film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Matt Conway

  • Together Together: The BRWC Review

    Together Together: The BRWC Review

    Together Together Synopsis: When young loner Anna (Patti Harrison) is hired as the gestational surrogate for Matt (Ed Helms), a single man in his 40s who wants a child, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will quickly challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.

    Fresh off its Sundance 2021 debut, Together Together finds writer/director Nikole Beckwith engaging with romantic comedy conventions in her own naturalistic light. In a genre typically defined by artificially bound dynamics, Beckwith slyly morphs her material into a gentle celebration of friendship, self-acceptance, and the unlikely bonds between kindred spirits.

    It may not appear glaringly obvious based on marketing materials, but Beckwith’s authentic effort subversively delineates from audiences’ hard-wired expectations. The director’s toned-down visual profile and a myriad of playful diatribes (a certain bit involving the broken expectations defined by Woody Allen movies feels like a much-needed call to action) skillfully set the tone for a welcomed change-of-pace for the genre. That’s not to say Beckwith holds romantic comedies in a place of contempt, as her film manages to rework familiar beats while maintaining the genre’s open-hearted embrace for human connection (her film is also a welcomed view at the surrogate a process, which is typically defined in Hollywood by tired stereotypes).

    Together Together’s low-key appeals are perfectly suited for its central duo. Ed Helms is synonymous with playing energetic, overly-earnest dweebs that are seemingly drawn up from a wave of Hollywood contrivances. Here, Helms dials down those overworked tendencies to portray Matt in a genuine light. The Hangover star keeps his playful comedic energy intact while highlighting the character’s appeals as a kind-hearted loner looking to start a family on his own terms.

    For Patti Harrison, her role as Anna should serve as one of the year’s breakout performances. Harrison’s acerbic wit and affectionate glow define Anna as a charming self-starter who’s trying to find her own place in the world. Helms and Harrison are a delight to watch together on screen, with the duo slow-cooking the pair’s initial awkwardness into a meaningful dynamic defined by care and positive intentions. Their authentic friendship stands as a slight yet welcomed reminder of friendship’s sacrifices and challenges.

    Together Together is a delight from jump street, although the film doesn’t completely reinvigorate rom-com’s inherent cutesiness. Beckwith relies too heavily on montages to drive her narrative forward, often leaving important bits of character development offscreen in favor of whisking the audience forward. As a 90-minute piece of entertainment, Beckwith’s film consistently works, but I can’t help wishing the characters and subject matter were met with a bit more nuance.

    Minor quibbles aside, Together Together is a welcomed surprise. Beckwith’s adoring story of friendship deserves recognition as one of the year’s first feel-good crowdpleasers.

    Opening in theaters on April 23rd.

  • Saw: Old-School Review

    Saw: Old-School Review

    Saw Synopsis: Two strangers (Leigh Whannell and Cary Elwes) awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they’re pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.

    Nearly two decades after its Sundance premiere, Saw is a fascinating beast to revisit. Taking away the context of the dopey, mega-slasher franchise this novel horror hit generated, director James Wan’s breakout film stands as a clever grunge reimagining of 90’s thrillers twisty formula. 

    Wan and co-writer/star Leigh Whannell have certainly endured a myriad of likewise comparisons, but it’s the duo’s sincere understanding of successful predecessors that make Saw’s twisted narrative shine. Even at the start of his career, Wan exhibits remarkable poise as an auteur. His refined storytelling steadily develops the detective procedural narrative while developing atmospheric horror through mystifying unease. Years after experiencing the shocking final frames, further rewatches still allow me to appreciate the dense developments implemented into every frame. 

    It’s a joy to see Wan’s patient sensibility blend with a melody of frentically visceral flourishes. Each glass-breaking jump-cut and dizzying edit help establish the material’s grizzly identity, with Wan unknowingly laying the blueprint that the more verbose sequels followed upon. The twisted gore may seem tame compared to the sequels, but Wan’s restraint allows his setpieces to generate grander surprises. Wan consistently morphs his dingey assets into an alluring aesthetic, with his impressive ingenuity allowing low-budget assets to become a strength. 

    Saw remains a beloved staple even through its poorly-aged imperfections. The seldom frames of character development remain fairly stiff, as each dulled piece of exposition detracts from the mystery’s intoxicating dread. Neither Whannell nor Cary Elwes has much to work with despite their noticeable dedication, while series stalwart Tobin Bell seldomly appears in his series debut. I can’t lie, part of me can’t help but miss the outrageous gore behind the follow-up’s low-rent design. 

    Still, Wan’s first (and only) outing remains the franchise’s peak form of genre entertainment. It’s easy to see how Wan and Whannell grew into esteemed filmmakers from their impressive debut outing.

    Ahead of the release of Spiral, I will be watching and reviewing every entry of the Saw franchise. Stay tuned over the upcoming weeks for my thoughts on the numerous sequels.

  • The Marijuana Conspiracy: Review

    The Marijuana Conspiracy: Review

    The Marijuana Conspiracy Synopsis: In 1972, five young women (Brittany Bristow, Morgan Kohan, Julia Sarah Stone, Tymika Tafari, and Kyla Avril Young) become part of a radical experiment that studies the effects of marijuana on females. Despite the agendas of the government, they use their unique strengths and friendship to overcome adversity.

    The Marijuana Conspiracy attempts to unearth a fascinating dissection of 70’s culture, a period where inequitable parties began voicing their spirited independence from the US’ oppressive conformity. Writer/director Craig Pryce certainly has his hands on fascinating subject matter, but most audiences won’t be able to pick that up from the cookie-cutter execution. For a film vying towards substantive goals, The Marijuana Conspiracy plays out like a tired after-school special.

    The young cast deserves much of the praise for holding the material together. A luminous quintet of young actors gives each wistful participant much-needed agency and emotionality. Tafari and Sarah Stone are standouts as two of the group’s most vulnerable members while the other supporting players do an able job propping up their roles as smarmy advisors.

    Pryce, who’s known as a director-for-hire fixture on the Hallmark scene, imbues the noblest of intentions in his adaptation. His screenplay gives each of the quintet time to breathe onscreen, intelligently connecting their well-versed backgrounds into a myriad of zeitgeist quandaries (racism, sexism, and homophobia play a crucial role in the character’s involvement). One could see how these sentiments connect into our modern times considering the inequity and overt drug criminalization lingering today

    Good intentions don’t exactly generate a good movie, with The Marijuana Conspiracy standing as a familiar example of ambitions outstretching a filmmaker’s reach. Pryce seems over his head with the material’s weightier conceits, relying upon overworked dialogue exchanges and saccharine score choices to summarize his central points. The lack of general artistry minimizes what Pryce is trying to say with his characters and their burdens. Hokey, sitcom-esque visuals never allow audiences to invest too deeply into the film’s melody of intimate frames.

    I don’t know if The Marijuana Conspiracy knows exactly what it wants to be. Pryce centers on the story’s female camaraderie over the nefarious backstory behind the experiment’s origins, a decision that robs the narrative of its unique perspective and edge. The film’s favoring of coming-of-age contrivances doesn’t help the ensemble approach either. Pryce’s heavy-handed character building never matches the cast’s bright talents.

    Stoners are sure to search for engaging content on 4/20, but The Marijuana Conspiracy‘s so-so delivery lands like a haze of foreboding familiarity.

    Samuel Goldwyn Films will release THE MARIJUANA CONSPIRACY On Demand and Digital on April 20, 2021.

  • Vanquish: Review

    Vanquish: Review

    Vanquish Synopsis: A mother, Victoria (Ruby Rose), is trying to put her dark past as a Russian drug courier behind her, but retired cop Damon (Morgan Freeman) forces Victoria to do his bidding by holding her daughter hostage.

    With the shoot’em up genre featuring fewer action stars than previous eras (The Rock and Jason Statham have moved on to big-scale blockbusters), Ruby Rose’s indoctrination as an action heroine has been refreshing to see. Supporting roles in John Wick 2 and xXx: Return of Xander Cage have propped the talented actor to starring roles, although most of her early vehicles have sunk under her sharp-edge abilities (last year’s The Doorman was a snooze fest).

    Now, Rose is gracing the big-screen alongside Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman in the twisting action/thriller Vanquish. Despite the noticeable pedigree on display, director George Gallo’s film rarely conveys the taunt bloodshed synonymous with the genre.

    Gallo, an unsung veteran of the genre (conceived the Bad Boys franchise and wrote Midnight Run), possesses some stylistic juice behind the screen. A myriad of inventive shot selections and atmospheric lighting draws colorful imagery despite the film’s technical inconsistencies. From dingey greens to glowing club-scented hues, Gallo sets a vibrant playground for bullets to ensue while allowing his actors to take center stage. Morgan Freeman’s signature gravitas and Ruby Rose’s steely delivery are far better than what material gives them.

    While mildly engaging, Vanquish rarely excels within its genre framework. Gallo’s go-for-broke approach behind the camera lacks the required grace and technical prowess to pull off a pulsating sense of momentum. Several of the overbaked flourishes wind up in unintentionally comedic territory, with Gallo throwing the kitchen sink at the screen with hilariously dated results (repetitive zoom techniques and whip pans feel like a goofy distraction). The bizarre visual busyness detracts from any of the sturdily drawn stuntwork on display.

    On a narrative front, Vanquish doesn’t score points for its minimal effort. Gallo and Samuel Bartlett’s barebones screenplay does little to reinvigorate its rudimentary cat-and-mouse formula, seemingly pausing the film at times only to introduce waves of dull exposition. Neither Rose nor Freeman’s characters are imbued with much humanity or dimension, while the rouge’s gallery of scummy adversaries do little to elicit much interest (they range from glib henchmen to painfully dated stereotypes). There’s nothing here of note when the action isn’t flying at a frenetic clip.

    I’ve sat through worse run-of-the-mill actioners, but that’s the best statement I can declare about Vanquish. Aside from a few memorably bizarre flourishes, Gallo’s effort does little to elevate the genre’s bargain bin formula.

    Vanquish is available in Select Theaters on April 16th and on Apple TV, and Everywhere You Rent Movies on April 20th! Available on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27th.

  • Thunder Force: The BRWC Review

    Thunder Force: The BRWC Review

    Thunder Force Synopsis: In a world where supervillains called Miscreants are commonplace, two childhood best friends (Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer) reunite as an unlikely crime-fighting superhero duo when one invents a formula that gives ordinary people superpowers.

    It’s no secret that comedian Melissa McCarthy and director Ben Falcone haven’t had the best track record as a tandem onscreen. Both have exhibited their assured talents individually (McCarthy is a true star, shinning in both comedic and dramatic fare), but the married couple has exclusively turned out middling studio comedies when working together (Tammy, The Boss, Life of the Party, and Superintelligence rank among McCarthy’s most forgettable big-screen vehicles).

    Thankfully, the pairing is taking a turn for the better with the latest superhero/comedy hybrid Thunder Force. While no one will mistake it as a substantive achievement, the film’s agreeable twist on populist cinema offers a sharp comedic spark.

    Before superheroes were the dominant force in Hollywood, the genre’s niche existence allowed lampooning minds to playfully alter superheroes’ normative traits (from underrated gems like Mystery Men to comedic duds like The Meteor Man). Thunder Force feels like a refreshing ode to that long-forgotten era. Falcone’s low-steaks screenplay puts more emphasis on comedic riffing than typical action formula, a decision that skillfully morphs tired contrivances into playful bits.

    Whether it’s Bobby Cannavale’s antagonist reflecting over what henchmen to kill off or the heroes joking about their odorous costumes, Thunder Force embraces a self-aware streak to liven up its formulaic roots. I wouldn’t call this a laugh-a-minute comedy, but I chuckled enough times to consider the comedic streak a success (I probably laughed more watching this than all the other Falcone/McCarthy joints combined). It certainly helps to have a talented cast to personify the material. McCarthy’s bright, improvisational energy elevates a myriad of gags while Octavia Spencer makes for a sturdy straight-man next to McCarthy’s hijinks (it’s also a joy to see two middle-aged women dawning the superhero get-up, showing the genre isn’t limited just to muscular heroes). The supremely underrated Cannavale and Jason Bateman also have a blast playing two mustache-twirling villains defined by their bizarre quirks.

    Thunder Force is surprisingly capable from an action front. No one will mistake this for a Marvel blockbuster, but I found the lack of bombastic excess to be a welcomed change of pace for the genre. Falcone’s experienced hand capably captures each creative stunt, with clever comedic flourishes providing each action beat with an infusion of personality. I enjoyed the simplicity of the superhero elements, as the narrative never vies to become overly grandiose or “epic” (similar to the 90’s movies I referenced, Thunder Force embraces superheroes’ colorfully cartoonish origins).

    With that said, Thunder Force still lacks the presence to become a great action/comedy. Falcone’s screenplay feels like a hodgepodge of superhero and studio comedy contrivances, with neither subgenre working to fully reinvent the other. The mountain of cliches prevents elements like McCarthy and Spencer’s friendship from drawing much interest, while Falcone’s sturdy direction lacks the stylistic flavor to remove the studio stench (a more visceral approach could’ve enhanced the film’s colorful world-building).

    Frankly, I am just happy that I finally enjoyed a McCarthy and Falcone vehicle (seriously though, I’m never happy to pan two people I genuinely enjoy). Thunder Force finds enough comedic juice to create a welcomed change-of-pace for the superhero genre.

    Thunder Force arrives on Netflix on April 9th.