Author: BRWC

Amsterdam: The BRWC Review. By jake Peffer.

David O. Russell has had a pretty solid track record over the years. The last four movies he’s directed have all been nominated for Oscars and while he has never been nominated for one himself he has still become one of the more competent directors over the years. He generally likes to work with big casts and an array of A-list actors to shotgun his movies. Amsterdam is his latest directed movie and boasts what is easily his biggest cast yet. While ambitious with its intentions, Amsterdam is unfortunately one of the most disappointing movies of the year.

In Amsterdam, we follow three friends; Burt (Christian Bale), Valerie (Margot Robbie) and Harold (John David Washington) as they get involved in one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Burt and Harold witness a murder and are framed for the killing of a young woman. They link up with Valerie and her brother Tom (Rami Malek) who gives them the advice to speak with General Gil Dillenbeck (Robert De Niro), a former general who worked with Burt and Harold’s commanding officer in the army. The team tries to use Gil to help them clear their name and discover who is trying to set them up for the murder.

There is a lot to take in with Amsterdam and that is one of its biggest shortcomings. The movie tries to do so much that it ends up executing very little and eventually gets to a point where it can’t redeem itself any further. With such a big cast and so many characters there just isn’t enough time to give to everyone. Outside of the three leads everyone else in the cast is underused, some more than others, and the story spends so much time bouncing between everyone whether they add much to the story or not. This has always been a problem with star studded casts in that you have so many recognizable faces to bring in the audience but then you can’t do enough with everyone involved that it all just feels poorly put together.

Russell tries to do what he can with the movie but his style of direction doesn’t seem to work with this story. He makes some odd choices throughout and a lot of scenes come off rather jarring as they don’t feel like they fit with other scenes. The tone is all over the place with some scenes coming off silly then when a serious scene comes along it just doesn’t work because you don’t know if it’s supposed to be funny or not. There is nothing to really grab onto to make you care and with the terrible pacing it takes forever to get to the big reveal at the end and by that point the story has become so uninteresting that you just don’t care anymore.

While the cast is large and not everyone gets too many moments to shine, the actors themselves all do put in good performances. Getting the bulk of the work are the three leads in Bale, Robbie and Washington. All three of them are great here and they do have quite a bit of chemistry with one another that at least gives you a little something to enjoy. Outside of them everyone else in the cast does what they can but not enough time is given to any of them to really make you care. There are some humorous bits with Mike Myers and Michael Shannon, Rami Malek puts in a solid performance and Robert De Niro brings a lot to his character, despite not getting a lot of screen time. The actors getting the short end of the stick are Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Timothy Olyphant and Taylor Swift. Swift however, is involved in one of the most unintentionally funny scenes in cinema in quite some time.

Amsterdam has good intentions but can’t overcome a lacking storyline, odd choices in direction and a cast of too many characters. It has its moments here and there but with a run time that is over two hours there are not enough of them to make this worthwhile. This has Oscar-bait written all over it but will go down as one of the biggest letdowns of 2022.

Bros: Review. By Jake Peffer.

Bros follows Bobby (Billy Eichner), a single guy who runs his own podcast and is in the process of opening the first LGBTQ+ history museum. Bobby has always been more into his work than relationships, so he mostly uses dating apps to hook up rather than commit to any relationships. While at a club one night he meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a guy who is not normally his type but there’s something about him that interests Bobby.

Aaron also has never committed to a relationship before either and mostly just hooks up as well. Both guys are complete opposites but share some similar beliefs that make them very compatible. Despite never committing to relationships in the past Bobby and Aaron decide to give it a try but both have reservations about doing so.

As far as romantic comedies go Bros does a great job at giving audiences something different. This is one of, if not the first mainstream rom-com to feature two male leads. Billy Eichner and director Nicholas Stoller helm the script here and they put together a rather clever and heartfelt look into the relationship of two gay men. The movie does a great job at giving the LGBTQ+ community a time to shine but it’s not afraid to also poke fun at the community as well. One of the best aspects is how self-aware the world is and the filmmakers don’t shy away from showing the audience plenty that they probably haven’t seen before in a mainstream romantic comedy.

Director Nicholas Stoller has had a great track record over the years of solid comedies. This is his best film since his first which was the fantastic Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He gets a lot of genuine laugh out loud moments from his cast and the script from him and Eichner is written so well you can’t help but enjoy it from start to finish.

Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane are great together as Bobby and Aaron. Their chemistry is what carries the film and they both carry it with plenty of charisma. They manage to keep the laughs coming as this is filled with nonstop jokes throughout.

There really isn’t much you could say about this that’s negative. It may be a tad too long and gets a little slow in the middle. However, despite those minor gripes this is well worth seeking out. Bros is one of, if not the funniest movie of the year. Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane are great together. The supporting cast around them is fantastic as well, including some great cameos. Nicholas Stoller’s direction and the script he put together with Eichner is one of the best in years.

Burros: Review. By Jake Peffer.

Burros tells the story of a young indigenous girl named Elsa, who lives in southern Arizona, 20 miles away from the Mexican border. While her father heads out to work for the border patrol she stumbles upon another young girl who has been separated from her own father. Turns out this girl is a Hispanic migrant whose father and rest of their group was caught after crossing over the border. Elsa is excited as her and the girl become fast friends but it’s something that unfortunately may not be possible to last.

I haven’t seen too many short films in my day but after watching Burros I may need to seek more of them out. It’s amazing in a film that’s less than fifteen minutes long the director, Jefferson Stein, can put so much depth into this story. Within five minutes you can easily connect with the character Elsa and watch her story progress and hope that things work out in her favor. Stein is able to show the innocence in these young girls and portray how they don’t see the big picture going on outside of their own little world. These two young girls who play Elsa and Ena are amazing actresses. To be so young and have such natural talent is nothing short of amazing.

This is an insightful look into the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the Mexican-U.S. border. When we get to the end and Elsa’s father must turn in her new friend because she came into the country illegally is so heartbreaking. Seeing the look in her eyes the following morning when she realizes she won’t be able to see her new friend anymore just hits you in the gut. Burros displays a lot in a short amount of time but it is extremely insightful and an eye opening look into a difficult situation.

Barbarian: Review. By Jake Peffer.

A young woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) rents out an Airbnb just outside of Detroit while she’s in town for an interview. When she arrives, there is already someone staying there, a man named Keith (Bill Skarsgard). Turns out they both have the house reserved for the same dates through different websites. Keith decides to let Tess stay so they can figure out their situation the next day. While Tess is hesitant at first, she decides to stay. During their stay Tess and Keith soon discover that the house may not be what it seems as there is a secret lurking that will soon make its presence known.

2022 has been a great year for horror movies thus far. With great movies such as X, The Black Phone and Nope, Barbarian joins that list and is the most unpredictable of the bunch. Director/writer Zach Cregger has crafted one wild ride. This is a movie that hits so many different beats as not only is it truly frightening, but it adds some much-needed humor and even small touches of romance. It is best to see this without knowing too much as the story being so unpredictable is one of the best aspects. You really have no idea where it’s going to go and then when you think you’ve got it figured out it decides to throw in the kitchen sink just to make you even more unaware of what’s to come.

While there is a nice slow build up in the early going, once things hit the fan it doesn’t let up until the end. There are some jump scares here and there but thankfully this isn’t completely reliant on them and is able to build a great atmosphere with a terrifying villain. The cast here, despite not having very many characters, is all top notch. Between the three main leads we get some great performances. Bill Skarsgard gives one his most reserved roles, he comes off charming but always feels like there may be more to him than he shows. Justin Long plays a crucial role and he plays a character that we don’t normally see from him, but he knocks his performance out of the park. Both the male leads are great, but this would be nothing without Georgina Campbell as the main protagonist. She carries this movie like a pro and is able to give one of the best performances in horror movie we’ve seen this year.

There are a few tonal shifts that are a bit jarring, but they don’t completely derail the movie. This is one of the few instances where the movie could have benefitted from being longer. At one point a character is introduced, and we get a little backstory on them, however it would have been nice to have that fleshed out more. It felt like they were setting up more of the backstory and then they just kind of drop it. Had they added another 10-15 minutes they could have added more depth to the backstory, and it would have made it that much better. Despite that it all still works, and it is entertaining as hell.

Barbarian is one insanely crazy ride. You never know what to expect next and the turns just keep on coming. It’s tense, frightening and surprisingly funny. See this with a packed theater or with a group of friends to get the best experience. If you are a fan of movies that are out there and like to push the envelope you will have a ball with Barbarian.

Purple Hearts: Review. By Jake Peffer.

Purple Hearts follows Cassie (Sofia Carson), an up-and-coming singer/song writer who is also struggling with diabetes. It’s getting to the point where her insurance won’t cover her medication anymore and she can’t afford it on her own. While at her day job at a local bar she runs into an old friend who is there with his Marine friends. She instantly has an issue with one of the friends named Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), who is also struggling with his own problems.

He’s a recovering drug addict and is in debt with his old dealer for a large amount of money. Despite being on opposite sides of the political spectrum and not getting along in any way, shape or form they come to an agreement where they will get married so they can take advantage of the healthcare for Cassie’s medication and Luke will make more money so he can pay off his debt. All seems well enough until a tragedy interrupts their lives.

Over the last few years Netflix has put a lot of time into producing a plethora or romantic comedies and romantic dramas. The biggest problem is they are churning these out what feels like a couple times a month and they all are either rushed or are so by the numbers that it’s hard to tell them apart. Purple Hearts, unfortunately, is no different and falls into the category of a low-grade romantic drama. This is the perfect example of a movie just not being able to execute on anything. Every scene feels hollow and there are hardly any moments that feel earned. It tries to pull at your heart strings in just about every scene and by the end of this two hour and two-minute movie it is more than tiresome.

When you’re putting together a romantic movie it helps when you have leads that at the very least have good chemistry together. There is no chemistry to be found anywhere. Both Sofia Carson and Nicholas Galitzine are flat in their performances, and not once do they ever give off a feeling where you would think they could end up together. The movie itself even sets up their personalities where they dislike each other so much that there is nothing that would ever make them turn around and start liking one another. Throw in some pacing issues and this feeling like it is a lot longer than its two-hour run time and you’ve got all the makings of a poorly put together movie.

The few positives the movie does have are too few and far between. Linden Ashby who plays Luke’s father gives unquestionably the best performance in the movie. He’s not in it enough but when he is there is at least a stronger acting presence. Also Chosen Jacobs who plays Cassie’s old friend gives a solid performance as well adding some charisma that the two leads are sorely missing. There are some decent musical performances from Cassie and her band that add a little something here and there. It would have been nice to see more of that energy in Sofia Carson’s performance but sadly we do not.

All in all, Purple Hearts is a weak attempt at showcasing two individuals setting aside their differences to come together to better their lives. While the story is an interesting idea the movie is brought down by the lack of chemistry between the two leads. The performances, with the exceptions of Ashby and Jacobs, are all lackluster and the movie never feels genuine in any way.