Chad Liffmann – Page 5 – Spinning Platters

Film Review: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”

Third time’s a (fantastic) charm!

Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) turns from the fire.

It’s the third (released) attempt at a Fantastic Four movie, and after two truly embarrassing attempts, this time Marvel Studios got it right. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best Marvel feature film since Avengers: Endgame. The Fantastic Four could have been an interesting and worthwhile introduction to a new phase of the MCU, in its aesthetic, tone, and multiversal angle, had it been released following Endgame. Unfortunately, here we are, with a decade-long experience of watching Marvel cinematic fodder, constantly lowering expectations, and suffering from superhero fatigue. Luckily, Fantastic Four: First Steps pushes through any worry and/or fatigue with a fun, concise (don’t think about the plot too much!), and beautifully constructed story setting with the best character chemistry since the first Avengers film. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps””

Film Review: “Smurfs”

Smurfs uses familiar tricks and catchy tunes to reset the series, but is it too late?

After three feature film attempts between 2011 to 2017 to push The Smurfs brand back into mainstream culture, with diminishing returns, Paramount Animation is restarting with a new film, Smurfs. Losing the ‘The’ in the title is a futile way to differentiate itself from the previous set of forgettable films, even though this new film represents the best of the bunch. Smurfs is beautifully and creatively animated, and features catchy songs and skillful voicework, but still comes off as a stale retreading of tropes, jokes, and plot devices from superior animated films of the last decade. Continue reading “Film Review: “Smurfs””

Film Review: “40 Acres”

40 Acres is heavy on tension, light on details

Hailey (Danielle Deadwyler) creeps toward action.

At the beginning of 40 Acres, Hailey Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler), a strict and worried military mom in a post-apocalyptic world, tells one of her daughters “don’t waste bullets” after they fend off a gang of encroaching marauders. Mere moments later, Hailey tells her son to end the life of one of the marauders, who has been shot, and is now helpless and bleeding out on the ground. The son shoots the marauder in the head, a complete waste of a bullet. Hailey doesn’t seem to care. And, that, in a nutshell, demonstrates both the impressively directed atmosphere and the frustrating details in R.T. Thorne’s new thriller, 40 Acres. Continue reading “Film Review: “40 Acres””

Film Review: “Elio”

A colorful space adventure as energetic as it is fleeting

Why, oh why, does Pixar/Disney feel the need to kill off parents? Don’t worry, this fact is spoiled within the first few lines of the new Pixar film, Elio, a quick and colorful space adventure with an underlying message about self-worth. Killing off one or both of a protagonist’s parents is a common plot device in Disney films, dating back to Bambi, and including Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Frozen, Dumbo, Onward, Lilo & Stitch, and the list goes shockingly on and on. Some stories benefit from the emotional gravity of a deceased (or otherwise missing) parent(s), but in the case of Elio, plot points feel like forced emotional manipulation. Let’s ignore the parent debacle for now, because Elio remains a sci-fi adventure filled with fun alien characters and creative visual worlds, even when the story feels underbaked. Continue reading “Film Review: “Elio””

Film Review: “Materialists”

Celine Song’s second feature explores the modern-day dating marketplace

Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and Harry (Pedro Pascal) share an expensive moment.

On the surface, a summer romance starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal sounds like a big budget studio comedy. However, adding in an independent distributor, A24, and an award-winning writer/director, Celine Song (Past Lives), makes one ponder if there’s something weightier behind the cast and genre. Materialists is Song’s second feature film, following her 2023 Best Picture nominated drama, Past Lives. Song’s indisputable knack for crafting intimate, complex connections between characters (she’s an accomplished playwright…and was a matchmaker, briefly…more on that later) is on full display in Materialists. Her skill as a writer, and how she directs her actors, distinguish her films from other romantic dramas with comparable emotional narratives. Materialists has much to say about modern-day dating, and through Song’s observant lens, her viewpoint makes for a rewarding viewing experience. Continue reading “Film Review: “Materialists””

Film Review: “How to Train Your Dragon”

Dragon’s nearly identical retelling lacks freshness

It would be hard to fault writer/director Dean DeBlois (2002’s Lilo & Stitch), who directed the original How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy, for choosing to return to direct the live-action remake. After all, the original HTTYD is a near-perfect film, with a gigantic brand and fan-base. DeBlois and his team decided that the best way to capture the magic of the original was to “transfer” it to live-action– nearly shot-for-shot, and line for line. Well, Mr. DeBlois, not all the dialogue and shot-for-shot sequences are as effective with a new cast and without the colorful emotive freedom of animation. Dragon-riding is still exhilarating in the live-action version, but the rest of the film lacks the script re-tuning necessary for a new narrative tone and visual palette. The new How to Train Your Dragon will be a grand scale adventure for those unfamiliar with the original film, and certainly a blast for young kids, but for the previously Dragon-trained audiences, the new live-action version will fail to match the original’s transportive wonder and wit. Continue reading “Film Review: “How to Train Your Dragon””

Film Review: “The Life of Chuck”

The Life of Chuck beautifully illuminates the magic, devastation, and solemn finality of our lives

Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) begins his dance.

The Life of Chuck is based on a Stephen King short story from his collection, If It Bleeds, published in 2020. “The Life of Chuck” is similar to King’s other less scary, more dramatic works, such as “Stand by Me,” “The Green Mile,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” But unlike those, “The Life of Chuck” is filled with colorful wonder and likeable characters, even as it explores the sad and mathematical truth of our finite existence. Writer/director Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass; The Fall of the House of Usher) is no stranger to adapting King’s work, having already directed two: Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Fans of Flanagan’s horror series and films know that in addition to the intricately-crafted scares and permeating sense of dread his team is so effective at creating, Flanagan knows how to deliver moments of authentic sentimentality. Focusing on that latter ability, Flanagan is the perfect director for The Life of Chuck. Combining visual flair with a whimsical yet brutally honest script, The Life of Chuck is, ultimately, a precious piece of existential storytelling. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Life of Chuck””

Film Review: “Ballerina”

Ballerina effortlessly (and violently) pirouettes into the John Wick universe

Gun fu is back! After 2023’s spectacular finale (for now), John Wick: Chapter 4, and a disappointing television series, The Continental, the John Wick universe is once again aiming to expand with Ballerina, marketed as From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, in case you didn’t know. If you also weren’t aware, Keanu Reeves reprises his role in Ballerina, a seemingly desperate inclusion by the producers to feed the fan base and add extra gravitas. Reeves is slightly overused in Ballerina. His initial cameo adds emotional weight to the titular ballerina’s plight, but the film could’ve stood solidly on its own without his reappearance in the third act, which isn’t much of a spoiler if you’ve seen any of the trailers. Ballerina is the first promising piece of John Wick universe expansion, and though the film contains plenty of flaws in its narrative logic, Ballerina is still a slick, exhilarating actioner with a bright future of potential sequel chapters. Continue reading “Film Review: “Ballerina””

Film Review: “Fight or Flight”

Fight or Flight is a brisk and exciting ride, despite narrative turbulence

Lucas (Josh Hartnett) is enjoying the fight on his flight.

The Josh Hartnett renaissance (Hart-naissance?) continues! From his supporting role in Oppenheimer and his cameo in The Bear, to the hammy lead role in last summer’s Trap, Hartnett is making moves to reclaim a movie star status he relished in the late ‘90s to early ‘00s. And, he seems to be loving every minute of it, taking on an assortment of roles: straight men, serial killers, and action heroes. Hartnett’s charm and underused physicality is on full display in Fight or Flight, a flawed B-movie thriller with a high level of violent choreography and cheeky humor. Continue reading “Film Review: “Fight or Flight””

Film Review: “The Surfer”

Toxic masculinity gets menacingly vibrant and sun-soaked in The Surfer

Nicolas Cage just wants to surf in ‘The Surfer’

“You can’t stop a wave. It’s pure energy.” What a great line to start a film, especially when the line is delivered with philosophical sincerity by Nicolas Cage to kickstart a gonzo psychedelic thriller. The Surfer is the new film from Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) and it takes its opening line to heart, stylistically and performatively. Finnegan submerges The Surfer in 1970s era orange and turquoise and utilizes Cage’s unique talent for capturing a character’s descent into madness. The result is a blistering portrayal of toxic masculinity. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Surfer””