Nolg101 Reviews

The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)

Radha

[8/10 · 9 March 2021]

Tone in movies can be one of the toughest things to do right. Forty Year Old Version sets a tone that's familiar and unfamiliar. Through the vision and acting of Radha Blank it delivers comedy that'll resonate with people of all ages and backgrounds.

With familiar story tropes that examine friendship, family dynamics, loss, self-doubt, and career strife, Blank puts her own touch on a film that is funny and rife with much social commentary on gentrification, racial micro-aggressions, and navigating a murky world of political correctness.

Supporting performances from Peter Kim, as Archie, Radha's theatrical agent and long time friend, Oswin Benjamin, as D, the mysterious and talented Brooklyn music producer, give the film more depth as it allows the protagonist to be a more full and balanced character. Making the climactic scene more impactful as the crowd is scanned and the audience is shown the different people in Radha's life who are influential in her journey in life to that particular stage. Jacob Ming-Trent, as Lamont, a mouthy street dweller, maybe provides the films funniest scene, where he imparts wisdom to Radha on her big night. Reed Birney, as J. Whitman, plays a convincing and often frustrating figure in Radha's career, that pushes her and is likely one of the catalysts in the creation of RadhamusPrime.

There's a lot about this film that is just below the surface, meaning that Blank gives it a bit of time but doesn't linger on it too much, just enough to provide the viewer with perspective. Like the challenges a Black female creative living in Harlem can have, which is evidenced by her constant verbal abuses on the street by Lamont or the bus drivers exchanges with her after she offers him condolences. Blank has truly accomplished something incredible with her first film, that is worthy of seeing.

Tenet (2020)

Breakneck action, Nolan at his best!

[8/10 · 25 January 2021]

Tenet has received high praise from many critics and it certainly deserves credit for taking some high risk chances that paid off in terms of the screenplay, but not in terms of how the film is playing out at the box office. It's unfortunate that this is Christopher Nolan's most ambitious film because it was released during a year where people abandoned movie theaters due to the global coronavirus pandemic. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, a tenet is a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true, especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession. It's also a palindrome, a word that is the same both backwards and forwards, like racecar, mom, or even detartrated, which is a chemical term meaning to remove tartrates. It's an aptly chosen word for the title of this movie as the promotional poster evinces.

This is probably one of my favorite Nolan films because it's his first film where a non-white actor plays a central role to the film. John David Washington, who plays the aptly named role of the Protagonist, is of course Black and his character brings a different dimension to this Nolan film than Inception, Dunkirk, or Interstellar all brought. Nolan's screenplay is wise to utilize its Protagonist's abilities/appearance, instead of hiding from it which is something that major Hollywood blockbusters have done before. John Boyega has been critical of Disney/Star Wars brass for their double talk/action in this regard in the past. There's a great scene as the film is developing the Protagonist character where Washington's acting prowess and impeccable delivery coalesce with Nolan's intuitive script and provide some laughs that split up the rapid fire action sequences.

Criticism of the film has substantially fallen on the notion that the audience is subjected to a storyline of which the film hasn't given them enough of a reason to care about. Without giving away too much, although personally I may agree, the film's innate ability to chug along at a breakneck pace and its other qualities will likely make audiences forgot about this.

Knives Out (2019)

Wonderfully colorful story with entertainment for the whole family!

[9/10 · 2 March 2020]

Meet the Thrombey's... Although pretty late to the party, I was just on time to catch this hilarious, who-done-it mystery movie before it slipped out of theaters and I was totally impressed. Having been exposed to various members of this ensemble cast at some point in their careers I was excited to see how they would be able to co-exist onscreen as an acting family unit.

The accomplished and versatile ensemble cast is one of the many reasons to see this, with Toni Collette, who left so many speechless with her performance in Hereditary, or Katherine Langford who played the vitally important role of Leah in Love Simon, to veteran actors Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Shannon, the film seems to have the right actors to carry the story along. Most people will have seen Daniel Craig act in his many roles as James Bond over the years, but they will be in for a pleasant surprise at his ability to play a quirky detective with a southern drawl and a penchant for finding the truth, no matter where it may lead him. Audiences will too have seen Chris Evans play Captain America in his many appearances in those movies of the Marvel Cinema Universe, but they will again be perturbed and flummoxed at the impressive quality with which Evans' is able to bring his character in Knives Out, Ransom, to life.

Director Rian Johnson hosted a 23 minute video with Vanity Fair where he broke down a scene in the film, which is highly worth seeing (Before or after viewing, no spoilers!), in it he offers his insight into how the scene was setup from where the cameras were being pointed, to how it was working with all of the talent, to the behind the scenes "movie magic" that we don't get to see. It was fantastic to see how excited he was about explaining some of the minute details of what went into making Knives Out, which in turn allowed for more of his voice to come out and be evident when watching the film. He really is an exceptional director, who we should expect more big things from in the future.

Ana de Armas, who plays Marta Cabrera, has to be mentioned here, not only because she's the leading actress of the movie, but because she steals the show despite being listed third on the movie's first billed cast list. Although, she occupies a substantial amount of screen time Armas uses many subtle acting skills to bring power and depth to her role, which is important to the development of the films story.

Like the above poster shows, Knives Out is a robust, dynamic multi-genre movie that has something for everybody. I saw "multi-genre" because it's not just a drama, it has too many comedic elements to be pigeonholed into solely that category. Additionally, it's not exclusively a thriller or mystery movie, because at it's core it's truly a family "dram-edy" about a mysterious, thrilling event that happens to the family.. I won't confuse you anymore, but what I'm trying to say is that Knives Out is a great American movie with something for all audiences. See it when you have the chance.

Troop Zero (2019)

Davis, Janney, & Grace make Troop Zero a great family watch!

[7/10 · 6 February 2020]

Troop Zero is a well-made family drama/comedy released on January 17, 2020 by Amazon Studios. It was released by Big Indie Pictures, Escape Artists, and Amazon. The screenplay was written by Lucy Alibar, known for Beasts of the Southern Wild, and directed by the duo of Bert & Bertie, who most recently co-directed, Dance Camp (2016).

It stars Mckenna Grace, as Christmas Flint, a social misfit with her head in the clouds. Jim Gaffigan plays the role of her father, Ramsey Flint, a local attorney, who like his daughter is also a peculiar character that often accepts payment from his clients in the form of "I-owe-you's". Viola Davis plays, Miss Rayleen, Ramsey's paralegal assistant who oftentimes acts in a motherly role to Christmas. Allison Janney is Miss Massey, a troop leader for a local troop of Birdie Scouts that has a history with Miss Rayleen. Mike Epps rounds out the cast as, Dwayne Champaign, a friend/client of Ramses, who brings humor and lightness to the role.

Troop Zero is set in rural Georgia in 1977 and Laura Fox, who designed the production of the film really did a wonderful job of teleporting the audience back to this period with colorful and rich sets filled with nostalgic items that have today become memorabilia and picturesque settings backdropped against the tall Georgia pines and Southern Live Oaks that the area is famous for. The rural south American setting adds another element to the film that doesn't really percolate to the point of becoming a pseudo-character in the movie, but I felt like the events probably couldn't happen in too many other places.

Grace's character, Christmas, is the sort of character that many love rooting for because she's a likable underdog with a bright smile and a quirky personality, and it's through this that the film's directors are able to string along a touching coming-of-age story that offers many solid supporting performances. Notably, all of the child actors perform exceptionally, either as supporting Birdie Scouts or rival scouts in the climactic competition to see who will be recorded on NASA's Golden Record.

Troop Zero is definitely worth a watch, it'll remind you of the power of imagination, self-belief, perseverance, sacrifice, family, friendship and love.

Ready Player One (2018)

As Ohio goes, so goes the nation..

[7/10 · 7 April 2018]

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As Ohio goes, so goes the nation? A quotation with political implications that typically accompanies primary election season, but in the realm of Ready Player One, it's all about the players involved. Notably, Steven Spielberg, 3-time Oscar winner and global box office behemoth, who's movies have grossed upwards of $9.4 billion, and Ernest Cline, the first time novelist, who's book started a bidding war back in 2010. Spielberg, the movie's director is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cline hails from Ashland, Ohio. But, maybe more importantly the film's setting is Columbus, Ohio in the year 2045, which perhaps provide a backdrop that isn't overtly familiar to the average American, insofar as it represents a place in people's minds of Middle American tastes and cultures that differ from those of locales closer in proximity to places like New York, Los Angeles, or Boston.

I say all that to say that video games and video game culture create worlds on television sets and in our minds that provide a respite where many of us can and have spent hours of our lives, collecting coins, upgrading armor, slaying bosses, and whatever else that simply cannot be done in the real world. Much appreciation goes to Cline for his uncanny ability to pen a novel that touches on so many poignant moments in 1980's American culture that also connects to the modern world in what companies like Oculus are trying to do with virtual reality, to allow us to live in our video games. See Ready Player One, for its ability to bring out a lot of that nostalgia, while giving a wishful template for what modern VR headsets hope to achieve and for just being 2 hours of action, entertainment, and some laughs.

Criticism has been lauded on this movie, which Spielberg was keen to refer to it as at a presser at Comic Con before its release, so as not to confuse it with his more high-brow fare like The Post, Lincoln, or Bridge of Spies, for its frenetic pace and its inability to create deeper connections with the incessant pop culture references and items of nostalgia that litter the movie like confetti on stadium turf after a world champion is crowned. But, for those having read Cline's book, they understand that the best apart about the novel was the hunt... Sure there was time during the novel to sort of sit back and reminisce as to why spending hours in a local arcade playing Pac-Man or some other 80's game was formative and provided life lessons that could be reflected back on thirty years later, but the coolest thing about the book was connecting the dots of an epic scavenger hunt where the stakes were so high, especially where being successful at the hunt required having knowledge of off beat stuff from popular movies to more obscure ones. It essentially gave self-proclaimed video game nerds and fan girls an opportunity to read about it what it would be like to excel at something that the whole world saw considerable value in.

I was very impressed with how Spielberg and company were able to visualize this movie and bring it to life. My guess is that soooo much more than I'd expect in this movie is CGI, but it's not poorly done where it looks "too fake", it accompanies the actors especially well in the action scenes, particularly the opening race scene through NYC. The cast selected to play the roles was very on point with only Olivia Cooke seeming to me, to be not the most ideal pick to play Art3mis/Samantha, but they made up for this by playing up the role of Hannah John-Kamen's character, F'Nale Zandor, who pairs well with Nolan Sorrento's sinister tendencies and actions in trying to control the OASIS. Lena Waithe as Aech/Helen was a role that I was really looking forward to after I discovered that she had earned the spot, and she didn't disappoint. Although, it was disappointing that a particular story line involving her was left out of the movie. T.J. Miller as I-Rok provides a lot of high quality humor throughout the film, its a shame that they didn't give him a bit more screen time.

Café Society (2016)

Cafe Society

[7/10 · 14 July 2016]

Café Society is an incredibly shot period piece from Woody Allen, or Monsieur Woody, as the French lovingly refer to him. It's a period piece that is set in the 1930s, in the Bronx and Hollywood. It follows the story of Bobby Dorfman after he comes out to La La Land to try to work for his uncle, hot-shot agent to the stars, Phil Stern. Jesse Eisenberg acts the role of Bobby and Steve Carell plays Phil. Jeannie Berlin and Ken Stott (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) play minor roles as Bobby's parents, Rose and Marty. Corey Stoll (House of Cards) and Sari Lennick round out the members of the Dorfman family, playing Bobby's brother and sister, Ben & Evelyn. Cafe Society is certainly a period drama depicting the glamorous life of a Hollywood agent in the 30s, but it's also a family drama as well which portrays the life of Jewish family doing their damnedest to make it in the Bronx.

Much can be said about the ensemble of talented actors that Woody assembled for this film, particularly that all of them were able to do very well with minimal material/screen time. Anna Camp, who plays a prostitute named Candy, comes to mind when she highlights a funny scene with Eisenberg. Parker Posey is convincing and amusing, in her role as Rad Taylor. Blake Lively supplies her Hollywood looks fittingly, as Veronica, who provides quite the catch-of-a-rebound for protagonist, Bobby. But, it's (surprisingly?) Kristen Stewart, as Vonnie, who has probably the most important role in the movie, as the juggled back and forth love interest of Bobby and his uncle, Phil. She delivers a rather stellar performance, portraying the vulnerabilities of a young secretary who's pursued by her much older boss, as well as sort of a delicate feline-like toying with naivete of new-to-Hollywood Bobby. She's really quite keen.

Some criticism has been laid on Woody for not trying to venture out of his comfort zone on this latest effort, and there is some merit to that, but if you go into Cafe Society hoping to be entertained for 90 minutes by a film that is a flashback to a different time in New York City and Hollywood, with a healthy serving of humor and wonderful sets, then I don't think you'll be disappointed. Just don't expect to see the most realistic plot resolutions.

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The Jungle Book (2016)

The Jungle Book

[8/10 · 8 May 2016]

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Jon Favreau has had one of the more interesting, circuitous careers in Hollywood (Outside of Tinseltown as well): From his near completion of undergraduate studies at Queens College, to a short stint working for Bear Stearns on Wall Street, the son of a Russian Jew and a Catholic of Italian & French-Canadian ancestry hasn't been one timid of "getting their feet wet" in a particular discipline. So, it should come as little surprise that his entertainment career has been rather varied, in terms of genres, types of roles he's acted in, and his involvement in projects (Essentially whether he was just an actor, an actor-producer, an actor- director, or solely a producer or director).

He's acted in everything from Friends (As Monica's boyfriend during Season 3), to the Avengers, Rudy, Cowboys & Aliens, The Break-Up, and many others. He's written films like Swingers, Couples Retreat, and Chef. He's directed films like Elf, Made, Iron Man, and most recently the Jungle Book. He's truly an artist that knows improvisation and the value of not "pigeon-holing" oneself in a competitive industry like Hollywood.

This time around Favreau parked his keester in the director's chair and left the writing duties to Justin Marks and Rudyard Kipling, with the latter providing the skeleton of the story that Marks adapted quite well. It's a story that most American children are familiar with with, but it has certainly been freshened up with the addition of cutting-edge CGI and sound mixing that definitely wasn't available during the 1960s. It's a keenly-paced movie as well, with it's producers wise to the fact that audiences would be rather varied in age range. The running time is 104 minutes, but it truly doesn't feel "too long" and I don't feel that audiences will feel as though they were "jipped" because of the under 2- hour running time.

The casting for Mowgli was very well done, with thirteen-year old Neel Sethi performing the role with an authenticity that made up for the fact that all of the other roles were voiced and done by by CGI. That's not to say that there was a problem with the CGI, or any of the voice actors, but I felt like it would've been a little bit better to see some real backdrops and actual monkeys. It seems like all the large budget movies these days are so dominated by CGI and it would be nice to see a movie not so dependent on it. But, to each his own, I guess.

The Jungle Book is definitely worth a trip to the theater though, especially as the summer box office starts to heat up with movies like Captain America: Civil War just premiering at theaters this weekend.

Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013)

All is by My Side

[7/10 · 4 January 2016]

John Ridley's, Jimi: All is by My Side is an ambitious effort that depicts the life of famed musician Jimi Hendrix. The leading role is played rather masterly by André Benjamin, of the hip-hop musical duo Outkast. Imogen Poots & Hayley Atwell act out the roles of Linda Keith and Kathy Etchingham, respectively. Both turn in fantastic performances revealing the multi-layered, nuanced nature of the two women who played pivotal roles in the life of Hendrix.

The setting for Ridley's film begins in Manhattan, in 1966. Benjamin's character has a chance encounter with Poots' character, who introduces Jimi to a few people, connecting with some influential and wise music industry folk, and before not too long he is convinced to go to London, where he's told that he will set the world over there ablaze. Poots' character is highly adept at acting with solely her eyes, letting them linger in scenes and communicating so much more than could be with only words. It's no wonder that Jimi follows her advice on testing the London music scene.

But, insert Atlwell's character, who comes into the film with the attitude and the familiar wear of that of a rock n roll groupie. An emotionally, likely alcohol/drug fueled spat leads to some major emotional and career decisions and Poots' character leaves Jimi to return to the States. Atwell very capably plays a role that is underminded by the premise that the nature of a groupie entails, one of sort of sucking the life from those who have truer intentions and more wholesome habits, but the role of Kathy Etchingham is no simple one to play, and certainly not one that had little importance in Jimi Hendrix's musical influences.

Biopics can be extremely difficult to produce, even when they are about high profile people like Jimi Hendrix. Major studios will typically scoff at the idea because of a lack of commercial appeal (Steve Jobs can be an exception to this). But, this indie picture which was reportedly produced on a budget of $5 million, and received generally positive reviews, did so because it didn't attempt to "do too much". It covered only a year of Jimi's career, albeit it was a short one, but it was able to capture some of the intricacies that made Jimi the man that he was.

The Company Men (2010)

The Company Men.. Or Up In the Air

[7/10 · 11 January 2011]

John Wells, well known for being the show-runner behind long running hits, The West Wing and ER, writes and directs this fantastic film about corporate downsizing and how affects the lives of three men. Set in Boston, Massachusetts, a fictional company, GTX, is reeling from the economic crisis and is cutting jobs left and right to appease shareholders in an attempt to drive up their stock price. The scene to open the movie is quite powerful in the way it captures the feeling of "this sort of thing can happen to anybody, when you least expect it".

The movie stars Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Chris Cooper. Each actor plays the role of an employee at GTX, with Jones' character being someone in executive management, Cooper's a notch or so below him, and Affleck as a highly paid salesman. These characters don't have too much interaction on screen, the film examines more the relationships between themselves and their families, neighbors, and communities. The three actors turn in pretty incredible performances, and its a wonder that the film wasn't released earlier in 2010 to be eligible for awards consideration. Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, and Rosemarie DeWitt also play pivotal roles in the film and do superior jobs at being enrapturing and authentic.

The film reminds me a lot of, Up in the Air, and perhaps that's the reason it wasn't released for awards consideration, but instead for commercial ambitions, because Reitman's already did that. But, it's very different than the prior film in how it depicts the lives of those higher up the corporate ladder and the descent that occurs when one's income disappears. Critics can take shots at Wells pacing of the movie, but it's no easy feat to write and direct a major motion picture and I believe he does an excellent job at showing and challenging several aspects of American culture and lifestyle. Definitely, worth a watch.

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Hereafter (2010)

Expected more from Amblin and The Kennedy/Marshall Co.

[7/10 · 24 December 2010]

Hereafter is a supernatural drama/thriller from Clint Eastwood, that stars Matt Damon. It was released in late October. The film follows the lives of three people who are touched/affected by death in different ways. Damon, plays the lead role of George Lonegan, a man with the ability to genuinely communicate with the dead. Cecile de France, is Marie LeLay, a French journalist who survives a tsunami, but has a near death experience that shakes her grasp of reality. Finally, Frankie and George McLaren, are twins Marcus and Jason, who share a close brotherly bond that is broken after one of them tragically dies. The film shows how mortality affects people from different walks of life, leaving voids in their lives that they choose to temporarily fill by trying to communicate with their lost loved ones through a psychic medium.

The concept of the film is a delicate one, but certainly one that captures the attention of millions of people across the globe. So, it makes sense that Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment would be attached to a project like this one. Spielberg's track record and incredible success allow him to take great chances on movies other producers wouldn't touch. But, unfortunately for him, Eastwood, and Kathleen Kennedy (Another of the film's producers) the movie which was budgeted at $50 million, has only managed to pull in about $33 million in 70 days of release in American theaters. I'm not sure any of these people expected Hereafter to break records, but I think break even was at least anticipated.

The movie's central theme of mortality is without a doubt the reason that moviegoers didn't flock to theaters to see this one, but if you ask me the reason that those that did, didn't have reason to "love" it, is because it lacked one specific element that would've made it great. The acting was very solid, but wasn't exceptional. I wouldn't put all of that blame on the actors either, I don't think Eastwood's directing allowed them to expose their characters enough for the audience to connect with their struggles with the afterlife. But, that could also be attributed to Peter Morgan's script.

I sound like I'm lambasting this film, but truly I really liked it, I just thought it could've been a lot more and I'm disappointed that with the people attached to the project it wasn't.

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Easy A (2010)

Emma Stone has arrived

[8/10 · 21 October 2010]

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I don't know what it is about movies that take place in a high school setting, but too often characters in them just look way too old. This is definitely the case a few times with Easy A, but that little stigma aside the movie does deliver.

Easy A, stars Emma Stone, of Superbad and Zombieland fame. She plays the role of Olive Penderghast, a precocious teenager who attends a fictional high school called Ojai North High in Ojai, California. This is significant to mention because of the liberal lifestyle associated with the "Governator" state. Olive's family is quite the diverse crew and her parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, certainly give Olive adequate room to express her teenage self.

Express herself is exactly what she does. Olive's English class is studying Nathaniel Hawthorne's, the Scarlet Letter, and she takes it upon herself, after a scathing rumor is started about her, not to deny the rumors, but let them take on a life of their own. This has an alarming effect on the student body at Ojai, who eventually all have an opinion of what she is doing or not doing.

Emma Stone has, in my opinion, solidified herself as a very viable movie star. She basically crushes the role of Olive and is more than easy on the eyes. Also, at 22 years old she has a wide range of roles that she could fit into.

Easy A, has a lot of social commentary directed towards teenagers that might be wasted on them, but it isn't on an older audience that has sat in classrooms similar to the ones in the movie. The advent of Facebook and other social networking sites has made gossip spread exponentially faster, but there hasn't been a movie released in awhile that depicts what types of effects it can have.

The Town (2010)

Jeremy Renner, Oscar nom?

[7/10 · 1 October 2010]

The Town, has an uncanny ability to make crime seem very cool. Whether it's dousing a bank with bleach after a hectic robbery, bashing in a bank manager's face with an AK-47 then whispering him something sly, or seamlessly switching getaway cars after tearing through the crammed North End of Boston at breakneck speeds. The Town, or maybe rather it's director, Ben Affleck, is masterful at depicting the brazen activities of the underworld, seen through the eyes of a couple of Charlestown-bred criminal "brothers".

The film stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively. It's a story about a couple of bank robbers who during a heist are forced to take a hostage, who they later find lives a few blocks from them in the small neighborhood of Boston, known as Charlestown. Charlestown is credited as being the bank robbery capital of the world (Which for some reason to me, doesn't seem possible). But, nevertheless this is an intriguing claim and adequately aids to the pacing of the very fast-paced opening of the film.

Affleck and Renner are the main characters, with Hamm, of "Mad Men" fame playing the role of the FBI agent charged with the task of catching these criminals. Hall plays the role of, Claire Keesey, the bank manager who is taken hostage. The movie is cast very well, with supporting roles having a very authentic feel to them. Affleck shows his directing prowess by crafting a 2 hour long crime thriller that will show audiences across the country a side of Boston they probably didn't know existed. He blends frenetic paced gunfights with Fenway Park as the backdrop with much softer dialogue heavy scenes between Renner, Liively, Hall, and himself.

The Town is one of the best movies of the early fall season, with some drawing comparisons of it to "The Departed". I'm not sure it will have the legs to carry it into awards season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Renner get an Oscar nomination for his supporting role.