake of a local environmental disaster, her long-deceased mother suddenly and mysteriously returns. It’s a premise that is undeniably far-fetched, but Alegria doesn’t lean too hard into the genre elements, instead focusing more on the family drama and the human side of things. There is almost a hypnotic feel to the film, brought about both by its visuals and its tone. Of course, there is a dreamlike feel to the magical realism in the movie, and this is a majority of the film’s atmosphere. It’s fanciful in a way that contrasts nicely with the forlorn subject matter that the movie explores. One of the most interesting parts of the film is its context. There is a very clear and powerful environmentalist message here, but Alegria manages to not make it feel heavy-handed. The social commentary of the movie is integrated very smoothly thanks to how fundamentally connected it is to the premise.
The film also does a great job of exploring its subplots and supporting characters. The movie explores how each of the members of the family is affected by these strange occurrences, and it really creates an emotional investment with each of them involved. The film tackles a lot of issues, but not overwhelmingly so.
Leonor Varela does an extraordinary job in her leading role, with a turn that is fittingly quiet and subtle. It’s a movie that really thrives in the interiority of its characters, and Varela emphasizes that quality quite well. Mía Maestro is also exceptional here, breathing an unexpected and refreshing life into her character. This is also just a gorgeous film to look at. The cinematography by Inti Briones is stunning. The movie takes these plot elements that are typically associated with eco-horror and uses them to create something a bit more understated and human, changing the execution to go along with it to create something more alluring than disturbing. The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future is a wonderful film, and while there are a lot of moving parts, they come together harmoniously. Francisca Alegria is clearly very talented, and it will be exciting to see what she does in the future. The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future is screening at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually January 20-30. Rating: 4.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
When it came time to submit a film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature, France got it down to three options: the Palme d’Or-winning Titane, the Golden Lion-winning Happening, and Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman. And while the former ended up with the submission, Audrey Diwan’s Happening is without a doubt the best of the bunch.
The movie tells the story of a bright student in France in the 1960s who is forced to seek out an illegal abortion when she unexpectedly gets pregnant. Films like this have become a subgenre of their own in recent years — Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Unpregnant being the most mainstream examples — but Diwan’s movie is perhaps the most harrowing of them all. Much of the film plays out like a thriller, as the protagonist struggles to find the medical treatment she needs before it is too late. And the movie does feature some shockingly graphic depictions of some of the processes involved, but this is part of what makes the impact of the film so visceral. Of course, the political aspects of the movie are strikingly relevant even though it is set in France in the 1960s. It’s horribly depressing to see what this character is going through, especially as many young women are facing similar issues in our own country today. And the screenplay pulls no punches in terms of skewering the system that caused these events to take place.
The film is based on Annie Ernaux’s novel, which is in part inspired by her own experiences. And the movie maintains that feeling of intimacy and honesty that comes with a semi-autobiographical work, making the emotion of the film resonate all the more deeply. The movie will leave viewers feeling absolutely shaken.
Anamaria Vartolomei’s performance is absolutely stunning. The amount of vulnerability that she brings to the role is just captivating. If there were any justice, she would be in the conversation for awards, but international performances often only break out from the showier pictures. But that does not reflect the incredible strength of her turn. The film is also extraordinarily well-shot. The crisp cinematography is often absolutely gorgeous, and creates a feeling of warmth in the first act, only for everything to be ripped away in the rest of the movie and replaced with some of the most disturbing images there are to see. This feels like a film made by a filmmaker who has been working for years, not a sophomore effort. Happening is without a doubt going to stick with viewers long after they finish watching it. Although the movie does feature some very graphic imagery, it is used effectively and does not feel cheap or manipulative in any way. Happening screened at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which runs virtually January 20-30. Rating: 5/5 |
Archives
February 2025
Authors
All
|