Dallas Fisher

    Tag: film

    • John Candy: I Like Me

      Since this is my first time reviewing a documentary, I do have to preface it by saying I normally don’t watch, or even like, documentaries. That being said, John Candy: I Like Me is a touching, hilarious, and somber look at the life of an all time great human. As most documentaries do, this contains talking heads and old footage, and it does those aspects about as well as anyone else. It was definitely helpful that this included some all time great actors, who also happened to be friends, to distract you from some inconsistent story telling.

      As a long time movie fan who wasn’t too familiar with Candy’s human career, or film career really, this is about as informational as it gets. There’s so much to be learned about the short life of Candy, without getting too deep in the woods. It gracefully touches on his family life and it was so sweet to see said family telling stories from their own experiences. He was not only a comedian, but a family man with a tragic past that he wasn’t trying to repeat.

      Being that movie fan, I was elated every time an old co-star of Johns came on screen. Whether it was Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, or Catherine O’Hara, every word out of their mouths showed his true character and that he had chemistry with everyone he ever encountered. So much old footage brags about his grand and joyful presence. That footage also showed how much weight he carried, literally and physically. Seeing all this footage felt like a constant slap in the face because of its emotional abundance, for the first time a slap in the face wasn’t a bad thing. It made you feel like you were living through his personal emotions throughout his limited career and life.

      I loved seeing all the locations of movie sets he was on, his at home videos, and old interviews with Candy himself. At points it felt like these were all stories that I could have looked up on my own, but it was nice to see them all in one convenient place. His craft was perfect and this had me itching at the bit to go back for multiple watches of movies I missed. John Candy was truly one of a kind and they do him enough justice with this doc. Have your tissues ready.

      7/10

    • The Smashing Machine

      You would think a real wrestler acting in a combat sport movie would make for some exciting fight scenes, right?

      The Smashing Machine, the newest in the line of biopics about fighters that have been addicted to drugs and yelling at their spouse. You get an abundance of both of those things in this rendition, but not done in the most exciting of ways. The MMA part is super interesting on the surface, because it’s showing how today’s UFC started. Not only does it barely touch on that, it also fails to make the fights have any visual or inspirational impact. Benny Safdie’s direction leads you to believe you are watching the fakest of fights, the sound design didn’t do it any justice either. All of this is a huge failure, as you have a real life wrestler as your lead and his existence is wasted in a role perfectly suited for him.

      Speaking of, Dwayne Johnson plays Mark Kerr who is the MMA fighter at hand. He’s large and no longer in charge, in the ring or at home. Johnson has been getting tons of praise for his transformation and I will say he does transform, sort of. He has a new hair piece, teeth, and tons of prosthetics on his face to make him look just a little bit less like The Rock. Plus, his voice and manurisms are basically the exact same. So, I personally don’t understand the praise. He feels and looks super unnatural even if he is naturally funny for what he slightly has to do here.

      His counterpoint in the story is played by Emily Blunt. Now, going in I was under the impression her performance as Dawn was going to at least get her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. The entire runtime I was waiting for her to do anything that wasn’t your typical “girlfriend in a biopic” thing, but that time never came. She looks good, she cries, she yells, then she’s gone. Sorry to say, this was one of my least favorite performances of hers and the most disappointing for one that had so much hype. Johnson and Blunt together were also missing everything that made for an entertaining relationship drama. They were stale and it probably isn’t their fault as the writing for their scenes together was basic beyond belief.

      This is a strange movie where it couldn’t seem to get one thing completely right. Nothing was stuck with long enough to add tension or enthusiasm. The direction, while intentional, added an effect that was offputting but the costume design is the only high praise I can give this movie. For a movie about fists, it never hits and I was fighting to not leave the theater.

      P.S.

      As far as biopics and their enings showing the real people go, this might be the worst of them all.

      4.7/10

    • The Lost Bus

      Paul Greengrass perfected a genre in directing with what he did on a few of the Bourne films. Bringing that same style to a movie where a bus driver is operating a vehicle while talking on the phone doesn’t quite hit on the same level. Now listen, The Lost Bus absolutely has its place in front of the right audience. I might not be that audience.

      Matthew McConaughey came out of a 5+ year leading man retirement to act against a cell phone, that is the most disappointing aspect of this entire project. You had two pretty great actors in Matthew and his cohort America Ferrera, but neither one of them got the opportunity to do much outside of those phone calls and shooing faceless children along. As you can tell, I don’t like movies where the main character is on the phone for a majority of their screen time. Maybe this story just wasn’t meant to be told in this format, because drama and disaster are shoved to the side in an attempt to give big names for screen time.

      Aside from the acting from our leads, this movie is a disaster movie that repeatedly hits you over the head with tragedy. A lot of the runtime it’s things that do little to nothing to move the plot forward or to give our leads exposition. It’s more of a trauma dump than anything. Dialogue is too explanatory and over the top C-level acting from the surrounding cast fills the air. I’m glad both sides are portrayed, but the responsibility of everyone involved is muddled with movie logic (especially with the kids) that made me want to step into the fires instead of away from them.

      Circling back to Mr. Greengrass. His direction was all over the place. On the positives, some choices made this feel like a found footage film that brings you into the realism of the situations. If a camera crew was on site for this type of disaster, I’d be more invested in the stakes. His camera movements also made it feel like a zombie war film, which did not fit the vibes. There were shots that felt stolen or unfinished, all while some POV shots reminded me of the black smoke from LOST, and all of that resulted in more of a comedic effect.

      Suffocating nightmarish situations are absolutely portrayed here, but they felt more like fiction in a non fiction world with the intermediate levels of acting and direction.

      5/10

    • One Battle After Another

      In a world where resistance and the idea of a revolution is more prevalent than ever, One Battle After Another is a movie that solidifies PTA as a mainstay in the fight for film supremacy.

      Speaking of a revolution, there will need to be a new one started against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences if Sean Penn does not win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His nasty, yet brilliant work as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in this movie is the best acting to come from this man’s mind and body in his entire career, and maybe anyone’s career. As a painfully menacing force, Penn forces you to look around every corner whether he is on screen or not. Penn does not work in this film if he didn’t have the scope of PTA’s vision or the other fantastic players to bounce off of though, so let’s get to them.

      If Penn wasn’t in this, we would exclusively be talking about Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob. Channeling his inner Jeff Lebowski, Leo turns in a performance that only expands on his role as Rick Dalton from the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood trailer scene. Bringing almost a laugh per minute, he brings levity to a pretty serious role as a father figure doing everything he can to protect his daughter. Said daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) turns in a child performance that is far from the annoyance that she could have been. Can you even call this a child performance when she’s 25 in real life though? Either way, the multiple layers of her performance are not to be ignored. Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor only bring those layers deeper and deeper to add an uncontrolled electricity to every scene. Regina Hall is in this movie too, sorry I’m not saying more, I wish you did more <3.

      Many things are clear within this and that includes showing off that not only is PTA a perfect director, but also a writer. Taking you up and down hills of circumstances that will not only have you laughing from absurd truths, it will feed you non stop energy through disbelief in what you’re witnessing. I wish I knew more about the technical aspect of films, as all I can say the scale of everything brought to screen is simply put, beautiful. You could be in a car, a karate studio, or a mountain road and you’ll be lost in the freedom of every shot. This film is important for many many reasons as it digs a tunnel deep into your brain with its strides and details. Everyone and everything is running circles around anyone who dares try to come close.

      I could get nitpicky with the small details I found to be expected, but I won’t be a prick. The social commentary is important, the performances are on another level, and the direction had me losing my mind. OBAA is a highlight from the big screen as the seasons change.

      9/10

    • Caught Stealing

      I don’t know if Aronofsky movies are supposed to be fun, but that was the most fun I’ve had in a theater all year. From the opening sequence, I knew I was in for a treat. Now I don’t read, so I’ll never be able to compare movies to the books they’re adapted from but, what I can say is that the writing in this had me hooked from beginning to end. 

      Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler) lays out this world perfectly, it’s NYC used in a way that is resourceful and punk rock. Aronofsky still uses addiction and broken protagonists at the forefront of his story, but plants them in a much larger world. Elements of his direction are some of the most precise I’ve seen so far from him. There’s emotion behind the way the camera shows the characters that felt like a character in its own right. I wish I could describe in detail one scene involving Butler and Kravitz, but you’ll just have to see it for yourself and experience the impact the direction had on me. 

      Austin Butler is the star of this show. His emotional acting shines and shows off his range with the best performance of his career. Playing an innocent (or not so) character thrown into the mix up of a crime world, was the perfect role for him. He got to be a wild card, for the audience and the other characters within the story. Butler shines on screen in almost every scene and every key aspect of the film. 

      It would be a mistake not to mention the rest of this stacked cast, because the lineup is a home run. Zoe Kravitz is a smooth talking and intellectual paramedic that also happens to be the love interest. Bad Bunny is a menace that absolutely has a place as a legitimate player in this realm. Matt Smith and his ridiculously spot on accent just adds to the punk rockiness at the core. Everyone else has their spot in this game as well. The cat who gives the best cat performance since Inside Llewyn Davis, Regina King playing right into the foil, and Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio as the big bad. Ensemble of the year right here. 

      I was so addicted to this film, whether it was the costume design, the murder, movie stars, and the laughs that will make you cry. It’s a chaotic mix that is a thrill throughout. There’s WTF moments that will have you thinking about jumping out of your seat and some of the most quotable moments from a movie this decade. It’s a crime drama that is one of my favorite movies of the year. Even if it isn’t iconic or super straight forward, it’s still a hit. 

      How can you not be romantic about Aronofsky?

      8.9/10

    • Honey Don’t!

      For some reason The Coen Brothers are still split up, so here’s another attempt for Ethan with Honey Don’t!

      I’ve got to get the most important part of this movie out of the way first. HOLY $!&# is this movie sexual. I just watched Basic Instinct hours before seeing this and I never thought I would see something comparable again, especially from some of the people involved. If it works or not is besides the point, because it sort of comes out of nowhere. Well, maybe not if you watched Ethan’s last film in Drive Away Dolls. He’s really turned down a different path and has chosen to tell stories about a certain demographic and basically created a Basic Instinct for lesbians.

      Let’s start with the characters. Like most aspects of this movie, not everything is consistent. Whether it’s Aubrey Plaza barely being in the movie and then giving one of the worst over acting performances of the year to end it, or Charlie Day playing Charlie from Always Sunny for the entire film (he starts to work towards the end). At least we have the persistence of Margaret Qualley. Her wardrobe is on point, her acting is solid, and she means business. I don’t think we had really seen a woman in a PI role before so it was a very welcome switch up, where her writing was the most on target. How can I not mention Chris Evans as a sexual deviant and priest cult leader? He didn’t take a step back from freaky roles after playing Captain America, and I’m totally here for it, even if this role doesn’t fully flesh out in the most satisfying of ways.

      The Coens are usually pretty great at creating a story and atmosphere for their movies, Ethan is halfway there. The opening title sequence from him is brutally unwatchable and honestly felt like something from a first year film student. Even having two scenes before that title sequence felt the least useful. I don’t think the writing has been as smart as they think it is since the split either. The story was overstuffed with interweaving plots that almost never connect. At points things just happen where the hints were either never given or so hidden that it felt like I was being laughed at for missing them.

      This is a raunchy movie that is actually quite funny, and most of the time it’s not even the four or five main players making you laugh. I enjoyed the gratuitous violence and the sexual nature of a detective film, but the puzzle with no edges, harsh ending, and wavering acting outweighed my enjoyment of the characters and humor unfortunately.

      I really wish the Coens would get back together. We miss you.

      5.5/10 

    • The Map That Leads to You

      A streaming movie, actors and a director I’ve never heard of, plus a genre that typically isn’t my speed. This combination would usually add up to something I wouldn’t be a fan of, but I went in with an open mind and left pleasantly surprised.

      The Map That Leads to You is an adaptation of the book with the same name. Following Heather (Madelyn Cline) on a European vacation with her friends, that eventually turns into a pretty heavy romantic drama. I knew nothing about this story going in, so for it to start off as a vacation movie was actually quite a delight. I just got back from a Eurotrip myself and I don’t want to say it affected my admiration for the setting, but it definitely helped. The views are gorgeous in this movie, and I’m not just talking about the scenery. The first act of this is a lot of fun, watching our characters trek across a gorgeous continent and search for something more than they planned for.

      Now, I have no idea who KJ Apa (playing Jack, the love interest) was going into this, but he was a hunk of an actor so I understand what all the hoopla is about now. His character’s ambition for different was relatable and really spoke to something more than what a typical romcom guy was going for. Jack and Heather’s newly developed relationship felt natural to me but understandably unnatural to the world as a whole. The chemistry wasn’t forced and somehow I wasn’t grossed out by their love-dovey romance. It was taken a lot more seriously than I was expecting, with Madelyn Cline bringing a responsible energy to her role. Cline has the path in front of her to become a star in the Rom-Com world, or even just the Rom.

      This movie is humorous to a fault. I laughed 50% more than I have at most other comedy films this year and even quite liked the range of most involved on screen. While a lot of the actors’ on screen chemistry is what made me laugh, some of the jokes and written situations were a little too strange. Some scenes felt very out of place which I kind of understood when it’s already too short of a short movie. The acting is way above par and I cannot believe how adult this felt, it pushed that PG-13 rating to the limit and surprised me a lot for a rom-com streaming film. It becomes a lot more serious with its drama towards the end, which worked and didn’t work. I know it’s based on a book but there’s some pivotal situations that I wished would have been handled differently to offset the confusing romantic stakes.

      A Gen Z, type A vs type B, romantic dramedy movie that has a lot of heart. The direction of Lasse Hallstrom shouldn’t have shocked me as much as it did, but he made a solid film for the new generations with some young stars.

      6.9/10

    • Night Always Comes

      First things first, I’ll never relate to anything more than what Vanessa Kirby chooses to go through to protect Zach Gottsagen. He deserves peace and the world.

      After (what I thought was one of the better thrillers of 2023) Sharper, director Benjamin Caron is back with Night Always Comes. A thriller with a fitting name with even deeper meaning. Caron brings the anxiety in a way that I haven’t felt since Uncut Gems, and Vanessa Kirby is the perfect continuous vehicle to feel it through. Her on screen presence is always a welcome one and her acting at the core is certainly meant for roles like this.

      Getting to know the relationships of these characters was super important for this to work and it certainly does its job. Hitting a little too close to home for some, this movie starts off with a pretty pivotal situation that sets the whole story into motion. It immediately brought anger into my movie watching heart and hooked me into the seedy nature of the surrounding characters. It’s kind of scary how good the actors in this movie were at playing dirtbag characters. Not only was Jennifer Jason-Leigh perfect for this role, I think it’s the type of character she will inevitably fall back into for the rest of her career.

      Night Always Comes slowly slips into more and more sinister situations as the night goes on. There is a lot of risk at the characters hands, but in the end it mostly feels worth it. A ticking clock in the back of your head serves as a reminder of what is at stake and pulls this along swiftly.. The underground Portland vibes are a really nice touch to a film that doesn’t have a whole lot going on, even though it is a decent “one night” movie. The building tension doesn’t fully lead to much but I still found Kirby engaging and capable of playing the part.

      Elements of horror, fear, loss, and regret grace the screen in this solid effort that shows how tough life can be. I do wish there was more finesse to the direction and more of an expensive story as not too much will stay in my memory. I will circle back and say Zach Gottsagen is quite honestly a delight and I’m glad we got to see more of him. This makes for an easy at home watch but I can’t escape the feeling it could have used something to level it up.

      Night Always Comes is streaming on Netflix at www.netflix.com/nightalwayscomes

      6.6/10

    • Highest 2 Lowest

      So Spike Lee made another adaptation of a classic in Asian Cinema…

      This time around we have a loose adaptation of Kurosawa’s High and Low. I say loose but the only thing loose about it is the setting. It still involves a kidnapping with ransom and the moral dilemma of paying for someone that is not your kin. It sticks to that but switches up a few things like Denzel is playing a music mogul instead of a shoemaker. With so much stakes on the line you would think a movie like this would have more drama and suspense, except there’s basically only the opposite. Spike compromises morality for self-righteousness.

      The first and second act is filled with goofy levels of acting that are only brought up by the dialogue. Denzel is prolific in nature and continues that streak with his profound and biblical monologues. Casting Jeffrey Wright as the guy everyone wanted his character to be in American Fiction was certainly a choice, and not necessarily a good one. I won’t even say A$AP Rocky was a bad actor, what they did with him was though. In this story, it worked better when you don’t know who or why the antagonist is doing what they do. So, I’m not sure why he was given the third most speaking lines in this movie.

      Now we get to the technical side of things. What the hell was going on with the lighting and set design in this movie? First, it’s shot like a soap opera, bright, and with close ups like they’re taking head shots of the actors. And now I’m starting to think the intro with shots of the city was to trick us into thinking it was actually shot in NYC. So many times backdrops looked like blurred city skylines. Lee unapologetically uses that NYC setting to prove to us he likes living there, because this felt more like an ad for the city than a movie with a defined structure. I will say it was nice to see at least one Kurosawa homage in the shot selection, but it was so short lived that the rest of the staging felt like a slap in the face.

      Some of this is just painful to get through, but somehow rounds out an ending that is one of the best on the year. There’s no urgency to the central beats of the plot and the score is off beat the entire time. I was amazed, or entranced, watching this movie. I knew it couldn’t be this bad but now I’m thinking that it might be. Spike was so focused on the culture of the people in the movie and NYC that he forgot how to make the other aspects of a movie cohesive and watchable. Maybe watching High and Low for the first time a week before seeing this made for a bad comparison, but also maybe Spike Lee is out of touch once again with this adaptation.

      I will be abstaining from a score, but those were my thoughts.

    • Nobody 2

      When you have a cast with the likes of Christopher Lloyd, Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielson, RZA, Colin Hanks, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside and some of the creative minds behind the John Wick universe, you’d think we would be in for a super fun action flick. Instead, it feels like the B-team for all involved was in charge of this project.

      Hutch (Odenkirk) is back in his old ways to pay off some debts, while simultaneously trying to hold down his at home family life.  The smartest thing this movie did was play off the job of an assassin as an everyday 9-5 job and all the issues that came with it. It made the family dynamics funny, relatable, and added a nice contrast to the first half of the film. Having more of the family was a nice touch overall that only added to the allure for an unconventional action hero. Said action hero is still the best part about this franchise. Odenkirk’s believable demeanor is super fitting and he surprisingly looks spry in the action scenes when it easily could have looked like Liam in Taken 3.

      Now the big issue with this movie isn’t the fact that it’s sub 90 minutes, it’s that they waste most of that runtime. About halfway through you realize we’ve spent a lot of time setting up something that unfolds into something else that could have been its own movie. It goes way too deep, too fast, right in the middle of everything. If it would have just stuck with the particular storyline of the small town, we probably would have been in for a more tight script and fun time. This is clearly supposed to be a John Wick spin off, or spoof, or homage (I don’t think they know either). I wish they would have known more because its commitment to being serious and unserious at the same time makes things feel incomplete.

      I know it’s a movie made for entertainment purposes and I’m supposed to just shut up and have fun, but when I see a dozen movies like this a year, something has to give. The action is pretty great and there will be a nominee for best kill of the year from this movie, I just wish there was a lot more of it. The focus felt more on explosions and wacky characters than earned action sequences. Slow motion action scenes backed by fun songs can only take a movie so far.

      The last thing I’ll touch on is the characters. I don’t quite understand what they were going for with Connie in this one. It was almost like they wanted her to be involved like Skyler White is in Breaking Bad once she finds out, but couldn’t quite figure out what to do with her. RZA was great and needs to be in more action films and Colin Hanks plays the perfect heel. I have big issues with Lloyd and Stone as Chripsther Lloyd was in the first so he obviously had to come back, but he deserves his chance at retirement because that was brutal to watch, even as a fan. I was shocked to find out that Sharon Stone was in this once the movie ended and she might go down in the “doing too much” hall of fame (sorry, love you).

      It’s a short movie where Odenkirk does a lot of the heavy lifting. The action that’s around is not important enough to the story and Nobody 2 ultimately felt like a tourist in its own genre.

      4.8/10