Parasite Review

Parasite

Dir: Bong Joon-ho

Starring: Kang-ho Song, Yeo-jeong Jo, So-dam Park, Woo-sik Choi, Sun-kyun Lee, and Seo-joon Park

Some films make you laugh, some films make you cry. Some films make you scared, some films make you think. Every now and then a film tries to make you do all these things, all in one movie. Even less frequently a film successfully does all these things, separately and at once. These are the films that stick with you, these films make an impact; director Bong Joon-ho’s masterful multi-mood drama, comedy, thriller, horror is one of those memorable moments in cinema. 

To call the Kim family “down-on-their-luck” would be an understatement. In fact, if “down-on-their-luck” was street level the Kim’s home, which is located with windows looking up at the street level, would be the better description of their current place in the South Korean city they live in, however, that social status can be universally placed in any big city in the world in Bong Joon-ho’s narrative design here.  

We are introduced to the family sitting in squalor, moving about the crowded living space looking for a Wi-Fi signal to steal from someone living in the spaces above them. The family makes money folding pizza boxes for a delivery company, they aren’t good at it, but they stick together and support one another even when things seem to look bleak. The patriarch of the family is Kim Ki-taek, a brilliant performance from long-time Joon-ho collaborator Kang-ho Song, who doesn’t have much going in his favor beyond the affection of his wife Chung-sook (Hye-jin Jang) and the respect of his daughter Ki-jung (So-dam Park) and son Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi).  

Things turn in favor of the Kim’s when Ki-woo (Woo-sik Choi) gets a job as a tutor for the Park family (Sun-kyun Lee and Yeo-jeong Jo). The Park’s live in a house that belonged to a famous architect, the design of the home is lavish and the Park family is well-off enough to afford a lifestyle the Kim family could only dream of. And Ki-woo recognizes that opportunity is in the palm of his hands the moment he moves across the boundaries of the world he knows into the wealthy new community. Ki-woo’s charm and lies gets his sister a job as an art teacher/therapist for the Park family’s only son. Ki-jung jokingly talks about knowing nothing about art therapy until she Googled what it meant and then just simply made up the rest. Before long Ki-taek and Chung-sook infiltrate jobs within the family, using underhanded schemes and manipulations to gain jobs as a chauffeur and housekeeper. 

“Parasite” is a film about social status, class systems, family dynamics, human decency and dignity, manners, respect, history…if that sounds like too much narrative politics for one film, it never feels that way. The beauty and masterful quality of this film is that even though it is clearly trying to make a point about different things, Bong Joon-ho never pushes his points in exhaustive ways. It’s the subtlety of his narrative, Joon-ho shares screenplay credit with Jin Won Han, that makes the film as entertaining as it is unnerving, as naturally comical as it is boldly serious. 

Joon-ho has always told intriguing stories by meticulously understanding the visual language used within the frame of his picture. Many times, the framing of characters and the position of shapes and objects in view offer as much visual explanation as a purposeful line of dialog would. “Parasite” is consistently interesting to observe; the contrast between two worlds is told with shapes and the concept of space, where the Kim family operates in tight quarters, often hunching and crouching to get into places that allow them a sense of freedom, the Park family has so much room to explore in their mansion, so much space to lose themselves in their giant world. The identity of two families is explored with how they occupy the frame with one another, where the Kim family is often times positioned close to one another, the Park family is separated and distant from one another. Bong Joon-ho is a master of using space to show and dissect relationships and motivations, it’s all present here.

With everything Bong Joon-ho is doing with the fantastic actors, who all give fantastic performances, and is trying to say with his multifaceted narrative, the core of the film is simply about the complicated lives of two families (plus another twist that will not be revealed here).  Joon-ho taps into uneasy subject matter and then easily finds a way to see the unflinching humor within these truths, it’s a fascinating exploration of humanity regardless of the subtitles and cultural differences found in this film. Bong Joon-ho simply has a keen understanding of people and what motivates them to do both beautiful and disgusting things. 

Bong Joon-ho is a brilliant filmmaker and “Parasite” is absolutely stunning film. 

Monte’s Rating

5.00 out of 5.00

Dolemite is my Name Review

Dolemite Is My Name

Dir: Craig Brewer

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson, Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Chris Rock, and Snoop Dogg

In the late 1960’s, the multi-tasking talent Rudy Ray Moore was working at a record store trying to get one of his songs played on the radio station, he was also working the nightclubs in hopes of getting a permanent stand-up comedian gig; Moore was doing everything in his power to break into the Hollywood system, to find fame and notoriety in an industry that strongly exhibited prejudice to people of color. 

But in 1975, at the peak of the Blaxploitation cinema movement where films like “Shaft”, “Super Fly” and “Coffy” found major success beyond the supportive black community, Rudy Ray Moore’s dedication would pay off as the now successful comedian, with a blend of raunchy, boastful anecdotes and braggadocios self-talk, would introduce the world to the legendary stylings of Dolemite.

For a character as bold, confident, and imposing as Rudy Ray Moore was, it would take an actor equally as commanding to compose a representation that was justified for a cinematic biopic. How about Eddie Murphy? “Dolemite Is My Name”, from director Craig Brewer who helmed “Hustle and Flow” and “Black Snake Moan”, is an exceptionally fun film that takes a glimpse into a moment in time for Rudy Ray Moore’s career resolve but also into the independent process of making your celluloid dreams come true. Even with these positive attributes, “Dolemite Is My Name” belongs completely to the impressive performance of Eddie Murphy. 

“Dolemite Is My Name” feels similar in tone and pacing to another biopic, Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood”. Makes perfect sense considering writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski wrote both of these films. The structure of the film is broken up into two different kind of movies; the film begins with a character study, following Rudy Ray Moore through the struggle of chasing his dreams of fame and stardom. It’s an effective design that allows the viewer to gain an understanding of Moore’s determination but also the specific circumstances that offer opportunity and influence creativity for the comedian. There is a great scene where Moore finds his confidence, turning words into a character in front of a mirror.

Eventually the story transitions into something different, it shifts into Moore’s journey into the film industry a trip to the movies left him wondering why films weren’t made for people that looked and talked like him in leading roles, or why films didn’t indulge in the gratuitous, often silly, elements of violence, sex, and nudity. This portion of the film is an absolute treat, displaying the difficulties, the ingenuities, and the early spirit of the independent filmmaking process. It’s completely fun and very humorous watching it all come together.

The cast is fantastic here. Eddie Murphy composes Moore with exuberance and bravado but also keeps clearly visible elements of sadness and desperation behind his eyes and between the tremble of the words he is speaking. It’s nuanced and quiet in small moments but also flashy and buoyant whenever the character Dolemite makes an entrance. Perhaps the standout from the film, alongside Murphy, belongs to Wesley Snipes who absolute nails the performance playing actor D’Urville Martin. Snipes steals every single scene that he is in. 

Director Craig Brewer rarely takes a break in the film, the pace is always fast moving. The melodrama that could sneak in never does, the forced romance and unnecessary conflicts that often take over biopics are pushed back in favor of letting the character of Dolemite chew scenery. While this keeps the film focused on entertainment value, it also keeps the film from delving deeper into the inherit drama associated with being a performer in Hollywood, let alone a black man trying to find his place in a world run by white men.   

Still “Dolemite is my Name” is a funny, heartfelt, and passionate ode to Rudy Ray Moore, the independent filmmaking process, and also the career of comedian Eddie Murphy who gives one the best performances of his career here.

Monte’s Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

Zombieland: Double Tap Review

Zombieland: Double Tap

Dir: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, and Zooey Deutch

It’s been a decade since “Zombieland” brought a humorous and horror-filled spin to the living dead mythology, crafting a film that would become a shining moment for the overabundant zombie subgenre of horror.

The film introduced a group of rag-tag survivors living in an apocalyptic world who form a makeshift family while battling hordes of zombies roaming throughout the U.S. Led by Tallahassee, a fantastic Woody Harrelson hamming it up with glee, and assisted by Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin, each with a city-specific name, “Zombieland” had enough gore, enough good laughs, and more than enough fun to execute a horror-comedy effectively.

It’s amazing that in today’s oversaturated, sequel-ready film world that “Zombieland: Double Tap” would take a decade to come to life. While it’s been 10 years in real life, with an Oscar win for Ms. Stone and some performance nominations for Harrelson and Eisenberg, the film doesn’t skip a beat in stepping right back into the zombie world with all the major players returning including some new friends tagging along for the fun.

Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are looking for a place to call home, after battling a group of zombies with all manner of weaponry they lay claim to an abandoned White House. While Columbus and Wichita work on their blossoming romantic relationship and Tallahassee seems content making modifications on his vehicle, Little Rock is having growing pains coming to terms with life in Zombieland.

“Zombieland: Double Tap” is trying to check all the boxes that helped turn the first film into a cult classic. While trying to bring the fun horror moments, which it does with slow-motion living dead carnage and improved super zombies with a particularly clever name, along with heaping amounts of humor, mostly bragging banter from Woody Harrelson and the scene-stealing role of Zooey Deutch playing a dimwitted survivor named Madison, this sequel does a good job of focusing on having as much fun as it possibly can.

While it does a good job of distracting for a quick 99-minute run time, the film lacks any cohesive sense of narrative direction; where the first film focused on the group dynamic and how one would survive in a world filled with flesh-eating zombies, this film becomes a road trip film that never really knows where it’s going. Even when it arrives at its eventual destination in the final act, the film doesn’t know how it got there or what to do to wrap everything up. Part of this is because of the lack of chemistry written for the characters and also because the film never seems to aim for these specific narrative results, this sequel feels wholly content trying to recreate everything that made fans love the original. While it entertains just enough, it doesn’t have the same memorable quality of the original film.

“Zombieland: Double Tap” may not have much direction but it brings back all the familiar humor and horror that made the original film such a hit. It also makes sure to add some welcome characters, like Rosario Dawson playing an Elvis loving fangirl named Nevada, and fresh gags, like a funny look at zombie deaths from around the world, to make it feel new even though it doesn’t really do anything new at all. 

Monte’s Rating

2.75 out of 5.00

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Review

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Dir: Joachim Rønning

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Warwick Davis, and Michelle Pfeiffer

A group of men are walking through a dark and mystical forest carrying lanterns. They are entering a forbidden territory in hopes of stealing something magical for the human world. Before these trespassing men can accomplish their goal, they are confronted through the shadows by a horned creature with fiery eyes, massive wings, and glowing green supernatural powers. 

While this may sound like a perfect premise for a spooky Halloween movie, this introduction, the scariest moment of this otherwise overly tame fairytale, belongs to Disney’s sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”. Angelina Jolie, returning as the re-envisioned villain who demonstrates more heart and sympathy than anger and vengeance, brings a calm yet intimidating demeanor to the iconic villain of the animated “Sleeping Beauty”. 

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) have been living a peaceful existence. Aurora is the ruler of an enchanted land, a forest-like domain where fairies fly with water droplets and fields of glowing dandelions grow in majesty. Aurora becomes engaged to Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) which disrupts the already complicated bound with Maleficent. The ensuing nuptials bring about the hope of peace between the human and fairy world, however, Queen Ingrith (Michelle Pfeiffer) has other devious plans in mind for Maleficent and Aurora. 

Director Joachim Rønning, who last helmed 2017’s “Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”, handles the difficult task of continuing the story, which seemingly didn’t need a sequel, of the Disney villainess. Though the cause for story continuation here is assisted by three extremely talented actors who are doing their absolute best to bring life to this familiar tale. 

The role of Maleficent seems tailored for Angelina Jolie, her grin is especially utilized with numerous emotions fluctuating throughout. Unfortunately, much of the character development in this film is a retread from themes from the first film, still, there are a few moments where Jolie is provided room to expand the character. Elle Fanning adds some much-needed character charm to the film with Aurora, the character becomes the vessel for peace between two worlds, the primary conflict of the film. Michelle Pfeiffer is a good choice to counter Jolie here, she plays evil with glee in almost every scene.

Unfortunately, all these great actors are stuck in a film without a strong narrative standpoint. While the film is aiming to display themes of accepting differences and embracing family in whatever form it may take, these components are often undercut by the need to adhere to the familiar fairytale, storybook steps. There are a few interesting moments involving the evolution of Maleficent, which allows the character to find the emotional conflict to bridge towards the finale. And whenever Maleficent is allowed to be vulnerable, which doesn’t happen enough, the film finds its stride in displaying its core theme of embracing difference and the dedication one has to family.  

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” has a great cast who are stuck within a story that never allows them to grow into anything different from everything we already know them as.  This doesn’t help the journey this sequel is trying to promote but instead makes it seem somewhat one-note which is unfortunate when you have such a unique character like Maleficent, played by a dedicated Angelina Jolie, holding the frame.

Monte’s Rating

2.25 out of 5.00

Joker Review

Joker

Dir: Todd Phillips

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, and Brett Cullen

The power of laughter is an amazing characteristic. Laughter composes so many emotions, happiness and sadness and everything in-between and beyond. Laughs are uniquely individual, sometimes they are contagious, other times they can be scary, and in some occasions, they can be forged. 

Joaquin Phoenix utilizes a maniacal, nervous, and ultimately tragic form of laughter to compose an unstable character, the DC supervillain “Joker”. Phoenix, in a completely amazing, transformative performance, is placed within a shallow, depressing, and somewhat pointless film that is aspiring for thoughtful insight on numerous subject matters but instead meanders into a place of emptiness. 

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonesome, damaged man working as a sign-waving clown, moonlighting as a stand-up comedian who keeps a journal of jokes, in the dingy, rough streets of Gotham City where desperate kids steal his sign and entitled men beat him up on the subway. Arthur is struggling in life, he is meeting with a psychologist and taking medication for his concerns, one of which is an uncontrollable laughing condition that signals some kind of substantial past trauma. Arthur lives and takes care of his ailing mother (Frances Conroy), who once worked for the storied Wayne family in Gotham, holds fond admiration for a late-night television show host (Robert De Niro), and has a crush on a girl (Zazie Beetz) who lives in his apartment complex. But Arthur is slowly breaking at the same time as Gotham City, leaving both man and city in a desperate place. 

“Joker” has a lot of narrative wheels spinning; ideas concerning the state of mental illness and the lack of assistance available for those dealing with difficulties, the social divide and inequality that pushes poor and rich characters in Gotham further away from any semblance of decency, and the victimization of people who don’t fit into the specific spaces defined by society. 

In the middle of all of the confusing contemplations and supposed insightfulness is one of the most famous comic villains of all time. And while comic book films have found ways to incorporate complex moral stories about characters struggling with their motivation or responsibility, “Joker” never seems to make a clear choice about what kind of character it wants to compose. 

Arthur is suffering, his nervous laugh seemingly teetering from complete sadness to utter contempt in moments, yet the moral struggle ends with the laugh. The world around Arthur is crumbling, the city of Gotham is at a boiling point, anarchy and chaos are imminent and Arthur’s personal emotional frustration and outbursts with and without clown makeup are exploited by the media which eventually points to him as some kind of poster child for Gotham’s frustration. It’s never completely identified because Arthur’s character is never composed to connect his disturbing actions to the turmoil found in the world he exists in. And even if the design of the story was to connect Joker’s origin as bred from chaos, to connect that Joker would exist in some way because society predicated the design, there isn’t enough in the narrative to make these ideas have the strength to become meaningful and astute. Instead, it feels lost, shallow, and misguided. 

Still, amidst the narrative issues, the film boasts a stunning performance from Joaquin Phoenix. The actor composes a character with physical actions that combine bodily contortions; the actor is frail and manipulates his face and body in rigid manners, while also embodying a delicateness, seen within graceful dance moments and gentle hand gestures that move with a fluid-like feel. Robert De Niro is also interesting here, poised in a position as a late-night talk show host that feels similar to Jerry Lewis’ role in Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy”, a film where De Niro played the role of an obsessed lurker. 

“Joker” unfortunately never has a target in mind, which ultimately makes all of the moves it takes predictable and somewhat derivative of other films that handle a similar subject matter. The film understands how to photograph a world in distress, how to compose a score that feels ominous and anxious, but it never provides the narrative material for the astonishing abilities of Joaquin Phoenix’s character, and impressive complicated laugh, to have the gravity and depth it craves. 

Monte’s Rating

2.75 out of 5.00

The Death of Dick Long Review

The Death of Dick Long

Dir: Daniel Scheinert

Starring: Michael Abbott Jr., Virginia Newcomb, Andre Hyland, Jess Weixler, and Sarah Baker

What’s the strangest, most ridiculous, completely bonkers situation that you have ever heard about or experienced? Were you told, “that would make a good movie”, after sharing these stories with others? Cinema has a way of taking the most outlandish stories, sometimes just an idea, and craft them into movies; think about “Howard the Duck”, “Eraserhead”, “Sharknado” as some of the outrageous films that have found their way into popularity and cult followings.

 “Swiss Army Man”, directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, is one of the newest entries into the wildly extreme, genre-bending catalog sometimes known as “WTF” films. “Swiss Army Man” is a surreal story about a homeless man, played by Paul Dano, stranded on an island who befriends a dead body, played by Daniel Radcliffe, with terrible flatulence in an attempt to get home. It’s an utterly strange concept that is surprisingly wholehearted even as it balances awkwardly between profound insights and profane gratuitous content. 

“The Death of Dick Long”, directed solely by Scheinert, is attempting to emulate in small ways the tone of “Swiss Army Man”. However, this film places greater emphasis on its darkly comic storyline and a provocative finale, a narrative twist that will remain unspoiled in this review though it should be noted that the result may not be for every film fan. The outcome of this challenging story is an uneven blend of ideas that feels like it was aiming for shock value, indulgence in an odd mystery of events, and a strange journey that complements more than a few laughs along the way. 

 A group of bandmates who enjoy partying and getting into weird situations have a terrible accident happen. Zeke (Michael Abbott Jr.) and Earl (Andre Hyland) don’t want anyone to know the mysterious circumstances that lead to the death of their friend Dick. But keeping secrets are not these two friends’ strongest assets and news travels fast in the small Alabama town that they live in. Before they can figure out what they are going to do about the death of Dick, everything begins to fall apart. 

Director Daniel Scheinert is an interesting director, the content that he is trying to connect in both of the feature films he has made are perplexing and bizarre and many times extreme in aspects of drama and comedy, that’s a complicated combination of themes to fine-tune within a narrative. While the setup for “The Death of Dick Long” is quite entertaining and humorous, much of the cohesion of narrative themes and establishment of tone disappears as the film moves from idea to idea throughout the remainder of the film. The humor is present throughout the film, with a mixture of punchlines that have hit or miss results and performances from the lead cast that is actually very good. Still, the film still struggles to flesh out the characters in more meaningful ways and find the proper balance of the shenanigans that eventually lead to the final reveal which is trying to be more than just simple shocking material. 

“The Death of Dick Long” has moments that are quite interesting, offering humor and drama that is trying to lead to insightful and thought-provoking moments. Unfortunately, the strange and uneven pacing of the film and lack of depth with the characters ultimately hurts the extreme reveal it is setting itself up for.

Monte’s Rating

2.25 out of 5.00