Films – Page 15 – Spinning Platters

Film Review: “Emergency”

This emergency needs to be seen, stat

Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins, l.), Carlos (Sebastian Chacon, center), and Sean (RJ Cyler) face an emergency.

Nominated for the Grand Jury prize at Sundance this year, Emergency took home the Festival’s Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. After seeing the film, you’ll understand why. Adapting her 2018 Sundance short of the same name into a full length feature, screenwriter K.D. Dávila has done something sly here. She starts the picture as if we’re in for a spring break high jinks, wild college party comedy à la Animal House. But then she turns the tables in such a dramatic, urgent, and tense fashion that you’ll leave the picture reeling. And that’s a good thing.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Emergency””

Film Review: “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”

Basking in the total Nick Cageness of Nick Cage

He's reached total Cage — He’s reached total Cage.

If you live in California, Nicolas Cage is a Prius. If you live in Alabama, Nicolas Cage is an F-150. If you live in Colorado, Nicolas Cage is a Subaru. Ubiquitous, omnipresent, universal don’t begin to describe his career. Simple descriptors, most adjectives, even words themselves, fail to cover the sheer, gargantuan, remark-ability of the man’s effect on our collective souls. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent””

Film Review: “The Northman”

Unbelievable physical detail can’t overcome blocky storytelling and a mawkish core

In the new Robert Eggers film The Northman, a young prince in proto-Europe’s far north swears vengeance for his father’s murder, is driven mad by revenge, and faces his rival in a climactic battle. Sound familiar? Continue reading “Film Review: “The Northman””

Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #2

The 65th SFFilm Festival will take place April 21 – May 1, 2022, with screenings at various venues around the Bay Area. This year, the festival program features over 130 film from 56 countries, so there are plenty of options for everyone.

Here’s a look at five more features — get your tickets before they sell out!

1.) WE FEED PEOPLE
(USA, 2022. 90 min)

From director Ron Howard, We Feed People takes a close look at the World Central Kitchen (WCK) and the man who launched and manages it with every fiber of his being, world-renowned chef Jose Andres. The majority of the film is boots-on-the-ground footage of the WCK in action, with only snippets here and there taken from news reports. In this way, we get a devastating look at the aftermath of various disasters as WCK staff work fast among the wreckage and speak to the impacted residents. Most importantly, We Feed People contains a sense of urgency, that food shortages should be a thing of the past — it’s an inspirational gut punch. WCK is at the forefront of the fight: at the time of this writing, multiple WCK staff members in Ukraine have been injured in a recent Russian bombing.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., April 23rd, 5:30pm at the Vogue Theatre Continue reading “Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #2”

Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #1

We’ll bring you spotlight coverage of many of the films leading up to and during the Festival. Here’s a look at five features and a short to get things started — get your tickets before they sell out!

1.) THE EXILES
(USA, Taiwan, France, China, 2021. 96 min)

A fascinating documentary that spotlights legendary Chinese documentarian Christine Choy (Who Killed Vincent Chin?) as an avenue into revisiting the massacre at Tiananmen Square and three high profile exiled dissidents. Produced by Steven Soderbergh and winner of this year’s Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize, The Exiles takes an honest look at the active erasure of history, and exemplifies the power of documentary filmmaking to preserve memories, events, and movements.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., April 23rd, 3:00pm at the Victoria Theatre
– Sun., April 24th, 2:00pm at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive

Continue reading “Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #1”

Film Review: “All the Old Knives”

Old knives sharp enough for satisfying spy thriller

Former colleagues and lovers Celia (Thandiwe Newton) and Henry (Chris Pine) catch up over dinner in Carmel.

Danish director Janus Metz brings a chilly Scandinavian sensibility to his adaptation of Olen Steinhauer’s 2015 spy novel All the Old Knives. The serviceable picture keeps the viewer at some remove from the characters, but presents a story just entertaining enough to absorb us.

Continue reading “Film Review: “All the Old Knives””

Film Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”

The colorful SEGA spiny mammals are back and fully charged!

If there’s one thing the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog films have shown, it’s that Jim Carrey is sorely missed as a regular on-screen presence. His performance in 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog was, not so arguably, the best part of the film and without it the film would’ve been easily dismissed. The sequel, coming out only two years after the first, is a rare instance of more-is-better working for a franchise. Carrey remains the main draw, and he once again delivers the manic goods. Two new colorful iconic characters from the SEGA game’s universe, Tails and Knuckles, are fun additions. Unsurprisingly, the addition of extended plotlines surrounding minor side characters isn’t as fun. Like a broken record, I’ll once again say that movies are too long these days. Sonic 2 is twenty minutes too long (23 minutes longer than the first movie). Despite some extraneous tangents, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 doubles down on the jokes, the action, and the energy.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog 2””

Film Review: “Ambulance”

**Call an Ambulance, because I’m sick with satisfaction!**

Something happened at the end of Ambulance that I didn’t expect when the movie began. I cared. I cared for the characters. I haven’t cared for characters in a Michael Bay film for nearly ten years, back when Pain & Gain came out, and even that barely registered as honest emotion. I’m not going to defend Ambulance as a great film, nor a really good one. It stumbles in many of the same ways we’ve come to expect from Michael Bay’s projects, that is, in terms of story and confusing camerawork. However, as a piece of high concept escapism, Ambulance is a spectacular time at the movies.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Ambulance””

Film Feature: Carrie Picks the 2022 Oscars

Who will – and who should – win the 94th Academy Awards

The 94th Academy Awards air tonight, Sunday, March 27th, on ABC at 5:00 pm PST. After a pandemic pause last year, I’m back this year to share my predictions — and hopes — for the major categories. The show could pique more interest this year, since the controversial decision was made to shorten the program by moving eight of the 23 categories off screen. Protests may happen, and hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes are sure to have some pointed commentary. Tune in to see how it all plays out, and to see close I (and you!) get to picking the winners.

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie Picks the 2022 Oscars”

Film Review: “Uncharted”

Uncharted is a lot more fun when operating via video game controller

Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) and Victor Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) search for a better movie.

The video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was released in November, 2007 for the Playstation console. It was an immediate hit, spawning four main series sequels and a handful of spin-offs. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was released in 2009, chatter about a film adaptation began to take shape, since the series began earning fame for its cinematic presentation, and Among Thieves is widely considered by many to be among the best video games of all time (including me). Alas, we finally have the Uncharted film adaptation we’ve waited over a decade for, and it’s, well, meh. Much of the plot turns, action set pieces, and dialogue is inspired by, if not directly taken from, the video game series. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The film also pays fan service by sprinkling a handful of easter eggs (and a special cameo) throughout. All of this adds up to a moderately entertaining action adventure, but the best thrills are few and far between, and don’t measure up to the iconic gameplay.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Uncharted””