Booksmart
Funny and frenetic. Sort of like
After Hours meets
Idiotsitter. Built on character, atmosphere and heart, some of my favorite moments are little things or lines that could easily go undetected. Really enjoyed this one.
Dark Phoenix
I thought this was going to terrible, yet it was far worse than my already low expectations. On the bright side, I was able to get one of the best seats in my favorite theater in the city an hour before an opening weekend showtime with no difficulty whatsoever. At the end of the film, I was sort of offended that
Sophie Turner got 5th billing in a film that is all about the character she portrays; but, in retrospect, that might be a good thing.
Rocketman
I agree with what's already been covered here. Imaginative jukebox musical. Yeah, it's begging to be adapted to stage. I felt like the execution could have been a little bit smoother and richer, but mostly that's wanting something that's really good to just be completely perfect.
Echo in the Canyon
This is a documentary about the Laurel Canyon music scene of the mid-1960s, particularly about 1964–67. A few critics have lamented the omission of Love and Joni Mitchell. The reason for Joni, it seems, is that she arrived on the scene in '67, but there doesn't seem to be a good reason to exclude Love. The whole thing is hosted by Jakob Dylan and is as much about him re-recording some of the famous songs from that scene as it is about the scene itself. It's forgivable, as the covers are good, but still the best parts of the movie come from interviews with some of the artists themselves: Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Michelle Phillips. There are also interviews with Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Graham Nash, who were among those who would drop in on the scene and who played both influencer and influenced to the artists involved. This was one of two films that I figured wouldn't be in theaters long, so I ended up seeing this before Rocketman, and there turned out be a funny crossover there. So, it's a far from complete look at the era but still worth a watch to anyone interested in artists of this area and that time.
The Tomorrow Man
I expected to like this one a little more, but I found it lacking. Can't even remember it particularly well, except that I thought Blythe Danner and John Lithgow both lived up to expectations for good performance. This was another indie I prioritized because I didn't think it would be in theaters long. Hm, now that I think about it, there is a little something there, but somehow it simply didn't grab me.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
There were a few moments in this I particularly loved, mainly because I love to watch giant monsters fighting each other. I do appreciate some of the affection the filmmakers show to these Toho legends. On the whole, though, I was disappointed. And I am among those who absolutely
loved Gareth Edwards' 2014
Godzilla. That movie had a real sense of perspective and a genuine flow (even though, granted, that perspective left us hungry for more giant monsters). This new one is the opposite: tons of big monster effects but lacking a definitive perspective. I'm still going to watch it again, you know, because big things hitting each other.
Brightburn
The Superman story reexamined as a horror story, and I think it fails on both counts. Great premise wasted. By (perhaps unfair) comparison,
Super twists the superhero origin tale much more effectively on every level. Disappointed.
The Biggest Little Farm
There is a cynical part of me that acknowledges that this documentary is about self promotion as much as anything else, but that part of me gets squashed very quickly when watching this footage. It's moving and wonderful. What I didn't realize going in is that the farmers/filmmakers of
Apricot Lane Farms (which is in freakin' Moorpark, BTW) have been presenting segments the past couple of years on an Oprah show. Much of the footage from these segments is also used in the feature documentary and can be seen on their Web site, if you're curious. The feature doc endeavors to tell the overall story of how and why they made the farm they have today. The cynic in me did not win in this case. Really love this movie and found myself inspired by it.
Aladdin
Doesn't really justify its own existence, although the Speechless(?) song is very good. Aladdin, Jasmine and the Sultan, were really good. The rest of the performances are fine, except that Jafar completely lacks menace. The first person who should have been removed from the set, though, was not Jafar but director
Guy Ritchie, who should never be allowed to direct another musical. I probably had to see it, and I probably never need to see it again.
John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum
Yasssssss! More of what is to be expected from this franchise and then some more on top of that. I know someone who hated this film because it's just a nonstop barrage of crazy violence and because they found the early fights hard to top. I can see that point of view. Didn't affect my enjoyment of the film, though. Also,
Dan Laustsen might be my favorite director of photography of recent note. He was nominated for an Oscar for
The Shape of Water, but I thought his work in the same year on
John Wick: Chapter 2 was equally good. So is his work in this one. Plus
Boban Marjanovic and
Mark Dacascos in it? Sold.
P.S.
Tobias Harris needs to come after Wick in the next one. For revenge!
