|
Review by Sean Boelman
The cast of BLACKBERRY in Matt Johnson’s BLACKBERRY. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
Tech culture has proven time and time again to be much more entertaining than one would expect (just look at The Social Network or Steve Jobs for examples). Thanks to phenomenal dialogue and some exceptional performances, Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry is one of the best biopics in recent memory — if for nothing else, because of how much fun it is to watch.
The film tells the story of the extraordinary rise and explosive fall of the BlackBerry, the device that introduced the world to the concept of a smartphone. It’s a biopic that’s equal parts funny and intense, but in all of the craziness, the craziest thing is that — even though it’s set in the 2000s — it feels like a period piece. The cinematography, production design, costuming, and hair and make-up all do an exceptional job of transporting viewers back to the late ‘90s and early ‘00s during the earliest days of the smartphone wars. On top of that, the editing and soundtrack do an excellent job of keeping the viewer feeling engaged throughout the entire runtime. The script by Johnson along with Matthew Miller is razor-sharp, balancing the tones of comedy and tension quite well. This story that’s so wild it had to have been true was previously turned into a book by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff, and in the hands of Johsnon, the material becomes breeding ground for an often absurd, sometimes stressful race against the clock. 
Glenn Howerton as “Jim Balsillie” in Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.
If the movie does have one weakness, it’s that it is somewhat shallow, failing to engage particularly deeply with the legacy of its subjects beyond the expected “don’t fly too close to the sun” message. It’s missing that deeper level of meaning to make it outstanding — but it’s still extraordinary in its ability to entertain as a biopic.
The film boasts an impressive ensemble, led by Jay Baruchel as the quiet brains behind the cell phone and Johnson as his more boisterous friend and engineer. The dynamic between the two of them is pretty fantastic, and a big part of what makes the movie work. There are also some great supporting turns from recognizable actors like Micahel Ironside, Saul Rubinek, and Cary Elwes. That being said, the movie’s big standout is Glenn Howerton, whose performance as matter-of-fact businessman Jim Balsillie is so commanding that he constantly steals the show. Howerton disappears into the role, not only because of the excellent hair and make-up work, but because he is so intimidating and aggressive in the role that it’s virtually impossible to look away from his performance. BlackBerry may not be a super insightful biopic, but it more than makes up for that by being one of the most entertaining films the genre has had to offer in quite a long time. It’s nice to finally see a movie in this genre that’s actually willing to be rough-around-the-edges and thrive in its spunky spirit. BlackBerry screened at the 2023 Gasparilla International Film Festival, which ran March 23-26 in Tampa, FL. Rating: 4.5/5
0 Comments
Review by Jonathan Berk  Break-ups are hard, but writing a movie with characters going through a breakup is often harder. Sure, many writers and directors attempt to make these rom-coms, but they don’t always work. Writers Nathan Bryon & Tom Melia with director Raine Allen-Miller — making her feature debut — have given us Rye Lane, and it's definitely one of the more successful stories. David Jonsson plays Dom, who is struggling to get over a breakup. He’s out at a friend’s art showing, but is having a bit of a cry in the uni-sex bathroom. Vivian Oparah plays Yas, who overhears Dom’s breakdown and takes a peek at his shoes. She seeks him out once he collects himself and returns to the showing. Dom doesn’t know that Yas was the woman in the bathroom, but the two both have problems with their exes. They spend the day connecting over their mutual losses as they traverse South London.  Jonsson and Oparah are magnificent and have tremendous chemistry. They are adorable throughout, and their character quirks are enjoyable. It’s a classic yin and yang situation, where they complement each other and in return bring the best out of the other. The scene where this becomes truly apparent is when Dom meets his ex and her new boyfriend at a Brazilian restaurant. He turns down Yas’s offer to join him, but she shows up not too long after things are looking quite bad. Her arrival leads to some great laughs and a cathartic moment for anyone who ever wanted to get back at an ex.
Allen-Miller establishes some interesting visual elements with her debut film. The overall look of the film is stylish and full of vibrant colors. However, some choices in lenses made for distorted visuals that were sometimes disorienting. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it didn’t seem to offer any specific thematic touches either. Despite that, the overall look of the film made for compositions that matched the film's energy and comedic tone. It really pays off during the karaoke sequence. The lighting of the club and the use of music in that moment demonstrate all the pieces of this movie working perfectly together. Good rom-coms need to feature genuine comedy and romance. Rye Lane delivers both in a pretty package that will satisfy the itch of those longings for the old days when rom-coms got big releases. This film is a great showcase of the talent of all parties involved. There are so many things to appreciate about the film, and fans of the genre will not be disappointed. Rye Lane will be available to watch on Hulu beginning March 31. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Onur Tukel’s slasher comedy Poundcake comes with so many trigger warnings that it’s hard to imagine anyone not being offended, upset, or put off in some way by it. And yet, unlike so many movies that exist to shock the viewer, Tukel has used his shocking premise to create something genuinely thoughtful and meaningful.
The film follows a serial killer who targets straight white men, killing them by raping them to death. It’s a premise that is meant to be provocative and mean-spirited, and it pulls no punches, going so far that it is likely to offend — or at least piss off — a majority of viewers. And yet, this type of rude awakening is exactly what we need to inspire real change and not just performative activism. However, these horror aspects of the movie only take up a small portion of the runtime (maybe a total of 15 or so minutes). Instead, the film is largely a cringe comedy about the reaction that the community is having to these brutal killings. The more interesting thing about the movie is not that the killings are happening, but the hilariously uncomfortable discussions that people are having about their anxieties. First and foremost, the film is a takedown of the idea of the “nice guy.” Tukel makes the argument that even the people who put up a nice façade and claim to be progressive have these internal biases. In other words, he’s calling everyone out on their bullshit — and he doesn’t leave himself innocent, poking fun at his own fragile masculinity throughout. However, that isn’t the only theme that Tukel tackles here. Poundcake is essentially a 90-minute long rant about everything that is wrong with this generation, but it doesn’t feel off-putting. Tukel is legitimately insightful with what he has to say about the shallowness and insecurity of our society, and challenges us to think about how we can defeat our own biases. Every character in the movie is an unlikable, pretentious asshole, but that’s exactly what it is meant to be. And yet, there is something undeniably entertaining about watching this ragtag bunch of insufferables. The best comparison in recent memory is Bodies Bodies Bodies — another film which brilliantly calls people out for their lack of authenticity. In terms of execution, the movie clearly shows its low budget. The cinematography, production design, and effects aren’t particularly high-quality. The score also feels like stock music because it’s a bit generic in nature. However, when the script is as intelligent, funny, and engaging as this, the less-than-stellar production values can be forgiven. Poundcake is one of two movies that have played the festival circuit in recent memory that are virtually unreleasable — and that’s a compliment. Onur Tukel has made a movie that is so incendiary, so disgusting, and (dare I say) so ingenious that the world is not ready to see it. And yet, I can’t wait until they do. Poundcake screened at the 2023 Make Believe Film Festival, which runs March 23-26 in Seattle, WA. Rating: 4/5 Review by Adam Donato  Justice Smith plays Simon, Chris Pine plays Edgin, Sophia Lillis plays Doric and Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures. Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan. Board game movies are a thing. Anything to slap brand recognition on a generic blockbuster. I can’t wait for the Wonder Bread movie! Anyways, forget everything about the Dungeons & Dragons movie from 2000. Riding off their success making Game Night, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are back in the directors' chairs for this new fantasy epic. With a cast of franchise regulars, will Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves have the pull to make it the blockbuster success Paramount wants it to be? Considering Daley and Goldstein have only made studio comedies, the action here is quite the standout. While the cinematography and special effects are lacking throughout the movie, there’s several action sequences that are worth the price of admission. One of the ways the action stays fresh is due to the characters having different abilities — specifically Sophia Lillis’s character as she can shapeshift into animals both real and fantastical. The large dragon heavily featured in the promotional material serves for a surprisingly fresh sequence. Also, there’s a great amount of practical creatures featured in the film. This goes a long way to making the world feel lived in. Guardians of the Galaxy was quite the risk of a concept, but what helped it work was the likable family that was formed out of these criminals. While it’s also not the most original story, it thrives thanks to its charm and personality. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves feels like the producer assigned someone to make a fantasy version of Guardians of the Galaxy. While Daley and Goldstein try to infuse some of their comedic personality, there’s several archetypes that feel too close to characters like Star Lord and Drax. Like most movies, this movie feels like an amalgamation of aspects from other more popular movies who did it better. It functions and will probably work for casual audiences, but this is clearly nobody’s passion project. The movie ditches the dice rolling and just tells a standard fantasy quest tale. Characters need to band together to find the MacGuffin so they can stop the bad guy from destroying the world.  Chris Pine plays Edgin and Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves from Paramount Pictures and eOne. Photo Credit: Aidan Monaghan. Chris Pine does a great job at playing Chris Pine. This is a similar role to James T. Kirk in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films. Michelle Rodriguez is her typical badass self and her dry joke delivery works well. Justice Smith is the same annoying nerd he always plays. Sophia Lillis, while thriving in the action scenes, holds little emotional weight as her deal is that she doesn’t trust humans and Smith’s nerd boy is trying to court her. Rege-Jean Page of Bridgerton fame has a surprisingly small role as the handsome Boy Scout type. Hugh Grant plays a pathetic weasel version of his typical self while acting as the main antagonist of the film. Nobody acts in this movie. All of the actors showed up and played themselves.
While Scream, Creed, Shazam, and John Wick have all had previous movies recently, the Dungeons & Dragons franchise hasn’t seen the big screen in over two decades so at least it feels a little new. Hopefully Shazam! Fury of the Gods didn't quench fantasy lovers' thirst for dragons and this movie sees some success because it’s better than that sequel. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is generally fun and funny throughout. While it’s not an inspired piece of cinema like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it’s trying hard enough to make it worth your time at the theater. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens in theaters on March 31. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Gringa was the winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Gasparilla International Film Festival, and it’s totally understandable why: it’s a sometimes cheesy, always feel-good dramedy boasting a great performance by Steve Zahn. Although the movie doesn’t do much to stand out, it does what it sets out to do pretty well.
Gringa follows a teenager who, after the sudden and untimely death of her mother, runs away to Mexico in an attempt to reconnect with her father that she never knew. Although the film hardly reinvents the wheel, it’s wholesome and generally agreeable in a way that makes it a pretty sure bet to be a crowd-pleaser. One of the biggest issues with the movie is that it can’t decide on its identity. It's a soccer movie, a fish-out-of-water comedy, a surfing movie, a grief drama, an alcoholic dad movie, and an eating disorder drama — all in one. It throws a bunch of things to the wall, and while many of them are effective, there are so many pivots that it becomes frustrating. Still, the film manages to consistently find humor and charm in all of these varied situations. Even when the story is hitting the familiar beats — such as the obligatory romance with the suave local boy whose intentions might not be as pure as they seem — it’s hard to deny the movie’s cuteness factor. 
Indeed, even though the characters’ arcs are all very conventional, audiences will certainly be rooting for them the entire way. The central relationship dynamic, between father and daughter, is really wonderful and very sweet. Some of the supporting characters, like the protagonist’s teammates, feel underdeveloped and much less authentic.
The best thing about the film is Steve Zahn’s performance. Zahn is one of the most underrated actors working today, and he is able to nail both the comedic and dramatic elements of the role. The rest of the cast struggles to find the right tone, doubling down on the sentimentality and cheesiness. Visually, the movie makes the most of its Mexico shooting location to provide some absolutely gorgeous scenery for the film to be shot in. That being said, there are some missed opportunities in terms of the execution. For example, the soccer scenes are very plainly shot and could have been done in a more energetic, entertaining way. Had Gringa been able to focus on one part of its story more specifically, it likely would have been a lot more effective. Still, thanks to a very strong performance by Steve Zahn and a charming aura, it’s the type of movie that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Gringa screened at the 2023 Gasparilla International Film Festival, which runs March 23-26 in Tampa, FL. Rating: 3/5 |