film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Matt Conway

  • Evil Dead Rise: The BRWC Review

    Evil Dead Rise: The BRWC Review

    Evil Dead Rise Synopsis: A reunion between two estranged sisters gets cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

    When a malignant evil spirit possesses her sister, Beth finds herself in a blook-soaked battle to save her relatives in Evil Dead Rise. 

    The Evil Dead brand is synonymous with unhinged carnage in the horror sphere. Call it a significant blindspot, but I have little history with the Evil Dead franchise. My only experience is from watching the promising yet aggressively forgettable 2013 remake, so I felt a passive “this looks decent” after seeing the trailer for Rises over the past few months (I swear the trailer played before every movie I saw, haunting me like whatever evil demon is lurking onscreen in the franchise).

    Thankfully, my skepticism melted away while watching Evil Dead Rise. Writer/director Lee Cronin shifts the franchise into the modern age with confident and technically composed results. He crafts a pulse-pounding thrill ride – a full-throttle nightmare that never lets up on its gory mayhem.

    Rise should serve as a welcomed breakout for Cronin. The visionary behind 2019’s underrated The Hole in the Ground shows no fear in embracing the twisted roots of the Evil Dead franchise. From the opening frame onward, Cronin and Cinematographer Dave Garbett imbue a raw kineticism into the film’s vibrant visual profile that consistently enhances the material. 

    Dynamic camera movements dart around the screen with technical aplomb, while oceans of blood and gnarly practical effects conjure a horrific vision of the dead consuming its environment. The sleazy low-rent apartment building setting is also a nice touch, adding to the oppressive visual nastiness onscreen. I appreciate seeing a mainstream horror film embrace its gratuitous edge, never letting up on frightful ways to dig under viewers’ skin. The misanthropic bite of Cronin’s work truly lives up to the Evil Dead moniker. 

    In the narrative department, Rise is efficient enough. Cronin’s screenplay borrows from a bevy of horror influences in depicting a woman coming of age amidst harrowing circumstances. Still, the plotline works as a compelling yarn fitting to the film’s breakneck 96-minute runtime. Cronin shows an adept ability to tell his story efficiently, trimming any narrative fat but still personifying his characters and world with a skilled touch. In addition, star Lilly Sullivan impressively carries the film on her shoulders as confident scream queen Beth. Pease leads an assured cast, which includes dynamic young performances from Richard Crouchley, Nell Fisher, and Gabrielle Echols. 

    Evil Dead Rises comes to life as a nonstop horror locomotive. Cronin and his creative team deliver a fittingly relentless experience that unearths macabre moments with infectious glee. Perhaps the best compliment I can give the film, it left me hungry for more from the franchise. 

    Evil Dead Rises is now playing in theaters. 

  • Peter Pan And Wendy: The BRWC Review

    Peter Pan And Wendy: The BRWC Review

    The misadventures of Peter Pan, Wendy, and the motley Lost Boys receive a modern redux in Peter Pan and Wendy.

    Another day passes; another Disney remake emerges from the cracks. The House of Mouse continues to undergo an onslaught of live-action modernizations from its lionized library of beloved classics. Sure, this trend has produced a few worthwhile features (Pete’s Dragon and A Jungle Book), but the overall body of work continues to underwhelm. Middling live-action make-overs like The Lion King, Mulan, Dumbo, and Lady and the Tramp represent a nadir in quality and imagination for the studio. Most of these features inject little life into their well-worn stories, simply relying on the animation-to-live-action gimmick as a shoddy cash grab rather than reimaging what the originals stood for.

    Compared to most Disney remakes, I harbored some hope for Peter Pan and Wendy. Arthouse director David Lowery achieved an exceptional feat in transforming one of the studio’s lesser fantasy tales, Pete’s Dragon, into a humanistic story bursting with moving sentiments. The story of Peter Pan also boasts inherently more sophistication than its peers, reckoning with the trials and tribulations of adolescents in a profoundly timeless manner that can resonate through all age ranges.

    Unfortunately, while there are good intentions to celebrate, Peter Pan and Wendy never masks the redundancy of Disney’s remake formula.

    To Lowery’s credit, there are glimmers of promise here. He and co-screenwriter Toby Halbrooks make a few subtle plotting alterations that open the door for some contemplative new additions. I particularly enjoyed the duo’s reinterpretation of Peter Pan and Captain Hook. The duo’s age-old feud fuels both in embracing preordained roles as heroes and villains, but in actuality, their endless cycle of violent escapades morphs both into bad-faith figures who aggressively act out instead of grappling with their problems. I do believe Lowery and Halbrooks boasted a spirited vision for this adaptation, trying to reinvigorate the story’s roots by enhancing the human dynamics buried within the fantastical narrative.

    If only the creative team’s noble ideas could seize the spotlight. Peter Pan and Wendy often finds itself jockeying between two identities. There is a version of the film that attempts to recontextualize the story’s ancient mythos in a new introspective light. However, those ambitions ultimately suffocate from an overwhelming need to create a safe and easily-digestible product for the masses.

    As a result, much of the narrative adopts a lazy, self-satisfied embrace of running through the motions, sidelining its more nuanced ideas in favor of a pleasant yet rudimentary yarn. Even some of Lowery’s more distinctive flourishes behind the camera, like the film’s washed-out color pallet and embrace of real-world vistas, struggle to make an impact against the murky conformity of Disney remake’s bland visual profile.

    The ensemble of skilled performers, including young stars Alexander Molany and Ever Anderson and veteran stalwart Jude Law, help bring some agency to the proceedings. Still, the lack of meaningful textures for these characters leaves the group with little to build upon in their performances. The lack of follow-through is even more frustrating when considering Peter Pan’s lore has already received several remakes that landed far more inspiring results (Benh Zeitlin’s criminally underrated Wendy came out just a few years ago).

    Peter Pan and Wendy represents another competent yet largely unsatisfying remake from Disney. Here is to hoping that Disney eventually quits this tedious remake trend!

    Peter Pan and Wendy is now playing on Disney+.

  • Mafia Mamma: The BRWC Review

    Mafia Mamma: The BRWC Review

    Mafia Mamma Synopsis: Kristen (Toni Collette), a mild-mannered suburban mom, unexpectedly inherits her late grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy. Guided by the firm’s trusted consigliere, she hilariously defies everyone’s expectations as she finds herself stuck in the middle of a deadly mob war.

    Stuck in a midlife crisis, suburban mom Kristen ventures to her grandfather’s funeral in Italy only to discover she’s inherited a fearsome mafia operation in Mafia Mamma. 

    The murdering menace and fascinating familial ties of mobster life are time-honored cinematic staples. I am sure everyone can conjure up vivid pictures of Francis Ford Coppola’s prestigious classic The Godfather or one of Martin Scorssese’s many electric offerings when asked about mafia films. At its best, the genre provokes thought-provoking rise-and-fall stories that capture humanity’s pursuit of the American Dream in its most depraved state. 

    Mafia Mamma offers an intriguing remix in the mafioso wheelhouse. Director Catherine Hardwick and her creative team twist the commonplace rules of mob films in a spirited farce driven by an unlikely presence in the genre – a loving mother searching for her identity after years of belittlement from her ditsy husband and toxic workplace. 

    While most critics have cried foul (the film is hovering around the low 20% range on Rotten Tomatoes), I found Mafia Mamma to be a refreshing pallet cleanser in its humorous pursuits. The film personifies a vibrant voice and deceptively incisive ambitions in a crowd-pleaser bursting with creative gusto. 

    Hardwick and her screenwriting team make the most out of their alluring premise. The cultural clash between Kristen’s earnestly loving persona and the rigid mafia principles forms an excellent foundation for hijinks to ensue. Mafia Mamma mines significant comedic mileage out of this juxtaposition, whether Kristen is bumbling her way through an assassination attempt or presenting homemade muffins at a meeting with a rival organization. The film frequently displays awareness of its mobster movie influences, often finding ingenious avenues for parodying indelible moments from the genre’s godfathers. I also appreciated the vulgar R-rating approach here. With so many movies catering to middle-aged women with bland pleasantness, it is a joy to watch a film emboldened by its onslaught of swearing, violence, and promiscuity. 

    Mafia Mama’s pursuit of laughs is not entirely mindless. Hardwick harbors deep roots as an astute feminist filmmaker with projects like Thirteen, Miss You Already, and the first Twilight under her belt. With Mafia Mama, she imbues a similar sense of empowerment and understanding in Kristen. The character’s pursuit of an identity outside of her fractured family and workplace dynamics receives more meaningful textures onscreen than one would expect as she reforms the mob to fit her aspirations (she switches the mob operation’s focus to selling exorbitantly-priced pharmaceuticals at a discount rate). A lesser project would undoubtedly morph Kristen into a cartoonish caricature of a mom, but Hardwick and the screenwriting team always steer the role toward authentic truths. I am glad the creative team sees the merit in having Kristen become a commanding force in the male-dominant mobster landscape.  

    The true secret to Mafia Mamma’s charming alchemy is star Toni Collette. Following her haunting work in 2018s’ Hereditary, Collette is finally receiving recognition as a captivating lead after years of working as a stalwart supporting player. She commands the screen with effortless ease as Kristen, displaying a vivacious comedic spark that consistently elevates the material. From supplying sharp one-liners to unearthing the character’s subdued angst, Collette showcases effervescent movie star magic in ways few actors can replicate. 

    Still, I can see the warts that many have taken issue with in Mafia Mamma. The film is technically wonky, often featuring cliche Italian music and janky edits as awkward glue for holding the narrative together. It also struggles at times to nail its high-wire tonal balance. Hardwicke’s banal visuals frequently clash with the material’s bold flourishes of violence and comedy, lacking the distinctive style necessary to exert exacting command over the material. 

    Mafia Mamma does not perfect its unique approach, but its spirited attempts are worth celebrating. The film cultivates a consistently compelling comedic experience bolstered by one of the industry’s best talents. 

    Mafia Mamma is now playing in theaters. 

  • Somewhere In Queens: The BRWC Review

    Somewhere In Queens: The BRWC Review

    Somewhere in Queens Synopsis: Leo (Ray Ramano) and Angela Russo (Laurie Metcalf) live a blue-collar life, surrounded by the big personalities of their overbearing Italian-American family. When their son’s chance at a life-changing basketball scholarship is jeopardized, Leo risks everything to help him, but may tear the family apart trying to make it happen.

    Italian-American parents Leo and Angela face the unavoidable reality of their son graduating high school in Somewhere in Queens.

    Most actors embarking on their directorial debut gravitate towards material that harbors personal resonance. That is certainly the case for Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano with Somewhere in Queens. The Queens, New York native utilizes his history in the area and parental experiences as a guiding light for a coming-of-age parable grounded in equal parts humor and heart. 

    At first glance, what may appear as a routine narrative comes to life in invigorating ways with Somewhere in Queens. Ramano guides a sincere exploration of coming-of-age milieu that lands several moving tugs at the heartstrings. 

    Several of Ramano’s charms as a performer radiate through his assured writing and directorial efforts. Ramano and co-screenwriter Mark Stegemann excel at cultivating a conversational approach. The duo’s sharp wit and eye for authentic character dynamics imbue significant vitality into the film’s somewhat commonplace plot dynamics. Whether it’s intimate disclosures between Leo and Angela or bustling dinner scenes bolstered by a slew of colorful personalities, Somewhere in Queens never lands a false note. 

    As a director, Ramano displays veteran poise with his first big-screen project. He forgoes flashy tricks and maudlin swings at soliciting crowdpleasing emotion, instead trusting his material enough to let it speak on its own accord. There is a refreshing gentleness to Somewhere in Queens that really engaged me; the film never hits audiences over the head in what it wants to say about its ensemble of intriguing characters. Moreover, Ramano maintains a firm yet subdued control over the camera that fits the grounded tone like a glove. This approach draws thoughtful ruminations on the complicated push-and-pull of parental guidance, the overbearing dread of mid-life crises, and the lines of misunderstanding between parent and child. 

    Not all of these elements cohere perfectly onscreen. The screenplay bites off more than it can chew at times, leaving certain subplots feeling undefined in the process. However, the talented ensemble cast helps mask the gaps. Ramano’s clumsy charisma is tailor-made as a bumbling father trying to help his son despite good intentions. Laurie Metcalf is a dramatic force of nature in capturing Angela’s insular struggles, while Jacob Ward, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Tony Lo Bianco infuse life into their roles as members of the dysfunctional family. 

    Coming-of-age stories are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, but Somewhere in Queens settles in its own effective burrow. It’s an affectionate slice-of-life tale made with love by Romano and his talented team.

    Somewhere in Queens is now playing in theaters. 

  • Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant: The BRWC Review

    Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant: The BRWC Review

    Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Synopsis: After an ambush, Afghan interpreter Ahmed goes to great lengths to save US Army Sergeant John Kinley’s life. When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down.

    A United States staff sergeant and Afghan interpreter form an unbreakable bond forged in the fires of war in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. 

    Narratives centered on the trials and tribulations stemming from war-torn conditions are commonplace in Hollywood, with several focused on military conflicts set in our modern zeitgeist. The nearly two decades of bullets and bloodshed that followed the 9/11 terrorist attack is an unavoidable topic of conversation for several filmmakers. Some creatives have utilized the harrowing subject matter to conjure thoughtful depictions of war and its lingering ramifications (Jarhead and Zero Dark Thirty), while others painted bland and jingoistic efforts that offered sparse substance (12 Strong). I’d argue that war films are the most challenging cinematic feats to execute. Even the sincerest of intentions can turn sideways if a film lacks the sophistication and tact needed to honor its subjects’ valiant sacrifices. 

    With The Covenant, slick cockney auteur Guy Ritchie shies away from his crime caper trademark by tackling his most sobering subject matter to date. The results, while admittedly uneven, define a respectful and occasionally stirring portrait of two unlikely partners pledged to a timeless warrior code. 

    To The Covenant’s credit, the central relationship between Staff Sergent John Kinney and Afghan interpreter Ahmed is not the simplest of dynamics. Kinney appears at first as an amalgam of various other military leaders – hard-nosed, pragmatic, and boasting a single-minded vision for completing his mission. The arrival of Ahmed serves as just another cog in his operation, although Kinney is not the most trusting of what his interpreter can bring to the table. 

    Screenwriters Ritchie, Marn Davis and Ivan Atkinson intelligently lean into the cultural divide buried within the characters’ relationship. Years of battle have created jaded blinders for Kinney, which leads to the sergeant dismissively talking down to Ahmed during their first encounters and showcasing deep distrust for his intentions. The screenplay is perceptive to paint Kinney’s viewpoint not as outward racism, but rather as a deeply-seated condition stemming from decades of bad-faith propaganda and callous military directives. 

    Ritchie and Cinematographer Ed Wild further extenuate this tension with ingenious framing choices, like capturing early conversations from mirrors and other reflective surfaces rather than establishing eye-to-eye contact. Yet, despite the animosity, Ahmed remains accepting of these conditions solely because it represents his only chance to create a new life for his family. 

    Once the duo is tested on the battlefield, the lines of politicization and cultural divide quickly fade away. Ahmed and Kinney take turns risking their lives by embarking on quests to save one another, forming an understated yet encompassing pact that loudly rings with emotional truth. Stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim work brilliantly in tandem to depict this dynamic. Both exude conviction and gravitas while effectively tapping into the insular nuances of their characters. Several heart-wrenching dramatic scenes here rely solely on the actors’ ability to conjure meaningful sentiments without utilizing much in terms of dialogue or traditional character-building. 

    I also give Ritchie credit for tempering his verbose style to fit within the confines of Covenant’s approach. His work behind the camera is consistently poised, digging into the rugged trenches of the Afghanistan landscape with an eye for authenticity. The lack of Hollywoodized visual touches is critical in ensuring the film’s dramatic tone. For instance, action setpieces are usually Ritchie’s playground for deploying creative camera techniques, but the lack of flourishes here keeps the agency and dramatic integrity of the impactful violence intact. 

    For all of The Covenant’s strengths, the film eventually settles for being a sturdy yet unremarkable reflection on war’s personal costs. After an engaging first third that focuses exclusively on the characters and their baggage, the film begins to stumble due to its embrace of straightforward thrills. Ritchie and his screenwriting team gradually lose their thematic throughline as the final hour spends most of its time racing from one noisy setpiece to the next. A helping of typical war movie fixtures, such as sanctimonious speeches and heavy-handed score, also fall within generic lines for the genre.

    Still, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant resonates with an emphatic punch in its earnest depiction of two soldiers clinging onto each other amidst seemingly insurmountable obstacles. 

    Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant opens in theaters on April 21.