Offbeat buddy picture champions long-haul friendships
Mike (Michael Angelo Covino, l.) drops some unsettling news on his longtime friend Kyle (Kyle Marvin) during an uphill bike ride.
Bay Area cinephiles were no doubt excited by the news that the Landmark Shattuck and Embarcadero theaters are re-opening today (at reduced capacity, and with strict health and safety protocols in place, of course). The chain has long been a showcase for indie film, and film fans can rejoice at returning to a venue for unique and quirky offerings. One of the theater’s grand re-opening films, The Climb, fits that description to a tee, and makes for a terrific first-time back viewing experience.
Murray shines in Coppola’s wistful, funny father-daughter story
Felix (Bill Murray) and his unhappy daughter Laura (Rashida Jones) drink and chat.
With many Bay Area movie theaters still closed, film fans may be looking for viewing experiences that are better suited to small screen, home viewing. On the Rocks, which is available to stream on Apple TV+ today, is the perfect film to watch from the comfort of your living room. Writer/director Sofia Coppola has crafted an intimate, tightly constructed character-driven story that doesn’t need the multiplex treatment to be enjoyed.
Matt (Vincent Piazza) and Naomi (Genesis Rodriguez) fight to survive after becoming trapped in their car during a huge snowstorm.
Regular readers of this site may know that I have an affinity for survival pictures. The terrific Mads Mikkelsen vehicle Arctic was number one on my Top 10 list last year, and over the past few years I’ve also enjoyed Adrift, Walking Out, The Mountain Between Us, and Everest. The latest entry to earn my approval is Centigrade, the first feature from television director/writer Brendan Walsh (Nurse Jackie) and his co-writer Daley Nixon. That this novice duo has created such a taut, tightly constructed film bodes well for their future cinematic projects.
Pike’s energy brings (half-)life to Marie Curie biopic
Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike) conducts experiments in her Paris lab.
Iranian director Marjane Satrapi, who was Oscar-nominated 13 years ago for turning her graphic novel Persepolis into a beautiful animated film, is back with another adaptation of a graphic novel. This time, however, Satrapi adapts Lauren Redniss’s 2010 National Book Award nominee Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout not as an animated picture, but as a live-action drama, and the results don’t work nearly as well as Satrapi’s first big success. Radioactive tells the story of famed Polish-French scientist Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike) and her personal and professional triumphs and travails. Unfortunately, Satrapi’s new work yields a very mediocre film about a great woman who deserves a more dignified biopic than this facile, sentimental treatment.
Laughs outweigh flaws in Stewart’s smart political satire
Washington political strategists Faith (Rose Byrne) and Gary (Steve Carell) back opposing candidates in a mayoral election in a small Wisconsin town.
I try not to read reviews of any film I’m going to review so as not to be unconsciously influenced, but this week it was hard to miss the early review headlines in my social media feed for Irresistible, comedian Jon Stewart’s new picture. My fellow critics seemed to not just dislike the film, but to actively hate it. It has a 47 rating on MetaCritic right now. Ouch. I had to wonder if we all saw the same movie. Because you know what? I actually liked it. I finished watching my screener, and I assumed reviews would be positive. I was really surprised by the hostile reactions. The picture isn’t perfect, but it’s smart, relevant, and, most importantly, has some decent laughs. Am I the odd outlier here? Is my taste off? Or are my colleagues all wrong? All I can say is read on for my take, watch the picture, and then decide for yourself which camp you’re in.
Gordon-Levitt shines in smart airplane hijacking nail-biter
First Officer Tobias Ellis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) attempts to stay calm after his plane is hijacked.
If you’ve been frustrated that you haven’t been able to fly anywhere for months now and have spent hours daydreaming about your next air travel jaunt, the new picture 7500 will snap you out of your reverie, and make you glad you’re stuck safely on the ground. The smart, taut thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a few problematic story elements, but mostly succeeds as a unique take on the typical Hollywood trouble-in-the-sky action pic.
I’ve been struggling with The Vast of Night, not the film, which is a solid if uneven debut from Andrew Patterson, and streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Not the film… the title!
Affleck is true champ in worthwhile basketball drama
High school basketball coach Jack (Ben Affleck) tries to motivate his team.
Remember the “Sad Ben Affleck” meme that was circulating a few years ago? Maybe you thought to yourself, “Hmmm… that would make a great film. Especially if it were combined with an underdog high school basketball movie like Hoosiers.” Well, sorry to say, but director Gavin O’Connor has beat you to it in his new Affleck-helmed picture The Way Back. But you know what? All kidding aside, despite a few flaws, the movie actually works, and Affleck delivers what’s easily a career best performance.
This is no ordinary love: Neeson and Manville make cancer drama worth seeing
Husband Tom (Liam Neeson) supports wife Joan (Lesley Manville) as she undergoes breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“How do you say to someone ‘don’t die’?” a character asks in Ordinary Love, which pretty much sets the tone for this grim but well done film about a long married couple coping with the wife’s recent breast cancer diagnosis. The movie is startling realistic, so much so that anyone who has been through cancer (either as a patient, or as a supportive family member/friend) may want to avoid it for the unpleasant memories it may bring back. Consider that your upfront trigger warning. But Irish husband/wife directing team Lisa Barros D’Sa and Glenn Leyburn, working from a script by Irish playwright Owen McCafferty, have crafted a nuanced, raw, and well-acted picture that, despite the downer subject matter, is worth your time.
Film critics Carrie and Chris on who will – and who should – win the 92nd Academy Awards
The 92nd Academy Awards air tomorrow, Sunday, February 9th, on ABC at 5:00 pm PST. Once again, Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chris Piper share their predictions — and hopes — for the major categories. A lot of the winners feel like locks, based on earlier award season wins, but, honestly, we’d rather have some upsets to make for an interesting show then have all our predictions come true. Fingers crossed for some liveliness!
