Review by Sean Boelman

Werner Herzog has an obvious and infectious fascination with the world that surrounds him, as is made obvious by his documentaries that are filled with appreciation for the planet and the people who inhabit it. However, in expanding his scope to a cosmic level in Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, along with geologist Clive Oppenheimer, he loses a lot of what makes his films so wondrous.

In the movie, Herzog and Oppenheimer explore meteors and comets from both a scientific and cultural perspective, with a focus on how they have impacted earth both literally and figuratively. And while those who are interested in outer space will undoubtedly be fascinated with the material, general audiences will likely reject the film’s technicality.

That isn’t to say that the movie is hard to understand — Herzog and his interviewees do a good job of explaining the scientific jargon as to allow those less scientifically informed viewers to understand what is being discussed. Still, it’s little more than a scientific colloquy for its hour and a half runtime.

Like so much of Herzog’s other work, this film questions our role in the greater picture, but in also attempting to explain the greater picture, it loses that much-needed personal touch. The most fascinating portions of the movie are those in which the filmmakers are exploring how these individual cultures saw and treated these astronomical phenomena.

Instead, Herzog seems to be taking a more environmentalist approach to the material. Of course, it’s nowhere near as gloom-and-doom as some of his more recent political work, but there’s obviously something here about the life of the universe, specifically in relation to our planet, and the message feels disappointingly conventional.

The film also doesn’t assert a clear subject. Herzog’s signature narration with his smooth voice obviously serves as the common thread, but some of the interviews are conducted by himself and others by Oppenheimer. The movie certainly would have been much more effective had it set a more concise focus.

Regardless, the film is as gorgeous as expected from Herzog, featuring plenty of beautiful nature shots that will leave the audience in awe of the world’s mightiness. And while Herzog unfortunately struggles to find the substance to back up the wonderful eye of his camera, it’s at least a pretty movie to look at.

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds should have been another magnificent documentary from Werner Herzog, but instead it tries to do too much and feels like it isn’t doing enough at the same time. Still, the inner astronomer in all of us will find enough to enjoy to make it worth the watch.

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds screened as a part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival which ran September 10-19.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Ricky Staub’s feature debut Concrete Cowboy is the type of film that sounds like it should be a massive hit on paper: a talented star in a prominent supporting role, a great up-and-comer in the lead, and a unique real-life inspiration. But despite all these bits of potential, it simply doesn’t come together into something compelling.

The movie follows a teenager who gets drawn into the urban cowboy subculture when he moves in with his estranged father. And while the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club is fascinating and should make for a very interesting film, Staub and his co-writer Dan Walser don’t make anything more out of it than a rather conventional coming-of-age story.

There are plenty of movies about troubled teens exploring unique subcultures, and in fact, there’s even a much better one coming out next month, but there has to be something personal to a film like this to make it stand out beyond the initial intrigue of its premise. And here, the movie just doesn’t do enough to feel distinctive.

The protagonist’s arc is frustratingly obvious. It seems that in films about unusual identities (in this case the urban rider), the lead is forced to choose between their newfound passion and a life of crime. The fluctuations between these two callings are almost always predictable, and this is no exception.

And in terms of the supporting characters, they are little more than vehicles to spew vaguely metaphorical and shallowly wise dialogue for the protagonist to come to understand as he experiences life in his own way. It’s not a very interesting approach at all, and it gets dull after about thirty minutes of the movie’s hour-and-fifty-minute runtime.

Caleb McLaughlin (of Stranger Things fame) is excellent in his lead role, proving that he deserves something more meaty and substantial. As always, Idris Elba is phenomenal, delivering his dialogue (or more like failed attempts at poetry) in a way that is often moving. Jharrel Jerome also makes an appearance but is sorely underused.

Staub takes a very matter-of-fact approach to filmmaking, shooting the film in an almost documentary-like style. And while this definitely heightens its sense of realism and authenticity, it also feels cold and creates a disconnect. With some added energy, this easily could have overcome its substandard script.

Concrete Cowboy is definitely a bit of a let down. There are some good moments and lots of talented people involved, but unfortunately, it ends up feeling dead-on-arrival because of its conventional script.

Concrete Cowboy screened as a part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival which ran September 10-19.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

​American Murder: The Family Next Door is the newest true crime documentary from Netflix. Known for their entertaining and popular true crime docs, Netflix’s newest feat may prove to be one of their best endeavors. Jenny Popplewell’s newest film is a relentlessly chilling look into a very famous and horrific case.
 
This documentary tells the real-life story of the Watts family murders that occurred in Colorado in 2018. After a woman and her children go missing, very surprising and disturbing discoveries are made soon thereafter. This is a very famous case with which many people are familiar. Even if it’s a story that has been heard before, this is an interesting and shocking story that provide a strong basis for the documentary.
 
What’s notable about this documentary is its use of actual footage from these events. There are no interviews, recreations, or anything non-authentic. It uses a combination of police footage, security camera footage, and social media posts to create a detailed account of the events that transpired. It’s an interesting way to tell the story, but there is a great amount of material with which to work.
 
Due to the nature of the documentary, there are no performances at all or interviews that were prepared, and that gives the movie a very natural and unpredictable feeling. We get to see everyone’s genuine actions and reactions as they occur spontaneously, and it’s haunting more than anything.

​True crime documentaries have a tendency to sensationalize their subjects. This movie doesn’t do that too much, but it definitely uses common techniques to artificially create heightened tension and a certain shock factor that is commonplace in the genre. However, this does also heighten the entertainment factor, which is an important characteristic for a film of this type.
 
Popplewell organizes this documentary very well. It’s straightforward, but it employs techniques that tell the story but jumping between the before and after moments of the disappearance. This prevents the film from having a completely linear progression that might have gotten old very quick. Considering the amount of footage there is, she also does a great job of keeping the film concise without any unnecessary moments.
 
For those familiar with the case, this film might not inform or shock as much, but it’s still an intimate and chilling look into the specifics of the case and all of the aspects that were involved. It may seem to use the case and the victims to create an entertaining story rather than honoring them at times, and it may be problematic for some viewers, but it really is an interesting and horrifically tragic case that’s worth checking out.
 
American Murder: The Family Next Door is another interesting and captivating true crime documentary from Netflix. This film won’t win any new converts for the genre, but for fans of true crime, this is a must watch documentary. It’s surprising, fast-paced, and it’s a horrific look into the tragedy that struck one Colorado family.
 
American Murder: The Family Next Door is available on Netflix September 30.
 
Rating: 4/5

Inspired by a true protest that feels like it could have happened today but was actually conducted by a group of revolutionary women fifty years ago, Misbehaviour is an above-average ensemble film with a wonderful message. Chaotic (but fittingly so) in its attempt to cover the story from all angles, it’s a thoroughly charming flick nevertheless.

The movie tells the story of the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant and the group of women’s liberation protesters who hatch a plan to disrupt it. And while every one of the people who has a part in this story adds something interesting to the equation, trying to juggle the contestants, the organizers, and the protesters prevents the script from doing justice to any of the groups.

Part offbeat comedy and part prestige drama, the film manages to juggle its many important ideas while still being entertaining and crowd-pleasing. At times, the sentimentality becomes a bit overwhelming and the pacing grinds to a halt for a tear-jerking moment, but the rest of the movie has such a sense of energy that it isn’t too distracting.

There are actually some really fascinating implications that this story has, and writers Rebecca Frayn and Gaby Chiappe do a great job of exploring them. The portion of the film which deals with the racial tension in the era is especially compelling, even though it may not be as deep-cutting as it has the potential to be.

Without a doubt, the activists fighting against the objectification of women through beauty pageants have the most compelling story. And given the fact that America’s commander-in-chief was once best-known for sponsoring one of the most prominent competitions of the sort, this message feels just as important now as it did in 1970.

But the movie also does a good job of showing how some of the contestants in the pageant were making a difference in their own way. A forced scene allows the storylines to connect and shows how there is more to the situation than either side would initially have seen. And in addressing both perspectives, it becomes clear why these issues remain under debate today.

That said, the portion of the film about the pageant’s organizers isn’t as necessary. Rhys Ifans goes a bit too far as the head honcho, and Greg Kinnear tries his hardest but is miscast as television personality Bob Hope. Thankfully, actresses Keira Knightley, Jessie Buckley, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw steal the spotlight from them with their stellar turns.

Misbehaviour would have been a lot better had it cut some of the fluff, but it’s still a lot better than it sounds on paper. It’s nice to see a somewhat conventional movie finally take advantage of its stellar cast to elevate it substantially.

Misbehaviour hits VOD on September 25.

​Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The second collaboration between filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg and actor Mads Mikkelsen after their extraordinary drama The Hunt, the comedy-drama Another Round couldn’t be more different from the film that established them both as significant players. Taking full advantage of its wacky premise, it’s a very funny film that also packs a surprising emotional punch.

The film follows a group of teachers who try to find a new way to connect with their students by setting out to maintain a constant blood alcohol level throughout the day. And while this may sound like the set-up for the most absurd drinking comedy ever, and to an extent it is, it’s also an examination of how people come to terms with the world around them, or refuse to do so.

Much of the story follows the expected beats apart from a couple moments that are definitely surprising (for better or worse), but it isn’t the plot that makes the film stand out — it’s the way in which Vinterberg and co-writer Tobias Lindholm pull so much insightfulness and humor out of an inherently ridiculous concept.

The film is at its best when it features the four lead characters together, having very drunken and somewhat philosophical conversations. The fish-out-of-water comedy is great, and that happens mostly in scenes where they are on their own, but the dynamic between the group is what will create that emotional investment.

Mikkelsen gives another phenomenal performance in the lead role, although one would expect nothing less. He’s more known for his serious and darker work, so it’s nice to get to see him let loose a bit… and take advantage of some of the special skills on his resumé. Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, and Magnus Millang round out the quartet quite well.

There is an attempt to explore each of the character’s personal lives, and ultimately, the audience will care far less about these subplots than the central story. These asides are well-written, but viewers will find themselves thinking more about the experiment when they are supposed to be concerned about the character’s marriage.

This is also a much more conventional film than much of what Vinterberg has made recently (aside from maybe Kursk). And while there are some stylistic flourishes as anticipated, in addition to a finale that will blow most viewers away, this film returns the filmmaker to his roots of focusing on the emotion of the performances more than the cinematic medium.

Another Round is just as wonderful and lovely as one can ask for. Even though it’s on the opposite end of the spectrum from Vinterberg and Mikkelsen’s last collaboration, it shows that they are a dynamic duo in the making no matter what material they are working with.

Another Round screened as a part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival which ran September 10-19.

​Rating: 4.5/5