Films – Page 9 – Spinning Platters

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: “Bad Shabbos”

Bad Shabbos makes for good viewing

A meeting of soon-to-be in-laws goes horribly awry at a most unfortunate Shabbos dinner.

Fans of the Netflix series Nobody Wants This will love Bad Shabbos, a new film that similarly deals with an interfaith relationship, this time between the Jewish David (John Bass) and the Catholic-raised Meg (Meghan Leathers). Director Daniel Robbins’s film is more farcical than the Adam Brody/Kristen Bell series, but shares some of its sweetness, as well as some of its more cliched stereotypes. That the movie won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival is no surprise. Lightweight but amusing, the picture is a definite crowd pleaser.
Continue reading “Film Review: “Bad Shabbos””

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””

Film Review: “Mononoke Hime” (“Princess Mononoke”) 4K Remaster

There are some movies where, at a certain point in my watching them for the first time, I’ve already decided that I’m going to purchase a copy for myself. In the last year, I had just that experience with the movies Paris, Texas, and the 1977 Japanese horror/fantasy film House. Over the years, many different movies have had this effect on me, but the first one that comes to mind is Princess Mononoke. When I was about 20 years old in 2000, I visited my parents’ home, and my then-just-teenaged brother took me aside and told me that I needed to “watch 10 minutes of this movie”. At the time, I wasn’t watching a lot of movies, and I was painfully judgmental of his interest in anime. It was mainly just giant robots fighting monsters, and my focus was elsewhere. He knew this and still fought uphill against my instincts, convincing me to sit and watch. Ten minutes into the film, I told him to turn it off because I already knew that I was going to go buy it the next day.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Mononoke Hime” (“Princess Mononoke”) 4K Remaster”

Film Feature: 68th SFFilm Festival Preview #2

The 68th San Francisco International Film Festival opens today, Thursday, April 17th, and will run through Sunday, April 27th with screenings at San Francisco’s Marina and Premiere (Presidio) theaters and at Berkeley’s BAMPFA. You can browse the complete Festival program here, and below we highlight four films worth seeing: two documentaries and two features. And check out our previous preview post here for more tips on best bets. See you at the Fest! Continue reading “Film Feature: 68th SFFilm Festival Preview #2”

Film Review: “Sacramento”

New road trip movie goes nowhere

Glenn (Michael Cera, l.) and Rickey (Michael Angarano) take an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento.

Bay Area viewers may wince when they hear a character refer to San Francisco as “San Fran” in the new movie Sacramento, but that head-shaking tidbit is the least of this odd indie film’s problems. The second feature film from writer, director, and actor Michael Angarano (Minx; This is Us), Sacramento is an uninspired and mostly forgettable picture, saved only by an excellent, layered performance from the always reliable Michael Cera.
Continue reading “Film Review: “Sacramento””

Film Review: “Warfare”

Warfare prioritizes a real-time sensory experience for maximum impact

Prepare for war. Warfare is a ninety-five minute adrenaline shot of real-time warfighting that asks the audience to experience an authentic depiction of grim combat and decide how to feel about it. Some viewers will chastise the filmmakers for not taking an explicit stance, the same complaint levied against 2024’s Civil War, yet that would be missing the point. Warfare isn’t interested in historical or political context, and unfolds almost entirely without a hint of moral grandstanding. Instead, Warfare is solely focused on the visceral hell unleashed when the bullets begin to fly. In a troubling hint at war’s futility, Warfare’s very existence seems to suggest that any shred of morality can only work backwards from the end, after it’s too late and the battle is over. Continue reading “Film Review: “Warfare””