Quick Reviews, Winter 2019, Part 1: Jojo Rabbit, The Irishman, Jumanji: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, Men in Black: International, Midsommar, The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit (2019): A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

I finally got around to seeing this year's Audience Award winner from Toronto (an award which Green Book infamously won last year) and I gotta say..... what? How do you pick such an eerily similar film again, Toronto? This film still reeks of "and that's how we solved racism, kids!" vibes, dressed up as a somewhat over-the-top feel-good movie. That said..... it is tremendously more enjoyable than Green Book ever was. Roman Griffin Davis is *great* as Jojo and goes through a rather wide character arc for a 108 minute feature, and Thomas McKenzie solidifies herself as a true up-and-coming star. (Why is she so small on the poster, guys?) Sam Freaking Rockwell is so effing funny, and Archie Yates is charming in his three or four scenes, too! The one who feels really out-of-place is Taika Waititi, who plays an imaginary Adolf Hitler. It mostly felt out-of-place because he was the obvious visual metaphor to racism, which made Taika's comedic delivery of the character..... uncomfortable to watch, at times. But, yes..... this movie is cute! And you can't help but feel-good afterwards. Despite its shallow delivery of its subject matter, I still laughed and had a good time. This film doesn't have the same superficial "prestige" look that Green Book had, (thanks for *not* doing that, Taika) so I don't think I'll have to think much more about this film, but if I do..... wolf. Here we go again. 

Seriously, Toronto?

My Number: 7/10

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The Irishman

The Irishman (2019): A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.

​Ok. Brace yourselves, because I did not think that The Irishman was the greatest film ever made. There, I said it. This film has been winning all sorts of awards over the past few weeks, and who can blame circles like NYFCC and the National Board of Review? It's freaking Martin Scorsese, returning to the genre that made him the greatest living director, and he also gets Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, AND freaking Joe Pesci on screen in the later's first major role in nearly ten years. AH. JOE FREAKING PESCI IS ON SCREEN AGAIN, FINALLY. Ok, I'm done fanboying. Hopefully. Hey, can you tell I like Joe Pesci? THAT SAID. This movie is 3.5 hours long, and it felt it for me. I know Film Twitter has been all over this point for a few weeks now, and maybe I wouldn't have felt the runtime if I were watching this in a theater instead of on my couch at home, but so much of this film felt self-congratulatory. Sure, Scorsese is the greatest living director, but does he really need to constantly remind us all of it? It didn't feel like excess to show excess like something like The Wolf of Wall Street, it felt like excess simply because Scorsese could. (He was so preoccupied with whether or not he could, he didn't stop to think if he should. To weave a recognizable tale about it.) Also, I loved Al Pacino just going all-in on Jimmy Hoffa, but what was that accent? What are you DOING, man? I'm picking on this film because of the love I have for everyone involved. Don't get me wrong: this film is still great, and I personally had a blast watching the self-indulgence of Scorsese. (Did I mention he's the greatest living director? Because I will fight you about that.) The question is, will you? And, if you don't, is it worth 3.5 hours of your life? Prooooobably not.

My Number: 8/10

The Irishman​ is currently available to stream on Netflix. 

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Jumanji: The Next Level

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019): In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game.

Worst. IMDB description. Ever. That aside, hey! It's another mindless fun popcorn flick at the box office right now! This time, it comes in the form of a sequel to a rare successful franchise reboot. I actually quite enjoyed 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, a reboot nobody asked for but was still enjoyable. Its sequel is simply more of the same, and hey.... if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? Jumanji 2 delivers the exact same thrills and jokes as its predecessor, except this time we add the charm and humor of Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, and freaking Awkwafina. That said.... director Jake Kasdan and company go for the "bigger, better, more badass" approach with this sequel, and as a result most of the setpieces look rather silly. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by setpieces in franchises like Fast and Furious and Mission: Impossible, or even more recently popcorn flicks like Ford V Ferrari and even Midway, but these setpieces were chaotic, disorienting, distracting pieces of CGI monstrosities. But honestly, even poor CGI-athon setpieces wasn't enough to detract from the overall experience. The dialogue is so witty, upbeat, and fun, (even if it is very superficial - there's a subplot about forgiveness here and it very much falls into black and white terms.... see my thoughts on Honey Boy about this) and the premise is still incredibly enjoyable. Who doesn't want to see The Rock play Danny DeVito?? And Awkwafina is here! And Rory McCann (The Hound in Game of Thrones) is here and is a great villain, even if he has NOTHING to do! I think fans of the first film will have plenty to enjoy here, but this sequel isn't going to make any converts. It's good ol' popcorn fun, even if the popcorn is a little stale. 

My Number: 6/10

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Richard Jewell

Richard Jewell (2019): American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.

This film is the tale of two stories. On the one hand, you have an admittedly interesting film of a man wrongfully accused of something and how he copes with that. Similar to stories told this year in (vastly superior) shows like When They See Us and Unbelievable, you see how this Richard Jewell's personality would lend itself to manipulation by an authoritative figure with an insidious (or shortsighted) agenda. You also see the fight of one man, (Jewell's lawyer Watson Bryant, played by none other than Sam freaking Rockwell) determined to do the right thing and exonerate Jewell, setting aside his own ambition in the process. This story, on its surface, is an objectively interesting one. And Paul Walter Hauser does a great job portraying Jewell in an authentic way. Unfortunately, this film is in the hands of Clint Eastwood, and the other side of that story is nothing short of appalling. This resides in Olivia Wilde's character: a despicable, unrealistic, unbelievable portrayal of the journalist Kathy Scruggs that has led to the Atlanta Journal Constitution threatening to sue Warner Brothers for allowing this interpretation of the late journalist to be filmed at all. Unfortunately for everyone else involved in this film, this hideous character (amplified by the fact that it is coming from Clint Eastwood) is all this movie will be remembered for, but also.... rightfully so. In an era of so much unwarranted (and dangerous) distrust in the media, to see a journalist vilified in such a way is irresponsible and alarming. And, for what? To show a white man wrongfully accused of something? Do we really need another story of that? Let's see more stories like Unbelievable and When They See Us find their way into the world before we get another Richard Jewell, shall we? Clint Eastwood should be ashamed of himself. Oh, also, the film is disjointed and unorganized and clearly had a dizzying production cycle, and it shows, but that's neither here nor there. 

My Number: 4/10

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So, I was writing my review of Little Women the other day, and when I went to link to my Midsommar review, I realized it was trapped in my Google docs, along with reviews of Men in Black: International and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. So, enjoy these incredibly overdue reviews of films that came out back in the summer! Woo! 

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Men in Black: International

Men in Black: International (2019): The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.

This one makes me sad. The latest from the great F. Gary Gray, (Straight Outta Compton) the 4th installment in the Men in Black universe is somewhat enjoyable, but otherwise depressingly lifeless. Look, corporate Hollywood loves its sequels. There's no denying that. And if the sequel is done well (see: Mission: Impossible) the end result is glorious. But this sequel feels corporate-mandated, soul-less, and devoid of any real meaning. A lifeless husk that lumbers through each scene with little passion or intent. Not even its leads feel dynamic, Tessa Thompson is playing herself, (which, admittedly, I'm fine with) and Chris Hemsworth is playing every charismatic lead actor ever. Rafe Spall is horrifically miscast, and Liam Nesson is just playing himself. The only character here with any semblance of depth is Kumail Nanijiani, who's voice is basically the only entertainment to be found in this film. Once he shows up, basically halfway through, there's some entertainment to be found here, but it's very few and far between. While there are a few decent moments, (it's not the worst sequel I've ever seen by any means) there are also vastly superior films to watch in the theater right now. (See: Rocketman, Ma, Booksmart, to name a few) Go see one of those.

My Number: 4/10

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Midsommar

Midsommar (2019): A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown's fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

What a film. Director / writer Ari Aster's follow up to his 2018 breakout, Hereditary, is a crazy, unorthodox, unpredictable film that doesn't bind itself to any American cinema norms while being resonating, wild, and yes….. scary. Similar to Hereditary, Aster investigates part of the human condition and conjures more of a psychological horror than a supernatural one. This time, he investigates coping with trauma and PTSD. Aster also firmly establishes himself as one of the best actor's directors in Hollywood right now. After eliciting my best performance of 2018 out of Hereditary's lead, Toni Collete, he elicits an equally poignant performance from Midsommar's undisputed lead, Florence Pugh. She has a career breakout performance as Dani, which is felt from the very first moment of the film, a devastating long take that captures this new character in the single worst moment of her life. From that moment, you are drawn to her struggles to wrestle with her trauma, which makes her arc all the more interesting and engaging. And it's all wrapped up in this zany and uncanny Swedish festival that is both scary and disturbing. The fears of this film comes from imagining what's taking place offscreen, in addition to the shocking moments that do take place in front of you. Midsommar's scares are far less apparent than Hereditary's, as is the story overall, but I don't think it's any less brilliant. Ari Aster is now firmly on my radar as one of the best minds in the business, and I hope studios like A24 continue to give him blank checks to make whatever he wants. Because, if this is the result….. we're in for a hella good time.

My Number: 9/10

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The Last Black Man in San Fransisco

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019): A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind. 

How to describe this film….. the directorial debut from Joe Talbot and starring first time actor Jimmie Fails, (who plays himself) The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a creative labor of love. It tells the story of Jimmie Fails and his attempt to stay connected with the city he was raised in, even as the capitalistic nature (and gentrification) of the city attempts to leave him behind. It's the quintessential example of a film that's quietly brilliant: it leads you along for most of its 2 hour runtime before absolutely flooring you in its finale. But its overly creative nature may make it less approachable for some. There are a lot of shots and edits here that make seemingly little sense, some that even frustrated me at points. Especially in the first act, there seemed to be a lack of consistency at points. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because the climax was nothing short of extraordinary. I wonder if this film may be a few years ahead of its time, its style too unapproachable now. Because I could feel the brilliance of this film. It's just buried beneath a looooot of creativity.

My Number: 8/10

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Me, after realizing that I had these reviews trapped in my Google docs