Review by Sean Boelman

The Norwegian film A Man Called Ove, based on the novel Fredrik Backman, is one of the more acclaimed international comedies in recent memory. Of course, Hollywood had to come along and remake it, but surprisingly, Marc Forster’s A Man Called Otto is a rare remake that manages to capture the magic of the original, largely thanks to a strong performance by Tom Hanks.

The movie follows a depressed old man who is given a refreshed outlook on life when a new family moves in next door, forming an unlikely and unorthodox friendship with him. For those who have seen the Norwegian version of the film, it largely follows the same beats with a few jokes and small plot points being translated to an American audience.

That being said, the marketing would have this movie be a heartwarming comedy about a grumpy old man learning to be kind again, and while those aspects are there, it also has a very dark sense of humor to it. Although this element isn’t quite as prevalent of a force as it was in the Norwegian adaptation, it’s something that audiences need to be prepared for or else they will be put off by it.

Tom Hanks gives another phenomenal performance here, but one can’t help but feel the Hanks-iness of it all. In other words, Hanks is essentially playing Tom Hanks but grumpy. Still, it works quite well, as there is supposed to be an inexplicably lovable quality to the character, just as Hanks himself is infectiously endearing.

His chemistry with actress Mariana Treviño is fantastic, and Treviño surprisingly holds her own against the veteran actor. It’s refreshing to see a film that, for the most part, doesn’t make the minority character the butt of the joke — although one recurring gag about her character’s poor driving abilities does teeter on the edge of being slightly problematic.

One thing in the remake that is, surprisingly, an improvement over the original, is the use of flashbacks. While the flashbacks were effective in the Norwegian movie, they are much more concise and focused in this version. While these scenes could be seen as tear-jerking, they are effective at eliciting a strong emotional reaction.

That said, this version of the film is much weaker on the elements dealing with the theme of immigration. It’s a missed opportunity considering how hot of a topic immigration is in the United States right now, especially since — as it stands — the characters’ ethnicity feels like more of a plot device than a fully-developed aspect of her character.

A Man Called Otto sticks to the basics and remembers what made its source material so charming in the first place, while also benefiting from an inspired performance by Tom Hanks. It’s a lovely, charming little movie, and while it wasn’t entirely necessary, it holds up against an original that set a pretty high bar for success.
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A Man Called Otto hits theaters on December 29.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Cole Groth

Lizzie Gottlieb’s latest documentary, Turn Every Page - The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb, details her father, legendary literature editor Robert Gottlieb, and his decades-long relationship with the Pulitzer Prize-winning political author Robert Caro. I might not be in the target audience as an 18-year-old college student, but there’s something so fascinating about a relatively niche documentary that celebrates knowledge creation. In the 112-minute runtime, Gottlieb creates a riveting tale of the somewhat fading art of literature.

Turn Every Page is thematically split into two separate documentaries. The first part shows Caro’s incredible effort in each of his novels. We follow him as he spends countless hours at a local library and museum, finding information about Lyndon B. Johnson for the latest installment in a currently four-volume biography that he’s been working on for decades. His painstaking work shows the work that goes into making a great piece of literature. The second part has Lizzie following her father as he describes his relationship with Caro. Robert is a fascinating man whose obsession with detail leads to long, nerdy sections about the importance of the semicolon or how a single paragraph could be as important as a single period. It’s a lot of fun to follow these two men who are deeply engaged in their work.

While not focusing on their literature, we’re taught various lessons from the people whom Caro’s works have inspired. It’s fascinating to learn that a few hundred fraudulent votes gave Lyndon B. Johnson the win in his senate primary election in 1948 in a rural county in Texas. The history of New York City’s infrastructure is a fascinating piece of history. Lizzie proves herself a well-seasoned documentarian by weaving so much information together to create a satisfying film. Technically, Turn Every Page is very well done. The pacing is strong, with the runtime not feeling a moment too long or too short. The cinematography is excellent, the sound is good, and it’s an all-around professional production. Since these elements have no notable flaws, we can focus on the film’s core: Lizzie’s father and Robert Caro. Anybody with interest in writing would be wise to listen to the words of these incredibly insightful men. There’s hardly a dull moment in the charmingly elaborate explanations of minute literary details.

As a young film fanatic, I love finding films that take me out of my comfort zone and teach me something new. It’s sad that literature isn’t as popular as it used to be. Still, if this generation of writers can be anything like the duo portrayed in Lizzie Gottlieb’s fantastic documentary, it’ll continue as an excellent art form for generations to come. This is a must-watch for film fans and literature enthusiasts everywhere.

Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb releases in select theaters on December 30.

Rating: 4/5

Review by Dan Skip Allen

This movie shows one side of an abusive relationship, but it works both ways. Sometimes women can be a bit overbearing and controlling as well. Only when Kendrick goes to the cabin does she realize she has been a bad friend to her two best friends, played by Wunmi Mosaku and Kaniehtio Horn, because of how her boyfriend treated her. She forgot she had two supportive friends. It's hard sometimes to see beyond your own face when your mind is on such a difficult thing as making an abusive boyfriend or husband happy.

Mary Nighy is the daughter of Bill Nighy, a famous British actor. She has teamed up with the screenwriter Alanna Francis to tell an intimately personal story of a woman's life dealing with verbal and emotional abuse. This is a story only women could tell, and from top to bottom, many women are featured in making this motion picture. I can see how this story/film was a draw for them to work on.​

Alice, Darling takes the #MeToo movement to the next level. It puts a woman in such emotional turmoil she can't even see who's her friend and who's not. The movie uses such intelligent verbiage that it tries to be very smart in how the words affect the main character. Kendrick, along with the writer and director, put the viewer in an uncomfortable position to watch this woman's emotional journey of verbal abuse and manipulation by her boyfriend. It's not easy to watch, but it's worthwhile.

Alice, Darling hits theaters on December 30.

Rating: 4/5

Review by Cole Groth

2022 is the year of big performances. From Austin Butler’s bombastic portrayal of the most influential rock star of all time in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis to Michelle Yeoh’s excellent adventure as an aging Chinese immigrant who can jump across the multiverse in Everything Everywhere All at Once, we’ve seen many actors do their best at their absolute most. In the mix of these big films, it might be easy to overlook Bill Nighy’s soulful portrayal of a dying man looking for a change in his life. With the upcoming Academy Awards nominations in January, you would be unwise to miss one of the year's best performances in Oliver Hermanus’s Living.

Set in a post-war 1953 London, Living is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru. Similar to its predecessor, Hermanus weaves a tale of a bureaucrat who searches for meaning in his life after he’s given a terminal diagnosis. It explores the inefficiency of bloated government organizations and how powerfully our seemingly ordinary interactions with others have a significant impact on the lives of others. Instead of taking place in Japan, this story moves to Britain, which feels like a perfect change for this remake.

Nighy’s performance as Williams is almost as devastatingly powerful as the diagnosis he’s given. Williams only has a few months to live, meaning he has to make the most of a life he’s spent without a thirst for something bigger. He subtly delivers every line with so much precision that he feels exactly like the role he’s portraying. His mannerisms are those of an older man who’s grown jaded with his life. It’s refreshingly realistic and profound. Opposite aside him is an incredible Aimee Lou Wood. Since Williams has to make the most out of the rest of his life, he chooses his companionship with a much younger woman with some pep in her step. Wood is excellent for this role because her wide eyes seem like she’s always searching for the best in a person. The two perfectly juxtapose each other and allow for several brilliant scenes of generational knowledge being passed back and forth.

For a production without an enormous budget, it’s awe-striking how great the production design is. From the very first frame to the final one, you’re transported into the early ‘50s and feel wholly engrossed in the silent beauty of past generations. The perfect sets and costume design will almost go unnoticed because a certain level of realism (that all films should strive for) is achieved here, making you forget you’re watching a movie. It allows us to focus on each conversation and feel like the fly on the wall for many different people. In addition to the brilliant design of the world, we’re treated to one of the best scores of the year, composed by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. The beauty of her piano underscores each scene with a quiet sensitivity. Even without considering the rest of the film, the production alone is worthy of a watch.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s adaptation of Kurosawa’s script is splendid. Like Hermanus and Nighy, the writing exercises great restraint to ensure that each moment is as important as the last. Nighy plays a Dickensian character. While he doesn’t go through as much of a transformation as Ebeneezer Scrooge, Ishiguro gives us the satisfaction of watching a man obtain positive growth. The script also fantastically portrays the government’s inefficiency, which feels remarkably prescient in our modern era. The first fifteen minutes show us a group of women trying to install a public playground in their town, only to be shuffled from department to department, being told that each subsequent bureaucrat will be able to help them. Scenes like these are what give this film so much character. When we aren’t being saddled with what could be a tremendously depressing story, we see exciting scenes of the other characters involved in Williams’s life.

Living manages to sport one of the best performances of the year in a year where we’ve seen many excellent actors give all-time best portrayals. Nighy gives it all and is supported by a brilliant team of talented creatives behind him. Living is one of the year’s best films with excellent direction from Oliver Hermanus, beautiful set design, and an excellent script. It deserves all the love it can get into the upcoming awards season.

Living ​is now playing in theaters.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Tatiana Miranda

​At first glance, No Bears appears to be one of the several movies to come out of 2022 that focuses on filmmaking, alongside The Fabelmans and Babylon. But No Bears is unique in many ways, mainly regarding the context surrounding the film's making and location. Part documentary and part fiction, No Bears is centered around an Iranian director, "Jafar Panahi," who is portrayed by the real-life director of the film, Jafar Panahi. 

While the film is heavily fictionalized, Panahi's real-world influences are apparent throughout. Having been banned from filmmaking in 2010 by the Iranian government, Panahi applies this struggle to his film as this character attempts to make a movie in Turkey without being able to leave Iran. Filled with slapstick-style scenes of Panahi trying to video-call his assistant in Turkey as his internet connection continues to go in and out, Panahi is able to blend drama and comedy in order to highlight the surrealist nature of the position he is in. 

Beyond its humorous moments, No Bears is anxiety-inducing. Panahi's real-life urgency and secretive style of filmmaking are reflected on screen as his character resides near the border of Iran and Turkey, slyly working on his next movie. Through the character's actions, those of the characters within his film, and the real Panahi's experience, the audience watches as each deals with their feelings of being trapped. 

Panahi, the character, frequents the border and contemplates fleeing to Turkey. The characters in his film, Bakhtiar and Zara, are shown trying to gain passports in order to leave and go to Europe, a storyline which is also portrayed to be inspired by the actors' experiences. Lastly, Panahi, the director, includes his personal restrictions through simple but poignant directorial decisions. 

Even the film's title harps back to the overarching subject of borders and what lies beyond them. In a conversation between Panahi and his landlord Ghanbar, they discuss the town's superstitious beliefs about bears that keep people from crossing the border. In response to Panahi's question about the bears, Ghanbar disproves this idea and says a line encapsulating the film's central thesis: "Our fear empowers others. No Bears!" 

Unlike its Western counterparts telling the history and creativity of filmmaking, No Bears tackles the discussion of the limitations many have to deal with when it comes to censorship and authoritarian governments. Even without the context of Panahi's current imprisonment and many run-ins with the law, No Bears is a defiant representation of Panahi's passion for filmmaking and the realities he has dealt with while trying to hone his craft. 

No Bears is now playing in theaters.
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Rating: 3/5