film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Matt Conway

  • Matt’s New Release Breakdown: December 11th

    Matt’s New Release Breakdown: December 11th

    Matt’s New Release Breakdown: December 11th – December is here, so it’s time for my infrequent feature/review column to continue forward! In all seriousness, with an onslaught of new releases, I was overwhelmed at the possibility of crafting 6 reviews over a finite period. So with this week’s New Release Breakdown, I review two highly-coveted streaming titles along with a star-studded romantic comedy. Let’s get to it!

    LET THEM ALL TALK – Directed by Steven Soderbergh

    Synopsis: A famous author goes on a cruise trip with her friends and nephew in an effort to find fun and happiness while she comes to terms with her troubled past.

    Steven Soderbergh is a transcendent talent in my book, a director with chameleon-like range that rarely crafts a dull narrative. With his latest work Let Them All Talk, Soderbergh and screenwriter Deborah Eisenberg bask in the opulence of their high-class setting. Soderbergh operates like a great composer, utilizing Thomas Newman’s jazzy score to confidently accent his signature visual eye. From the bright lighting to the intimate shot selection, few directors could bring this story to life with Soderbergh’s amplified precision.

    Under all the visceral aesthetics, Let Them All Talk sharp character dynamics pack a stinging punch. Eisenberg proves to be an adept scribe with her debut outing, crafting a tale of miscommunication that reaches interesting ruminations on an artist’s work and the complex ways friendships evolve. Her bitting dialogue also makes a great canvas for the all-star cast to play in the sandbox. Meryl Streep, Dianne West, and Candice Bergen have a blast conveying into their distinct personas, with Streep wickedly employing the rich author’s prickly demeanor. Lucas Hedges offers one of his best performances to date as well, often selling the film’s most emotive frames as a precocious young adult.

    While I am unsure if the film finds a fully-developed thematic throughline (the third act loses some of its steam as the multitude of conceits are batted around), Let Them All Talk extracts a bounty of unique pleasures from its seemingly-familiar set-up. I can’t wait to see what direction Soderbergh goes next with his endlessly evolving career.

    Let Them All Talk is now available on HBO Max.

    I’M YOUR WOMAN – Directed by Julia Hart

    Synopsis: In this 1970s set crime drama, a woman is forced to go on the run after her husband betrays his partners, sending her and her baby on a dangerous journey.

    Writer/director Julia Hart has been an under-appreciated voice the last few years (Miss Stevens and Fast Color cleverly subverted their genre formulas), but her latest I’m Your Woman may be her breakout to superstardom. Similar to her previous endeavors, Hart and producer/screenwriter Jordon Horowitz takes the conceits of your typical crime thriller and turn them on their head. The duo wisely paints around the corners of the traditional genre formula, centering their focus on a mother directly impacted by the vicious lifestyle.

    Hart’s work brilliantly marries crime thriller’s pulpy appeals with an assured character study. As the timid Jean, star Rachel Brosnahan imbues dramatic weight into the character’s journey for self-ownership. Brosnahan and Hart wisely construct Jean into a lived-in persona, slowly allowing the character’s voice to grow as she escapes her domesticated lifestyle. Hart’s sharp visual eye elevates the material with a sweat-inducing tension, often hammering a real-world weight into the film’s violent frames (she also does a great job defining her film in its 70’s period). I do think the film’s second half loses some of its finite character moments in favor of action-oriented beats, but I appreciate Hart’s ability to deliver a nuanced take on the tried and true formula.

    Finding a unique and well-developed perspective amongst its genre peers, I’m Your Woman marks another impressive step forward in Julia Hart’s ascending career.

    I’m Your Woman is now available on Amazon Prime.

    WILD MOUNTAIN THYMES – Directed by John Patrick Shanley

    Synopsis: Headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is, Anthony seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father’s plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew, Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams.

    I’ll be honest, Wild Mountain Thyme was not on my radar until I heard rumors of an insane third act twist. I can certainly say writer/director John Patrick Shanley’s film delivers on that aspect (for those uninterested in the movie, I recommend this explanation), but his Irish-flavored romantic comedy rarely indulges in the genre’s pleasurable qualities.

    I can get down with a hokey romantic comedy. Heck, I’d go as far as to say last year’s similarly twist-heavy Last Christmas stands as a modern Christmas classic. While Shanley’s film admirably steeps itself in a finite sense of culture, his offbeat endeavor never finds a comfortable balance. As a comedy, the Irish humor leans into well-trudged stereotypes over authentic observations. As a romance, the generic love triangle set-up lacks life despite the talents of Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, and Jon Hamm. Then there’s the gonzo third-act twist. I can see what Shanley’s trying to convey with his tying of humanity and nature, but it comes in far too late to ever find much purpose.

    If you’re a fan of rom-coms, Wild Mountain Thyme boasts enough goofy pleasures to never truly condemn. That being said, the film’s lack of cohesion and charms make this more of a passive guilty pleasure viewing.

    You can also check out my reviews of this week’s other new titles Archenemy, Safety, and Songbird.

    Matt’s New Release Breakdown: December 11th

  • Songbird: Review

    Songbird: Review

    COVID-19’s unimaginable ramifications continue to infest our society, with news in the US and UK getting considerably worse by the day. A rising number of unemployment cases, deaths, and evictions damage our population with heartbreaking results. Considering these circumstances, the Michael Bay-produced COVID thriller Songbird comes at a rather complicated time. Instead of making a vital statement, writer/director Adam Mason vaguely utilizes our dire straights as a cheap pastiche for his lazily-conceived thriller.

    Set in 2024, Songbird follows an alternate future where COVID ravages the world at large (unless you are one of the lucky immune cases, most people are forced to spend their days inside). The film centers on an ensemble of people trying to navigate circumstances. There’s a hopeless romantic (K.J. Apa) working to set his girlfriend (Sofia Carlson) free, a rich family operating an illegal side hustle (Demi Moore and Bradley Whitford), a talented singer (Alexandria Daddario) who connects with a disenfranchised veteran (Paul Walter Hauser), and a corrupt government official who operates with a reckless abandon (Peter Stormare).

    For a narrative that introduces several subplots, Mason’s script does little to engage. The ensemble approach works when it’s constructed with thought and care, as thrillers like Contagion utilized their wide-spanning narrative to reflect on various perspectives. Songbird blatant disconnect from reality offers nothing to say about our world’s current condtions.

    Mason implements B-movie trappings into his web of narrative threads, dizzily dancing between subplots without developing much in the process. The characters register as hollow stereotypes due to the inconsistent plotting, leaving the capable cast of actors largely out to dry (Craig Robinson is the only highlight as a communications boss). It doesn’t help that the script packs a multitude of bewildering screw-ups, often breaking the world’s internal logic with humorous results (the virus is apparently airborne, but characters constantly have their windows open).

    Does Songbird at least work as a campy thriller? Not really. Mason may be working under the tutelage of Michael Bay, but his effort lacks the bombastic visual verve of Bay’s work. You can critique Bay all you (Transformers 2 through 5 range from bad to flat out terrible), but the controversial director creates vibrant sequences out of the dopiest of cliches. Mason’s visual identity implements some of Bay’s shaky movements, though it’s present without the director’s wildman framing and creativity. The noticeable budgetary restrictions don’t help Mason’s case either, restricting the world-building from developing past dystopian contrivances.

    Without much to say, Songbird’s existence feels rather repugnant. I can’t blame the cast for grabbing a paycheck during challenging times, yet Bay and company should know better than this. Similar to his mawkish historical epic Pearl Harbor, Songbird cheaply connects itself to our COVID-infested reality, lazily selling itself through cheap pop culture verbiage (a news reporter thanklessly says “talk about social distancing!”). The exploitation of a year-long of suffering is simply impossible to enjoy.

    Aided by its hilariously poor timing, Songbird ranks as one of the year’s most joyless experiences. I implore audiences to steer away from this film, as its empty attempts to monetize on COVID are distasteful, to say the least.

  • Safety: The BRWC Review

    Safety: The BRWC Review

    While they tend to follow a tried and true formula, I’ve been feeling the notable absence of good sports movies lately. When done right, the genre can exemplify the innate appeals of both platforms, often showcasing the ways sports represent humanity in its rawest form. Disney+ is now taking a swing at inspiring audiences with Safety, a true story about one athlete’s persistent courage amidst challenging circumstances. This football drama is admittedly good-natured, yet rarely delves beneath the surface of its fascinating subject matter.

    Safety follows the empowering story of former Clemson University football safety Ray McElrathbey (Jay Reeves). Aided by his teammates and the Clemson community, he succeeds on the field while simultaneously raising and caring for his 11-year-old brother Fahmarr (Thaddeus J. Mixson) when his mom leaves for rehab. 

    Ray’s story resonates deeply not because of his triumphs on the football field, rather his enduring persistence to preserve his family under dire circumstances. When Safety touches upon the humanity behind Ray’s sacrifices, there are winning crowd-pleaser moments for audiences to embrace (the third act has some soaringly affectionate frames).

    Stars Jay Reeves and Thaddeus Mixson help make the real-life personas feel lived-in onscreen, with Reeves portraying the character’s emotional whirlwind with a layer of thoughtful confliction. Director Reginald Hudlin also deserves credit for operating effectively in the sports movie formula. His explosively kinetic football scenes convey the sport’s hard-hitting nature, while his patient handling of dramatic frames prevents any cloying manipulation.

    Safety reaches competent marks across the board, but it’s Disney-fied presentation limits the dramatic impact. Nick Santora’s screenplay utilizes a bevy of familiar sports movie cliches to haphazardly push the narrative forward (there’s an endless array of rah-rah speeches and stereotypically-defined teammates). These contrived elements bring an unwelcomed layer of artificiality to Ray’s story, often overwhelming the material’s impactful nucleus.

    By packaging this story into a family-friendly tale, Safety also sanitizes the real steaks behind Ray’s journey. The ample hardships the character faces are often treated with a bizarrely-integrated zaniness. Instead of seeing how the two pulled off their lifestyle, Santora’s script trivializes their struggle by turning to hokey comedic scenarios (the scenes where Ray attempts to hide Fahmarr feel better suited for a slapstick comedy). Along with the simplification of Rey/Fahmarr’s challenging upbringing and their mom’s struggles with addiction, Safety isn’t well-equipped to tackle the material’s real-world elements.

    There’s a great movie to be made about Ray McElrathbey’s story, but Safety’s timid delivery falls short of its subject’s impressive stature.

  • Honest Thief: The BRWC Review

    Honest Thief: The BRWC Review

    Hollywood often defines actors by their most notable box office performance, a fact that has morphed Oscar-winner Liam Neeson into a marquee action star. Since 2009’s Taken, Neeson has shot out a consistent output of actioners. Some rank well for their hard-hitting approach (The Grey and Cold Pursuit), while others have become B-movie staples through their inherent camp value (Non-Stop and The Commuter). Neeson’s latest vehicle Honest Thief finds itself in a murky middle ground, with its mere competence only taking the bland narrative so far.

    Honest Thief follows Tom Dolan (Neeson) a notorious bank robber who retires once he meets the woman of his dreams Annie (Kate Walsh). To atone for his crimes and live an honest lifestyle, Tom tries to turn the money in to get a reduced sentence. His plan goes haywire when two corrupt agents (Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos) steal Tom’s money for themselves, forcing him to go on the run in an effort to clear his name.

    As an agreeable late-night option, Honest Thief does boast some shameless appeals. Liam Neeson can do this everyman role in his sleep at this point, but the addition of Kate Walsh’s bright disposition imbues new wrinkles to his persona. Their easy-going rapport crackles with an affection glow, establishing a grounded onscreen pair for the audience to attach to (their opening scene together could’ve been utilized in a rom-com).

    After years of battling exaggerated circumstances (planes, trains, wolves…oh my!), it’s refreshing to see Neeson fit into an intimate narrative. The low-key stakes still pack ample tension due to Neeson and Walsh’s innate appeal. I also credit the sturdy supporting cast for enhancing their thinly-developed roles, with Robert Patrick, Anthony Ramos, and Jai Courtney doing their jobs accordingly.

    While mildly diverting, Honest Thief doesn’t excel in any particular facet. Director Mark Williams shoots his project with a sterile blandness, with the TV pilot-level of construction doing little to elevate the material. This autopilot delivery translates to the thankless action setpieces. I like the idea of grounded, tight-quarters sequences, but Willaims tame hand never gives these frames much of a pulse (the heist sequences could have been appealing, but they’re truncated into a flat montage). Whether you prefer Neeson’s B-movie camp fests or his more serious endeavors, there’s nothing Honest Thief achieves that hasn’t been done better.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TLtcw7ixRc&ab_channel=BriarcliffEntertainment

    All could be forgiven if the film’s grounded approach reached a level of authenticity. Williams and Steve Allrich’s script never discovers that place, settling more on standard-issue action tropes that lack engagement. Several characters grapple with the morality behind their wrongdoings, but simplistic dialogue choices never convey the insular struggle with much weight. The thinly-conceived narrative also limits Neeson and Walsh’s appeals, truncating their screentime in favor of whisking audiences forward (there’s an awkward 1 year time jump after their first scene together).

    I was never bored by Honest Thief, but it rarely livens up its familiar action husk. I credit Liam Neeson for continuing to push forward as an action star, but this is his most middle-of-the-road effort yet.

  • Archenemy: The BRWC Review

    Archenemy: The BRWC Review

    Tackling the grandiose superhero genre with a micro-sized budget appears to be a tall task, but thoughtful filmmakers have thrived under these rigid conditions. Whether it’s James Gunn’s darkly comedic venture Super or Julia Hart’s wildly overlooked feature Fast Color, directors have shown that there’s no ceiling even with limited assets. Daniel Isn’t Real director Adam Egypt Mortimer continues this spirited trend with Archenemy, a viscerally bold subversion of superheroes’ normative appeals. Simply put, Mortimer’s electrifying vision reaches soaring new heights for the beloved genre.

    Archenemy follows Max Fist (Joe Manganiello), an outsider who claims to be a superhero from another dimension. Without his powers, no one believes his stories except for an upcoming journalist Hamster (Skylan Brooks). Together, they take to the streets to wipe out the local drug syndicate and its vicious crime boss known as The Manager (Glenn Howerton).

    Max’s fish-out-of-water presence isn’t played with your typically hokey presentation. Instead, Mortimer utilizes Max’s super-powered origins to juxtapose Earth’s dog-eat-dog setting. The dual worlds mesh into one uniquely drawn landscape, as Mortimer creates a sonically surreal visual dynamic with arresting animated sequences (the blending of cosmic colors and dreamy imagery is a joy to consume).

    I love how Mortimer blends the two styles simultaneously, with the animation highlighting the ways pulp storytelling embellishes real-world dynamics (it also creates an intriguing psycho-drama conflict, with Max’s human form still seeing himself as a super-powered entity). The marriage between comic serial and gritty realism works through the director’s keen eye. His creative visual verve enhances narrative beats into alluring, sensory-drawing experiences. What Mortimer accomplishes on a shoestring budget is far more impressive than the bombastic scale of major blockbusters.

    Archenemy also builds a colorful world for audiences to indulge in. Mortimer walks a finite tonal line with relative ease, conveying our protagonists’ dire straights while understanding the genre’s vibrant appeals. The personable cast also helps solidify this balance. Joe Manganiello offers some of his best work to date as the gruff Max Fist, delving beneath the character’s rigid exterior to explore his hidden pains. Max’s straight-man persona is a fitting contrast to Skylan Brooks’ cheerful delivery. As Hamster, Brooks brightens the screen with his effortless charisma, while Glenn Howerton and Paul Scheer make great additions as hilariously unhinged antagonists.

    There’s so much to like about Archenemy, but that bounty of appeals becomes a problem. Mortimer spins so many plates throughout the tight 90-minute run time, leaving several facets somewhat untapped in the process (a third act twist offers an interesting switcharoo, but its dramatic impact becomes somewhat limited). It’s like a beautiful sketch that isn’t quite shaded in. Perhaps a larger budget could’ve allowed Mortimer more time to explore his character dynamics and intriguing thematic conceits, but his offering still impresses as stands.

    I’ve always had an affinity for spirited, low-budget offerings, but Archenemy is one of the few that’s never burdened by its financial limitations. I was enamored by Mortimer’s bright world from jump street, and I can’t wait to see what the upcoming filmmaker has up his sleeves going forward.