Year: 2024

April 1, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

No one needed a remake to the 1980s cult classic “Road House” starring Patrick Swayze and yet, in 2024, that’s exactly where movies are at.

Director Doug Liman of “The Bourne Identity” teams with Jake Gyllenhaal to modernize and cinematically weaponize a ridiculously implausible tale of a down on his luck fighter tasked to clean up a bar as the head bouncer only to run into a nefarious gang hoping to shut things down at all costs.

While the mere concept of a “Road House” remake might offend some ardent fans of the original, there isn’t really anything about this film that evokes the same sentimentality that one might have from endless viewings of the original on basic cable.

Liman opts for bombastic action to an almost comical CGI level at every turn and the endless need to crank up the blood and violence to 11 makes the entire feature ironically laughable.

In spite of this, Gyllenhaal continues a string of terrific character work as the enigmatic ex-UFC fighter seemingly turned into a Clint Eastwood-esque western antihero.

His Dalton is brooding and standoffish but displays all the classic hallmarks of a vintage Eastwood character. The mythos that Dalton brings into every moment of the film is carried by Gyllenhaal’s gravitas as a performer. Even when size or numbers seem to outclass him, Dalton is always able to overcome in bizarre, hysterical ways.

The thing about “Road House” is that it’s unlikely Liman or Gyllenhaal understand the joke they’re inadvertently telling with the making of the film, but someone who certainly gets it is actual UFC fighter Conor McGregor, who strides with the same bravado that he carries himself to the ring.

From his completely nude entrance to his final moments, McGregor’s larger than life Knox has a persona that has entered the frame a good five seconds before he does and the brash brutality that McGregor brings to the table works perfectly for the story that is actually being told on screen.

Most of the supporting characters are played by relative unknown actors with little consequence to the story beyond their narrative mechanics.

Billy Magnussen’s bizarre, bumbling villain Ben Brandt feels like an immense pushover not truly a threat to Gyllenhaal or Dalton for that matter, while the chemistry Gyllenhaal attempts to create with romantic interest Ellie played by Daniela Melchior or Dalton’s boss Frankie played by Jessica Williams is underwhelming at best.

Action in “Road House” is quick and frantic in numerous hand-to-hand combat sequences with a camera that is always turning to get a better angle like a fighter sliding to get an edge on his opponent. While these moments are well done, they feel ripped from a completely different movie more in line with Netflix action films like the Chris Hemsworth led “Extraction” franchise rather than the fight drama that it appears Liman intended to make.

While there is a cinematic appeal to Liman’s film that would suggest the necessity to see it on the big screen, Amazon’s decision to skip theaters and head straight to their Prime streaming service seems like a smart choice both to maximize audience engagement and not waste the opportunity to create a cult following for a film that is clearly begging for a sequel.

As moviegoers struggle to find quality cinema options at the box office, this “Road House” is too easy of an opportunity for some mindless fun with an at home screening.

March 25, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

Movie studios attempt to capture nostalgia in order to bring people of different generations together and ultimately to make a profit.

This could be for the continuation of a long-forgotten franchise, remaking a classic from decades earlier or taking a pairing of actors who have not worked together for long periods of time and bringing them back together for one last ride.

Sony Pictures continues to try and recapture the magic of the classic 1980s horror comedy “Ghostbusters” series with a revitalization of the franchise made famous by former “Saturday Night Live” stars Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis. The second iteration of this canonical offspring “Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire” debuted this past weekend to middling fanfare.

The film which finds McKenna Grace as the franchise’s youngest Ghostbuster moving to New York City to take over the famed Ghostbusters building with her family. When a mysterious orb that hides the secrets of an ancient Asian phantasm is unleashed on the city, Phoebe, her family, and the original Ghostbusters must team up to protect themselves and the outside world from the supernatural.

Grace is quirky and heartwarming as the granddaughter of the late Ramis’ Egon Spangler and she brings a vibrancy to the role that makes audiences want to rally behind her character in spite of the increasingly bizarre screenplay that seeks to sideline Phoebe from the action for much of the movie.

“Frozen Empire” is further proof that the young star is emerging out of simple children’s acting parts and should be considered for meaningful roles in adult dramas down the line as she brings a lot more nuance and emotion to a character who clearly doesn’t deserve it based on writer/director Gil Kenan’s script.

Equally so, the best part of the film follows Paul Rudd as the unofficial father figure of the Spangler family trying to find his place as a pseudo-parent despite a total lack of screentime or chemistry opposite Carrie Coon. Rudd’s natural ability to maintain an affable charm in spite of the mechanics of family conflict makes him the most likeable character in “Frozen Empire.”

A significant portion of the film centers around trying to make Finn Wolfhard’s Trevor less of an awkward loner and more affable by pairing him with the franchise’s most notable ghoul, Slimer, and through no fault of Wolfhard’s performance, the strange CGI rendering and unfunny situations Kenan presents for the two to interact don’t really make for compelling storytelling.

There are a number of callbacks and Easter eggs to the original “Ghostbusters” films that are uneven in their success, though one scene where Rudd’s Gary pays homage to the classic theme song is a welcome side-splitting moment.

Ackroyd and Murray along with fellow original Ghostbuster Ernie Hudson all reprise their roles in this iteration though only Ackroyd is really given anything to do and things are just forced to the point that it’s clear none of the three are having particularly much fun.

Action sequences in “Frozen Empire” are hit-and-miss thanks to spotty CGI work that Marvel film usually get critiqued for, although the final actual sequence has a bit of fun to wrap things up with.

Aside from the younger audiences unfamiliar with the 80s classic films, there’s not much to “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” that should compel cinephiles to make a trip to theaters to see Kenan’s movie on the big screen and the occasionally funny comedy is best left to an at home viewing when it releases later this year on a streaming service.

March 18, 2024 · Watch the trailer

If streaming services weren’t really a thing, every third movie released “straight to DVD” would probably star Nicolas Cage.

The former A-lister known for taking massive swings with every role he plays has been on a wild career rollercoaster of ups and downs, twists and turns over the last decade as every quality film he puts out seems to be offset by four misguided attempts at moviemaking that feel more like paychecks to pay off debts.

His latest film to actually arrive in theaters, “Dream Scenario,” came and went with little box office acclaim and yet seems to have found a home streaming on Max, which will present Cage’s unique eccentricities to a larger audience.

A wonderfully twisted and original film, “Dream Scenario” finds Cage in a state of inner turmoil as his lowly professor unwittingly and unknowingly becomes a background character in the dreams of thousands, including almost everyone in his daily life. This gives Paul an unexpected celebrity status until his notoriety turns darker as the dreams begin changing.

As the centerpiece of the entire film, Cage bizarrely yet perfectly toes the line between mild-mannered, quirkily obsessive and confused in such a way that the fringes of Paul’s psyche begin to fray under the weight and pressure of being the center of attention.

This is a role that could have been convincingly played by any number of veteran character actors, however Cage gives “Dream Scenario” an added layer of believability in a meta context as Cage’s own chaotic personality and assorted on-screen personas color the audiences’ mind about Paul throughout the performance.

It’s a singular effort that truly makes the whole film run. Cage is pointedly sharp and witty with his line readings from a terrific screenplay from Norwegian writer/director Kristoffer Borgli and knows how to use his physicality in unique and interesting ways that always keeps viewers on the edge of their seats.

This is especially true during the film’s most lurid and shocking moment in the second act, when Paul begins to blend the dreams others have of him with reality and the ways in which he and director Borgli are able to subvert expectations makes “Dream Scenario” one of the most original films to come along in some time.

A stellar supporting cast led by Julianne Nicholson as Paul’s wife and Michael Cera as an image consultant does just enough work around the fringes to allow Cage to excel while providing humor in muted tones.

With one of the best performances of his career, Cage revels in the awkwardness of Paul, a man describes by others as imminently forgettable standing in the shadows of the lives of others and it’s through the unlikely attention he receives that Paul’s social anxieties pervade the space and bring significant change to his life.

While it’s interesting to examine “Dream Scenario” on its themes of cult celebrity status and the human psyche, this isn’t a film that seeks to have a specific point. The real hook of “Dream Scenario” comes from the quirky, bizarre originality of the storytelling which feels like a slightly horror twist on Paul Thomas Anderson or David Lynch.

Borgli’s American debut will be very much in the cinematic wheelhouse of a specific subsection of cinephiles who devour the filmography of supremely successful indie arthouse studio A24, but it could prove to be too out there for others.

March 11, 2024 · Watch the trailer

It’s well beyond time that perhaps the most prestigious auteur never to win an Academy Award for his work receives the acclaim his illustrious career so richly deserves.

With seven wins out of 13 nominations at Sunday’s Oscar awards, writer/director Christopher Nolan’s cinematic odyssey about the man behind nuclear war “Oppenheimer” was rightly celebrated as the culmination of decades of masterful moviemaking beyond simply blockbuster box office fodder.

Based on the biography “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, “Oppenheimer” is a grandiose, dense look into the most pivotal era in the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, slightly before, during and significantly after his work at Los Alamos, New Mexico, leading the creation of the first atomic bomb.

Since Nolan is more interest in the man than the machine itself, it’s clear that whoever took the mantle of the titular Oppenheimer had to be a chameleon physically, psychologically, and emotionally as well.

Frequent Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy absolutely astonishes in an Academy Award-winning turn with his most prolific leading role to date as the title character. His Oppenheimer is incredibly well considered both in Murphy’s performance as well as in the nuanced, subtle ways Oppenheimer approached every moment in his scientific life.

Audiences can see just with a squint of Murphy’s eyes the relentless turning of the wheels in Oppenheimer’s mind and his borderline psychotic ability to disassociate from the moment to ponder infinite possibilities is perfectly captured in the performance and in Nolan’s unique ability to pull viewers out of the moment while remaining in Oppenheimer’s frame of mind.

This is most often done as the Hoyte van Hoytema’s Oscar winning cinematography obscures the world around Oppenheimer and large swaths of noise go deafeningly silent to really draw audiences into his psyche, which becomes increasingly more fragile as Oppenheimer attempts to balance personal responsibilities with the possible cataclysmic fallout from his secret project.

Murphy is also outstanding at blending the cerebral Oppenheimer with a more emotional, vulnerable romantic side when it comes to Oppenheimer’s relationships with longtime mistress Jean Tatlock and his wife Kitty.

The unique ways in which Murphy changes his physical appearance and tone of voice in scenes opposite either character truly displays the dichotomy in how Oppenheimer viewed his romantic partners and the chemistry he has with both Florence Pugh’s Jean and Emily Blunt’s Kitty are intensely personal and heartfelt with layers of character development unlike Nolan films of the past.

While this is a film almost entirely about men and men’s work, Blunt and Pugh are among the film’s major highlights with Pugh being the heartbreaking first love and Blunt carrying a much heavier burden as Oppenheimer’s reckless yet wildly supportive wife and the complexities that both women are able to bring out in their characters greatly help to layer the world of “Oppenheimer.”

It's a film with an incredibly deep and talented ensemble cast that could easily receive 4-6 acting nominations.

Robert Downey Jr. delivers perhaps his best pure acting performance in a decade as Admiral Strauss, a frequent collaborator of Oppenheimer post-Manhattan Project that plays a pivotal role in framing the narrative of the film and his best supporting actor win goes beyond simply a career achievement award but continues to prove that Nolan can draw incredible performances from actors as much as he can create visual spectacle.

Nolan’s perhaps most personal screenplay – written in the first person from Oppenheimer’s perspective – centers the entire film around the theoretical physicist’s experience even in scenes which Murphy isn’t in. The framework of the film concurrently follows Oppenheimer’s rise and time at the Manhattan Project as well as a Senate confirmation hearing and investigation set years after the end of World War II. “Oppenheimer” feels exceptionally heavy and cumbersome on an initial viewing, but as with most Nolan films, subsequent screenings really unlock the complexity and layering of the world Nolan creates and emphasize the inherent drama.

As with all Nolan movies, “Oppenheimer” is masterfully shot by two-time nominee and first-time winning cinematographer van Hoytema, who captures the intimate, personal moments of the actors in revelatory tight closeups as well as engulf the audience in the larger framework of the film in sweeping panoramas that highlight the gravity and immense importance of the Manhattan Project.

Clocking in at three hours, “Oppenheimer” can struggle with casual audiences not completely enamored with the more stoic, cerebral pace from the outset. But as is the case with all of Nolan’s work, “Oppenheimer” begs to be seen multiple times on the biggest possible screen and if a second run on IMAX screens is presented following a long overdue celebration of Nolan’s illustrious career, cinephiles should race to the theaters for his most complete work to date.

March 4, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

For all the opportunities wasted on movies with big spectacle and little to show for it, it’s when Hollywood puts their trust and money behind some of the most creative, artistic craftsmen in their field that cinephiles are able to revel in the possibilities of what cinema can be.

There’s unlikely to be a film for the rest of the year, if not longer, quite like director Denis Villeneuve’s second adaptation of the classic Frank Herbert novel “Dune” with part two arriving in theaters this past weekend to critical and commercial acclaim.

Even at a massive nearly three-hour running time, “Dune: Part Two” makes the most of every second with a grandiose singular vision taking everything that was great about the 2021 Academy Award winning original and expanding the universe to a wider net of endless possibilities.

The film essentially begins almost immediately after the previous ends as Paul Atreides and his mother, Lady Jessica, are taken in by a nomadic tribe called the Fremen after Paul’s family was betrayed and slaughtered. Villeneuve’s tale of survival and revenge is a work of science-fiction art on a level that hasn’t been seen since George Miller’s 2015 epic odyssey “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

The centerpiece of the entire film is a conflicted, charismatic Timothée Chalamet as Paul, who blends an outer angst with inner turmoil to ground “Dune: Part Two” in character work.

This is especially true in the way Paul develops and changes with the women in his life, most notably Zendaya’s Chani, a love interest who doesn’t simply bow down to Paul’s desires, and Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, who claims to be on Paul’s side but as the two find themselves at odds, their motivations seem clouded behind their faraway eyes.

“Dune: Part Two” is a film where the acting heartbeats allow Villeneuve to rest in the quieter moments and focus on the terrific performances.

It’s incredibly rare for a genre film to have such a depth of acting talent where performers like Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling portray characters largely on the fringes of Villeneuve’s world that could easily each be explored through their own individual films. This helps make the entire feature feel more momentous.

“Dune: Part Two” becomes larger than life on the big screen thanks to Villeneuve’s intense and dynamic visuals in collaboration with cinematographer Greig Fraser.

The wide landscapes of Abu Dhabi reflecting the heat of the Arrakis desert propel audiences into the urgency of each moment and the quality of special effects practically done on set evokes the same level of brilliance and care put into “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Even though this iteration is connected with the 2021 original, there’s a distinctly unique feel to this second half as the new settings and worlds of “Part Two” never become a repetition and help reinforce Villeneuve’s feature as a standalone film unto itself.

This is especially true in arresting black-and-white cinematography shot on infrared cameras meant to showcase the villainous home world of House Harkonnen and introduce Austin Butler’s psychotic Feyd-Rautha on an almost demonic level that helps accelerate the intensity during the film’s second act.

Technically masterful from start to finish, “Dune: Part Two” is likely to remain unrivaled throughout the course of 2024 from cinematography to production design, sound, and score and would have unquestionably been among last year’s top movies if it had remained at its original October release date.

Even though it’s only March and the Oscars celebrating 2023 haven’t happened yet, “Dune: Part Two” feels assured to be a major contender at this time next year in almost every category, especially Best Picture, Best Director, and a wide array of technical noms, though it is more difficult to project any of the strong acting performances to hold up in the minds of voters nine months later.

Without question, Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic is something that must be seen on the biggest screen possible and well worth the extra cost for cinephiles to envelope themselves into another world on an IMAX screen.

February 26, 2024 · Watch the trailer

Little actually happens in writer/director Jonathan Glazer’s latest film.

A man takes his family to the river to relax; the wife builds an immaculate garden in the backyard of their immaculate home and their children live with few cares in the world.

From an outsider’s perspective, this simple, quaint look into familial life might seem almost mundane or boring, except for the setting just outside the walls of their home.

In Glazer’s Oscar nominated Best Picture contender “The Zone of Interest,” however, the man is Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family – in a state of either obliviousness or complete silence and denial – ignores the atrocities of the Holocaust seemingly just out of reach but are ever present in the background of their lives.

Audiences never see the violence happening on screen. In fact, there are no Jewish characters in the film at all.

Glazer seeks to understand the ways in which German leaders and their families handled daily affairs under such a controlling regime and loosely examines their complicity in mass genocide.

Because the world of “Interest” is so compartmentalized, the acting performances Glazer captures on film are small and subtle to help reinforce the mundanity of everyday life next to mass murder.

Christian Friedel has a stoic, sternness to his work as Rudolf that comes across as matter of fact, when there’s a terrific undercurrent of care for his wife and children that feels like unspoken reinforcement of his character’s sense of duty to protect them from the outside world.

Sandra Hüller, nominated for lead actress for her work in “Anatomy of a Fall,” has an even more subdued turn as Rudolf’s wife Hedwig, and her piously demure nature has fractions of joy seeping in that reflect just how unaware or ignorant of the horrors just outside the frame truly are.

One of the things that separates “Interest” from most Holocaust-focused films is the distance the filmmakers take from their subject.

Cameras were hard wired throughout the house to capture footage simultaneously, so that no crew members were on set during scenes. This creates an intensely voyeuristic feel to the entire film and heightens the isolation the actors feel on screen, almost as if they are dolls in a playhouse just on the other side of death.

How Glazer confronts the evil beyond their walls is equally compelling. Audiences will occasionally see a chimneystack ablaze in the far background of a scene, implying murderous incineration, which becomes increasingly notable to viewers after a seemingly routine discussion between Höss and some consultants about the best ways to build new furnaces at the facility.

What truly sets “Interest” apart, though, is the foreboding sound design paired against composer Mica Levi’s haunting score.

The gentle quietness of the family’s daily life is sharply broken by the sounds of random gunfire, children screaming and other piercing noises that pervade the outer world of the film.

While this immediately haunts and impacts the viewing experience, “Interest” maintains the frugal mundane atmosphere of the home life as the Höss family have grown so accustomed to the sounds of brutality that they are able to ignore or tune it out of their daily lives.

It’s almost difficult for a viewer to remain engaged in the dialogue when they begin to become overwhelmed by the gravity of what happens outside the camera frame, and Glazer’s team of sound designers do truly masterful work to create a sense of fear and dread for audiences that the family never experiences on screen.

“The Zone of Interest” is certain to win the prize for Best International Feature Film at next month’s Academy Award ceremony with Best Sound a virtual lock as well. Though it seems less likely that it could surpass the global force of “Oppenheimer,” a strong international contingent of voters might help propel the film to directing and best picture wins as well.

Without question the most quietly jarring film of 2023, “The Zone of Interest” has a compelling, understated reflection on a dark time in world history that ardent cinephiles should absolutely check out in theaters or in the privacy of their homes now that Glazer’s best film is available to purchase on demand.

February 19, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

Showcasing isolation in cinema doesn’t always have to be about one actor alone on-screen languishing in a world devoid of togetherness.

Filmmaker Alexander Payne does a remarkable job of creating isolation in grief, resentment, and abandonment with his Academy Award nominated drama “The Holdovers,” which saw some success in limited theatrical release and now featured broadly on the Peacock streaming service ahead of the Oscars ceremony next month.

His vintage take on life at a boarding school for boys feels entirely ripped out of another time in cinema both in production design, but more so in the overall aesthetic and style of filmmaking that Payne employs to make the film practically as if it had been filmed decades prior and left on a shelf to be released in 2023.

From an Academy Award nominated screenplay from David Hemingson, “The Holdovers” follows an unlikely trio of erstwhile compatriots stuck in a snowy New England boarding school for the Christmas break, each dealing with their own traumas enhanced by the isolation and loneliness of an icy winter.

Veteran character actor Paul Giamatti reteams with Payne for the first time since 2004’s “Sideways” to give perhaps a career-defining performance as curmudgeonly schoolteacher Paul Hunnam, whose disdain for the world and exacting moral certainty place him at odds with everyone around him from students to fellow staff members.

While his Paul is possibly an alcoholic as portrayed in the film, Giamatti does not let this define the whole character, rather accent and nuance the layered man within. The subtle ways he’s able to soften an almost Scrooge-like heart over the course of two hours is challenging to pull off without feeling overacted or forced, yet Giamatti always is firmly in control of his emotions and his almost mentorlike chemistry with first-time actor Dominic Sessa as Angus develops well beyond audience expectations.

This isn’t to say anything diminishing about Sessa’s performance, which feels equally classically trained and Angus evokes shades of a character that might be better placed in an early Richard Linklater film. However, the ease to which Sessa is able to hold his own against Giamatti’s gravitas and showcase both characters as equals rather than natural rivals leads to the film’s stirring conclusion.

Perhaps the strongest performance in the whole film and the one most likely to win an Oscar this year, Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the school’s head chef Mary is fierce on the surface.

But as she’s able to reveal Mary’s inner pain, Randolph delivers the film’s most important, poignant moments with bittersweet sadness that is magically showcased, especially in one scene set in the school’s chapel where no words are spoken only quiet facial expressions carry the weight of the moment.

As a trio Giamatti, Randolph, and Sessa perfectly balance each other out and although they are not all on screen together as much as some audience may prefer, Payne masterfully guides the actors as they navigate through the subtle complexities of the screenplay.

From a filmmaking perspective, “The Holdovers” keeps in line with Payne’s more reserved, standoffish directorial style where scenes are allowed to breathe with little camera movement or editing to highlight the terrific acting on display more completely.

While “The Holdovers” is certainly a middle of the pack Best Picture nominee, it’s unlikely that it will overtake more popular frontrunners such as “Oppenheimer,” “The Zone of Interest” or “Poor Things” and could only receive a win for Randolph for supporting actress out of its five nominations.

Regardless, as one of the year’s best films, “The Holdovers” is certainly well worth seeking out for an at-home viewing on Peacock for audiences wanting to finish watching all the best picture nominees or simply looking to spend an evening at home with a quality drama.

February 12, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

As movie studios spend exorbitant amounts of money on trailers debuting during the Super Bowl or for pushing their Oscar contenders out to a wider audience, at the same time they’re dumping on cinephiles the worst of their 2024 theatrical slate.

In the second of what Hollywood considers to be “dump months” where execs relegate completed projects that underperform at test screenings or hard to market films, there’s still a push to squeeze out every single dollar they can from the movie-going public in order to recoup losses in their budget.

Such is the case with director Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy “Argylle,” a film with a promising premise that completely falls flat on its face by the middle of the second act and really makes viewers question whether the filmmaker behind a fun action film like “Kingsman: The Secret Service” has still got it.

“Argylle” follows a successful novelist who is unwittingly pulled into the world of international espionage as she and a spy on the run attempt to save themselves from a team of assassins while hunting down the nefarious organization behind it all.

Bryce Dallas Howard is woefully miscast in the lead role and although she has a definite fish out of water feel to her character, Howard is never truly able to draw audiences onto her side and the constant ways in which she freaks out at the events around her becomes grating the further the film progresses.

“Argylle” consistently reveals hidden twists and turns to try and keep moviegoers intrigued, but as the film unfolds, it’s even more clear that Howard can’t handle the character development Elly requires and when the lead actor is the worst part of an action film, it hinders the ability for audience buy in.

Contrarily, Sam Rockwell delivers his usual brand of wry, self-effacing charm as spy on the run Aidan. And while he does not appear at first glance to be the sort of actor meant to carry an action film, the best parts about “Argylle” lean into this fact and allow Rockwell to shine as a pseudo-ghost in plain sight and unlikely hero.

Henry Cavill does his best James Bond impression as the titular Argylle and unfortunately there’s just not enough of Cavill’s more classically charming, crisp, and sly performance that allows him to be the hero that moviegoers probably want him to be more often in cinema.

“Argylle” has a very star-studded ensemble, most of whom like Cavill are not given nearly enough to do, including John Cena as a fellow spy who could had his own spinoff, Bryan Cranston as the head of the organization chasing Elly and Aidan, and Samuel L. Jackson, who has a pivotal role in the film but zero character development that totally wastes his talents.

The best moments in “Argylle” come in the largely fun action sequences that maintain Vaughn’s kinetic, colorful style and evoke his work on “Kingsman,” “Kick-Ass,” and “X-Men: First Class,” although the quality of these scenes does not lift the overall film enough to make it a must-see in theaters.

As is the case with almost anything released this month outside of Oscar Best Picture nominees expanding theatrically, “Argylle” is perhaps best left to be a casual at-home watch on whatever streaming service the film ends up landing on.

February 5, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

A woman sits between two men at a bar talking to both almost as if she is translating between the two.

Onlookers debate in an attempt to understand what the relationship between the trio are and wonder which man she is with and why they are together so late into the night.

The opening moments of first-time writer/director Celine Song’s romantic drama “Past Lives” really sets the stage for a nuanced, reflective examination of a woman’s identity both in race and nationally as well as a larger more idyllic human perspective.

“Past Lives” follows Nora, a Korean immigrant living in New York City who reaches out to her childhood sweetheart online and the two begin an emotional online relationship that’s complicated by the arrival of an American author she also falls for.

The film never becomes a love triangle despite how audiences might believe it to be at first glance. It’s actually the sudden and emotional collision of two separate worlds coming together as Nora confronts her Korean and American identities as well as childhood versus romantic love.

The astonishing thing about Greta Lee’s performance as Nora comes from just how beautifully and separately she approaches both of the relationships she develops over the course of the film. The unique, distinctive chemistry she’s able to naturally showcase with each of her male counterparts is reflective of the ways in which Nora, and to a larger extent Song as writer/director, views the world.

There’s a delicate intricacy to which Lee approaches the part physically that makes relatively normal interactions feel kinetic and vibrant from the first time Nora meets Hae Sung in person with timidity to a more tender, almost traditional American romantic physicality that she shares with Arthur where nearness and physical touch are an extension of their intimate conversations.

“Past Lives” is a perfect match of actor and filmmaker to the point where Lee reflects Song’s own mind come to physical form that pervades the subtle silences Song litters throughout the film.

Both the male leads, Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and John Magaro as Arthur, do a wonderful job of strengthening the emotional connections Lee seeks to build with them as Nora explores how the world around her, and to a lesser extent the men in her life, shape her as a person. Moments between Hae Sung and Nora online are especially vibrant as Song does not allow the physical distance between them to lessen the raw emotions behind the conversations.

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the film that’s wonderfully reflected in Song’s screenplay is the fact that there isn’t a villain in the tale. None of the three leads are meant to be antagonistic in any way and there is a genuine affection that Song has for each which is softly and delicately told with a respect for each of the character’s plights to where audiences can equally empathize with each character.

This creates a more humanistic way of approaching cinema and makes “Past Lives” feel truer to life in that no one experience is right or wrong, rather just a difference in perspective from which the story is viewed.

It’s surreal to imagine that this is Song’s first foray into feature filmmaking as a writer or director, given how bold and artistic her debut is. The cinematic grace she displays through the camera, which has a subtle, almost voyeuristic quality to it that allows the wonderful performances to shine through is something that one might expect from a much more seasoned director

Despite a small independent theatrical release last year, “Past Lives” was strong enough to garner a Best Picture nomination for the 2024 Academy Awards, as well as a Best Original Screenplay nod for Song, though Lee should certainly has been in the mix for Best Actress as well.

Unquestionably one of the year’s best films with its brooding humanity at the forefront, “Past Lives” is something any cinephile should take the time to seek out at home whether on demand or through the Paramount Plus streaming service.

January 29, 2024 · Watch the official trailer

Is something lesser if it is popular? Tainted if it caters to the masses rather than says something new and interesting of value?

These are the thoughts that permeate the mind of Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in an Oscar-nominated new dramedy that has a lot to say as both satire and real-life example of some of the critiques it poses.

Based on the 2001 novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, “American Fiction” follows a tired, frustrated author and professor who cannot break into the major book market and pens an outlandish and stereotyping “black book” to satirize the industry only to find it widely acclaimed and celebrated.

The film, which won the audience award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, is a work of love and dedication for writer/director Cord Jefferson, who makes his feature film debut after a strong writing career both in journalism and on television, working on shows like “Succession,” “Master of None” and “Watchmen.”

At its core, “American Fiction” is about two things, the language of race and the language of family and how those two things intersect through triumph and tragedy to reshape a bitter man’s life.

Veteran character actor Jeffrey Wright is finally given the opportunity to shine as the lead of a film and knocks it out of the park as his Monk is passionate, bitter, introspective, and somber all at the same time. The nuances that Wright is able to wear on his face both in poignant scenes and comedic ones truly sets him apart and makes him more than worthy of his Oscar nomination for best actor.

The almost deadpan, dry humor of Jefferson’s screenplay works incredibly well with Wright’s cadence as Jefferson reflects in interviews that when reading “Erasure,” he began to hear Monk speaking in Wright’s voice even before conceiving the novel as a feature film. There is an effortless fluidity to the dialogue that allows audiences to naturally engage with the comedy rather than being set up for punchline over and over again.

Casting Wright as Monk gives the character a depth and humanity that keeps him curmudgeonly and somewhat relatable as opposed to a complete cynical egotist that viewers might dismiss outright and sour on the film as a whole.

To that effect, the brotherly chemistry between Wright and Sterling K. Brown is the glue that holds the comedy and drama together as Jefferson attempts to balance the mixed tones of his film.

While many actors would take Cliff, a recently divorced man forced out of the closet, and turn him into a caricature, Brown wonderfully showcases the inner humanity behind the turmoil with a warm heart and soft tone that offset the more brash comedic elements to his character and sets up the needed moment of catharsis for Monk in the film’s third act.

The supporting cast also does exceptional work in largely thankless roles, especially Issa Rae as an author whose work Monk despises, Leslie Uggams as the family matriarch and John Ortiz as Monk’s wry agent.

Without question, the best parts of “American Fiction” are the biting satire that Jefferson and Wright use to take on the publishing industry and the popularity of “blackness.” Perhaps the most damning scene is also the funniest of the entire year as Monk attempts to hijack a marketing meeting by insisting that the title of his book be changed midstream from “My Pafology” to an expletive.

“American Fiction” is nominated for five Academy Awards this spring, including best picture, acting nods for both Wright and Brown, best adapted screenplay, and somewhat surprisingly, best original score. Though this film is a strong debut effort for Jefferson as both writer and director, it’s unlikely that it will take home any prizes due to the overall strength of the nominees this year.

Despite this, Jefferson’s biting, funny, and poignant dramedy is a wonderfully touching film that will appeal to a wide enough audience that ardent cinephiles should take a chance seeking out “American Fiction” in theaters rather than waiting for its eventual release on a streaming service at home.