Review by Dan Skip Allen

'Tis the season to be merry and watch Happiest Season, a new holiday-themed movie on Hulu. Of course, this is the time when all sorts of holiday movies are coming out, and the streaming services are getting into the game as well. Netflix has had some good ones over the last couple of years, but now Hulu is trying to compete with them with their own batch of films. 

Harper (Mackenzie Davis) and Abby (Kristen Stewart) are a couple who have decided to go to Harper's family's home for Christmas. The problem comes in when Abby realizes that Harper's family doesn't know she's gay because she hasn't told them yet. This causes quite the drama for Abby during family events and parties. This film has quite the supporting cast of characters that make up the family of Davis's character, including Victor Garber and Mary Stienbergin as the parents, Alison Brie and Mary Holland as her sisters, and Aubrey Plaza as an ex-girlfriend.

Clea DuVall, primarily an actress, directs this funny holiday film. Her direction is good and includes quite a myriad of comedic moments. This film has a fish out of the water feeling to it most of the time. Stewart's character has quite a few awkward moments. One specifically involves her stealing a necklace. It was supposed to be funny but ended up feeling out-of-place. ​

Review by Camden Ferrell

​You will likely not find a film more ambitious or perplexing than Kill It and Leave This Town. This is the first feature film from director Mariusz Wilczyński, and it is a project that has been developed for the past fifteen years. Even if its themes can feel muddled and meandering at times, this is a unique experience that meditates on death and mortality.
 
Overcome with grief and despair after the loss of those dearest to him, our protagonist hides in the bowels of his memory. He revisits his parents, friends, and the life he once led. Describing the premise as such doesn’t nearly prepare the viewer for the absurdity of this movie. It takes its interesting premise and turns it into something utterly inexplicable.
 
The writing might be the weakest link in the film. There are many dialogue free moments that work really well, but some of the dialogue doesn’t always land properly. There are some really touching and resonant exchanges and conversations, but it can also come off as contrived at times.
 
The characters themselves are fascinating. Supplemented by a talented cast, these characters feel tangibly relatable. Regardless of the vulgar animation and haunting visuals, it truly feels like we can relate to the characters’ pain, longing, and existential dread. It’s not comforting at all, but it’s weirdly familiar in abstract ways. This is one of the film’s strong suits, and it deftly creates an environment that rings a bell somewhere in our mind. 

One of the most discernible aspects of the film is its animation style. It’s crude, vulgar, and shocking, and it all works so well in context of the film. The animation style illuminates the messages and themes so well, and it is a visual spectacle even if it can be hard to watch at times. It blends its haunting animation with some poignant imagery and a hefty dose of shock value that make it a unique visual achievement.
 
The film also boasts some great music throughout featuring some assertive electric guitar riffs. It is almost evocative of some of the trippy soundtrack in Fantastic Planet. Unfortunately, this movie can also be a little too ambitious for its own good. Certain scenes and moments significantly drag and create a lot of confusion. While the whole film is somewhat incoherent by design, there are some moments that feel wholly unnecessary.
 
Despite any flaws, the movie still proves to be a memorable experience that meditates on the human condition with stunning artistry. Many films tackle mortality, longing, and death, but so few can properly encapsulate those themes and blend it with a surrealist touch like Wilczyński. This movie is not for everyone, but it is ultimately a rewarding experience.
 
Kill It and Leave This Town may necessitate repeat viewings to be properly appreciated. It’s a film that is ambitious and rewards audience reflection and patience. It’s run time is brief, but it’s a film that takes you on the journey of one man and the life he is trying to relive and recapture.
 
Kill It and Leave This Town is available to stream November 25 to December 8 from Anthology Film Archives.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Gabriel Range’s Stardust has received a lot of heat from David Bowie fans for being an unauthorized biopic of the late musician, and while the limitations caused by that are evident, it still manages to be mostly passable. Ultimately, it works best as a run-of-the-mill rock movie and less so as an exploration of the life of a brilliant artist.

The film follows David Bowie as he goes on his first tour in the United States, which would come to be an experience integral to the formation of his on-stage persona. One thing that viewers will immediately notice is that the film features none of Bowie’s music, and the real reason why is that his family wouldn’t clear any of the rights. It takes some mental gymnastics for the film to justify it, but the reason it comes down to involves an incorrectly classified visa.

As such, much of the film takes the form of a series of junket interviews in which Bowie and some journalists discuss his philosophies in life and performing. It can get a bit monotonous at times, but the conversations are interesting and thoughtful enough to keep the film moving along at a mostly solid pace. 

The more frustrating part of the film is the behind-the-scenes drama which feels both extremely straightforward and disappointingly underwritten. Since rights issues prevented the audience from using this film to see Bowie as a performer, one would have hoped that the film would at least provide a deeper portrait of him as a person.

Instead, the film makes the unorthodox decision of using Bowie’s publicist as the true protagonist of the film. Although Bowie’s arc of coming into his own as an artist is compelling, the omission of his musical career presents an insurmountable obstacle in an emotional sense. On the other hand, the publicist’s story is much more grounded, even if the impact is limited by his lower profile.

Johnny Flynn’s performance as Bowie is solid but lacks the nuance that elevated other recent rock biopic leading turns. It often feels like Flynn is simply doing an impression, and while he nails a lot of the personality and mannerisms, he doesn’t bring anything extra to the emotional moments. Marc Maron is a standout in his central role, but rightfully doesn’t steal the show from Flynn. Jena Malone is wasted with a small and nearly insignificant part.

The opening sequence of the film is quite beautiful and sets a strong bar for the rest of the film to meet. Unfortunately, Range is never quite able to reach those astronomical heights again, settling for a competent but safe approach which feels a bit too conventional for someone that was known for challenging taboos and preconceptions.

Filmmaker Gabriel Range managed to pick up all the pieces to make Stardust into something enjoyable despite the slew of factors working against it. It may not be the great Bowie biopic we all wanted, but it also isn’t deserving of the hostilities that have been aimed towards it.

Stardust hits theaters and VOD on November 25.

​Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

There is no denying that Dylan Thomas is one of the most brilliant poets of all time, and so a film about the final days of his life sounds like an interesting prospect. And while Last Call is a very unique movie, in trying to make something more ambitious and poetic, filmmaker Steven Bernstein loses track of what made his subject so notable in the first place.

The film tells a fictional version of the days preceding the death of Dylan Thomas, as he drinks heavily and recalls various events in his life. For better or worse, it is made pretty clear early on that this is not a literal biopic, but an interpretation of his life through the lens of his words and the body of work that he created.

One of the most obvious shortcomings of the movie is that it lacks an overall feeling of consistency. At times, it seems as if Bernstein is trying to present a more subjective view of Thomas’s life, and then there will be a scene that doesn’t involve Thomas at all. Other portions struggle to find a balance between expressive and grounded.

The narrative structure which Bernstein chooses to go with for the film is also messy and uneven. As is the case with many movies that take place in the final days of someone’s life, the story is reliant on flashbacks to paint a more comprehensive portrait of its subject, and because of this, the framing device ends up feeling like a gimmick.

It too often feels like Bernstein is trying to be profound with his film. Much of the power of Thomas’s work comes from the fact that his writing is very natural and meaningful. Bernstein’s script, on the other hand, tries to force meaning into conversations made up of dialogue that is wooden and overly literary.

That isn’t to say that the movie is entirely unsuccessful — there are more than a few scenes that work quite well. But for every moment that asks an intriguing question about some of the themes that Thomas explored in his work, there is one that is disappointingly shallow or even empty. 

Still, Bernstein does some interesting things with the film. The black-and-white cinematography is gorgeous and creates an atmosphere that immediately brings to mind beatnik culture. Additionally, the performances are all pretty strong. Rhys Ifans is good (albeit stagey) as the drained poet, and John Malkovich and Tony Hale are both memorable in their supporting parts.

Much of what makes Last Call so frustrating is the fact that its script is so indecisive. There are some great moments, but most of the movie can’t decide what it wants to be, and as a result, it begins to ramble.

Last Call opens in theaters on November 25.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper is the newest film from director John Dower. Its subject and events have gained fame and elevated into legendary status since 1971. While this movie occasionally stumbles in its exploration of these events, it is still an interesting and mysterious look into one of the world’s most perplexing hijackings.
 
This film explores the legacy and potential suspects in the only unsolved act of air piracy in U.S. history. Someone under the titular pseudonym disappeared by jumping off a plane with a parachute with $200,000 and has not been found since. The documentary looks at four possible suspects and the evidence for each one. It’s a fascinating premise that serves as great source material for the movie.
 
Dower uses a combination of archive footage, interviews, and reenactments, and it’s a blend that works very well. He avoids the common mistake of overusing any specific type of footage, and he instead layers them over each other for more narrative coherence and flow. This seems the be a skill that Dower has honed over his career, and it benefits the film greatly.
 
The interviews have fairly interesting subjects that each have a unique contribution to the mystery surrounding these events. They have great evidence and anecdotal experience that is as interesting as it is unpredictable. Even if they aren’t remarkably captivating, these interviewees do prove to be essential to the film.

The main flaw of this film comes from the fact it seems to squander the potential of its story. This hijacking may be one of the most interesting heists of which I have ever heard, and the documentary isn’t nearly as sensational as it could have been. Not to say that it’s bland, but that it never achieves the greatness that it could have.
 
The movie still manages to feel fresh throughout despite its flaws, and it is a very fast-paced film that doesn’t waste any of its sub-90-minute runtime. It tells the story of the heist and intercuts it with the four possible suspects, and it prevents the movie from dragging too much or feeling dull. It maintains its tone and pace quite well and that is a testament to Dower’s ability as a filmmaker.
 
One thing this movie doesn’t provide is closure. Obviously, the title should indicate that, but it is a mystery that raises more questions than it answers. There’s an oddly satisfying ambiguity in the lack of resolution that helps consign this hijacking to legend.
 
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper is an interesting exploration into a famous hijacking. It uses a variety of material to tell its story in an entertaining matter. This is a documentary that will appeal to those interesting in crime documentaries and unexplained mysteries.
 
The Mystery of D.B. Cooper premieres on HBO and HBO Max November 25.
 
Rating: 3.5/5