American Nightmare
This three-part documentary examines the lives of a couple who are accused of staging a Gone Girl-like kidnapping of the girlfriend. Though it probably would have been even more engrossing and effective if it were a tighter-paced feature-length film, the miniseries still packs a sizable dramatic wallop and keeps the viewer in suspense for the vast majority of its duration. American Nightmare serves as a powerful reminder that the truth isn’t always as it appears.
GRADE: A-
Damsel
A young woman (Millie Bobby Brown) happily marries a prince (Nick Robinson), only to discover that it is a ruse for her to be the generational sacrifice to a deadly dragon and she now must fight to stay alive. The execution is overall uninspired, offering absolutely nothing new to film storytelling or technique. Despite its generic presentation and its over-reliance on sometimes-shaky digital effects, however, the film is tightly paced, sometimes thrilling, and well-acted enough to keep its audience engrossed.
Damsel is a variation of a film we’ve all seen before many times, but it still manages to succeed as a solid, though occasionally underwhelming, piece of popcorn entertainment.
GRADE: B-
Drive-Away Dolls
Two lesbian friends (Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan) embark on a road trip and find themselves hunted by criminals in search of sensitive and important items that are hidden in the trunk of the girls’ rental car unbeknownst to them. Co-written and directed by Ethan Coen in his first solo directorial effort sans brother Joel, the film is witty, surprising, and endearingly heartfelt in just the right moments.
Though it struggles to find its voice, pacing, and humor during its first half-hour or so, the film eventually hits its stride and manages to be an overall lively experience. The two leads shine with a magically life-like chemistry, but Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, Lady Bird) steals the show in a highly amusing supporting role. Drive-Away Dolls may hit some bumps in the road, but its eventual destination makes it a trip well worth taking.
GRADE: B+
The Kitchen
This science fiction drama set in the future revolves around a London housing community that is the only place left for lower-income citizens to affordably live. While the action and the drama are a bit tepid at times, the film overall succeeds with its relatable characters, believable performances, strong social commentary, striking visuals, and all-around solid craftsmanship. The Kitchen may often lack excitement, but it still manages to impress in the end with its thought-provoking themes and capable execution.
GRADE: B
Life & Beth: Season 2
Amy Schumer returns for a second season of her insightful and hilarious slice-of-life dramedy series about a woman trying to understand her identity while wading through love’s waters. Like the first season, the second season communicates a woman’s reality with endless wit, great humor, deep empathy, and fearless directness.
The only issue with this season is that it leaves a bit too much up in the air, depicting situations with relatable and gripping drama but rarely fully completing or exploring them in a manner that feels fully satisfying. You can’t blame a series for trying to leave its audience wanting more, but it would have been nice if the second season of Life & Beth gave some of its intriguing storylines a bit more resolution.
GRADE: B+
Lift
The talents of director F. Gary Gray and actors Kevin Hart, Sam Worthington, and Vincent D’Onofrio can’t save this heavily derivative action/comedy heist movie from its own hopeless mediocrity. Most of the jokes fall painfully flat and the obnoxiously flashy and pointlessly kinetic filmmaking style has previously been done to death in similar movies. The film is clearly more interested in showing off its unimpressive big-budget filmmaking toys than it is in telling a unique and interesting story. Though the moderately thrilling climax deserves points, it’s too little and too late to make Lift worth your time.
GRADE: C-
Lisa Frankenstein
This film was made from a clever screenplay by the ultra-talented Diablo Cody that has the clever premise of an ‘80s teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) who starts a killing spree with an undead corpse (Cole Sprouse) so they can find replacement body parts. Despite its potential, however, the film falters heavily with direction from Zelda Williams that often favors overt (and painfully unfunny) goofiness and silliness over the clever satire that is obviously present in the material. Lisa Frankenstein’s merits are largely squandered due to an execution that lacks the proper wit and comic timing its screenplay needed in order to thrive.
GRADE: C-
Lover Stalker Killer
This riveting documentary focuses on a man whose dating life turns into a nightmare full of twists, turns, and terror. One of the most impressive things about the film is how its narrative unfolds in an engrossing and suspenseful manner that resembles a top-notch Hollywood thriller. Lover Stalker Killer is an effective and terrifying cautionary tale about the potential dangers of modern dating.
GRADE: A
Self Reliance
A man (an always-affable Jake Johnson) who is bored with his everyday routine agrees to participate in a game where he has to dodge lethal hunters for thirty days and is only safe when he is in close proximity to other people. Well-acted and adeptly made (Johnson makes his feature directorial debut), the film has a charmingly idiosyncratic tone that makes it uniquely appealing at first.
Unfortunately, the film doesn’t know how to sustain interest in or take full advantage of its inventive concept for the duration of a feature-length film. It runs out of creative steam about halfway through and never fully recovers, taking an oddly uninspired and cliched rom-com route as opposed to fully exploring the absurdity and dark humor of its central premise. Self Reliance has numerous merits, but is an overall missed opportunity of a film that isn’t quite clear on what it wants to be.
GRADE: C+
Spaceman
Adam Sandler stars as a lone astronaut on a mission in space who starts seeing and communicating with a wise, spider-like alien who may or may not be the product of his imagination. Often hypnotic, the film is an overall success with its consistently meditative exploration of the effects of loneliness on human beings. Unfortunately, the pacing is increasingly sluggish as the film progresses and it becomes difficult at times to stay fixated on the story.
Sandler’s impressive dramatic work, numerous moments of moving poeticism, and an overall thoughtful screenplay all make Spaceman’s faults somewhat tolerable, however, so that its overall impact is a memorable one.
GRADE: B
Suncoast
Nico Parker, Laura Linney, and Woody Harrelson all deliver knockout performances in this endearing and highly touching dramedy. Parker stars as a young girl who longs to live an ordinary teenage life, but her terminally ill brother (Cree Kawa) and abrasively overbearing mother (Linney) often make that difficult. Suncoast is a coming-of-age-story that might seem a tad familiar and overly sentimental at first glance, but it’s told with such heart and sincerity (it has autobiographical origins from writer/director Laura Chinn’s life) that it still manages to ultimately affect its audience on a deeply and profoundly emotional level.
GRADE: A-
True Detective: Night Country
This fourth season of True Detective is the first season without any involvement from its creator/former showrunner, Nic Pizzolatto. Writer/director Issa López takes over the reins this time around, and the results can be a tad rocky but ultimately quite worthwhile. While Pizzolatto’s irreplaceable voice is often missed and never forgotten, there is no denying the quality and uniquely brutal beauty that this particular season showcases.
Jodie Foster and Kali Reis lead the wholly impressive cast, portraying Alaskan detectives investigating the mysterious and horrific death of a group of remote station workers. The narrative can sometimes be confusing, the over-reliance on expository dialogue grows tiresome, and minor callbacks to the first season feel tacked on and cheap. That being said, the season’s overall hypnotic progression, dark poeticism, beautifully drawn and fascinatingly flawed characters, and ultimately satisfying conclusion make it wholly worthwhile. True Detective: Night Country may not quite rival its original creator’s vision, but that doesn’t prevent it from being a high-quality runner-up.
GRADE: B+
What Jennifer Did
A young woman’s family is attacked in their home, and the story she gives to the authorities becomes increasingly implausible. Unfortunately, the title of this film alone already gives too much away because it makes it obvious that the girl is guilty of something. The film also sorely lacks the much-needed testimony of the surviving family members that would give it a bit more emotional depth and narrative clarity.
What Jennifer Did examines a riveting mystery, but is partially unfulfilling because it lacks the humanity it needs to fully involve its audience’s interest and empathy in its twisty narrative.
GRADE: B-
