Tag: Chiwetel Ejiofor

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: Triple 9

Call in a 999 on this picture: Talented cast can’t save derivative crime story

Atlanta cops Chris (Casey Affleck, l.) and Marcus (Anthony Mackie, r.) are ready for action.

If you’re a fan of dark, atmospheric, incomprehensible crime thrillers, then wow, is today ever your lucky day. With Triple 9, Australian director John Hillcoat (The Road; Lawless) and first-time feature film screenwriter Matt Cook have crafted one of the darkest, moodiest, and totally nonsensical crime dramas in recent memory. As an added bonus, the film boasts a terrific cast, although they are mostly wasted as they gamely try to make their way through this puzzling, often dull, inchoate picture.

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Film Review: The Martian

Scott captures our imagination with riveting survival story

Abandoned astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) checks out his Martian surroundings.

No movie better exemplifies Kurt Vonnegut’s assertion that “science is magic that works” than Ridley Scott’s engaging new film The Martian. Based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, Scott’s picture is less a fantastical science fiction story like his Alien or Blade Runner, and more a pure and utterly gripping survival story, in the vein of pictures like Castaway or even 127 Hours. Only here, our hero isn’t trapped somewhere with the luxury of oxygen like a canyon in Utah or a remote tropical island, but years away from any human help, alone in outer space, on the inhospitable planet Mars.

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