film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Matt Conway

  • The Old Guard: The BRWC Review

    The Old Guard: The BRWC Review

    Along with producing a bevy of binge-worthy shows and awards-caliber films, Netflix has dipped their toes into blockbuster filmmaking. The early results have been generally unimpressive, with efforts like Bright and 6 Underground failing to translate grandiose thrills to the small-screen. These missteps have not stopped the platform’s pursuit of tentpole projects, returning from the drawing board with The Old Guard, an adaptation of Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez’s graphic novel. I am thrilled to report that The Old Guard not only dwarfs its streaming contemporaries, it also emphatically raises the bar for the superhero genre with its surprisingly tender approach.

    The Old Guard follows Andy (Charlize Theron), an ageless warrior leading a group of immortal figures who look to stop worldwide atrocities (Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, and Luca Marinelli as Nicky). After a newly-initiated immortal Nile (Kiki Layne) is discovered, the team must join together to battle an organization looking to harness and monetize their abilities.

    At the center of The Old Guard lies an equally capable and appealing ensemble cast. With her grizzled bravado and commanding presence, Charlize Theron continues to thrive as one of the best stars in the industry, as her adept ability allows the actor to render some much-needed humanity out of her struggles with mortality (or in this case, lack thereof). Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli are a joy to watch as a romantically entangled pair, creating a lived-in onscreen dynamic that never steps into stereotypical territory. Matthias Schoenarts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Kiki Layne enhance their respective roles, with Layne breathing an effervescent life into her role as the team’s newcomer.

    Where most superhero ventures simply infuse their protagonist with abnormal abilities to create endless bloodshed, The Old Guard refreshingly peels at the veneer of these larger-than-life figures. Screenwriter Greg Rucka’s adaption keeps the work’s intimate design largely intact, constructively exploring the emotional complications that derive from a life of immortality. This uncontrollable inflection is by no means the gift, with the team being sentenced to a life of isolation devoid of the familial bonds and a sense of completion. It’s incredibly gratifying to watch a superhero film grapple with its premise’s deeper implications (the characters even question the nature of their violent vigilantism), allowing our heroes to be more than empty vessels of carnage.

    That’s not to say The Old Guard doesn’t offer the crowd-pleasing pleasures of the genre. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood delicately balances the insular character building with rousing setpieces, taking full advantage of the creative premise with some inventively designed stuntwork (seeing a character jump out of a skyscraper to then witnessing their bones reheal on impact is glorious to watch). Some may leave the film wanting more bone-crushing fights, but I believe the restraint is well-calibrated to ensure each setpiece has an actual impact on the narrative.

    There’s a lot to like about The Old Guard, but the final product still features its fair share of blemishes. Rucka’s narrative gives his characters room to breathe, but it also straddles them with the standard-issue action conventions. Whether its the mustache-twirling villains or over-eager pop tracks that fail to add much of a pulse, there are elements that could have been refined to generate a more original experience. Personally, I hope that a potential sequel steeps itself further into the film’s promising social implications, with the characters standing strong as agents for progressive concepts.

    Infusing its familiar superhero framework with a well-calibrated balance of thrills and humanity, The Old Guard excels as a promising first chapter in a new franchise.

  • Palm Springs: The BRWC Review

    Palm Springs: The BRWC Review

    Andy Samberg’s affable, goofball presence has infused mainstream comedy with some much-needed inventiveness. Whether he’s rapping about boating escapades with The Lonely Island or playing a vain stuntman in Hot Rod, the former SNL-funnyman has operated on his own wave-length with inordinate success. Teaming with How I Met Your Mother star Cristin Milloti in the new Sundance comedy Palm Springs (Hulu and Neon gave the film the biggest acquisition deal of all time), the two concoct an irresistible pair in a satisfying twist on its familiar set-up.

    Palm Springs follows Nyles (Andy Samberg), who embraces a nonchalant attitude as he’s stuck reliving the same day at a Palm Springs wedding. After he encounters reluctant maid of honor Sarah (Cristin Milloti), Sarah gets sucked into the bizarre time loop, with the two bonding as they attempt to escape their altered reality.

    Palm Springs is certainly not the first film to embrace the Groundhog Day set-up (Happy Death Day and Before I Fall utilized the premise well), yet Andy Siara’s self-aware presentation delivers a breath of fresh air to the concept. Along with crafting some colorfully over-the-top gags that take full advantage of the repetitive cycle, Siara works deftly to subvert comedic standards, often undercutting cliched plot beats with a wry sensibility. Director Max Barbakow implements a stylistic verve that matches the script seamlessly, depicting Palm Spring’s bright, sunkissed allure as a clever contrast to the character’s monotonous journey.

    Most of the film’s splendors derive from watching Samberg and Milioti share the screen. Samberg delivers one of his finest big-screen performances to date, tuning his comedic persona aptly while still unearthing Nyles’ long-standing misery. It’s refreshing to see Samberg tone down his cartoonish-energy in favor of a more emotionally vulnerable performance, handling the sensitive frames with assured ability. For Milioti, her effortless command of the screen makes for a breakout performance, displaying natural charisma while humanizing Sarah’s complicated history. Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons steals multiple frames with his distinctly sardonic energy, as the beloved character actor continues to flex his well-rounded skillset.

    Palm Spring’s rarely offers a dull moment in its tight 90-minute runtime, yet the end product can’t help feeling slightly inconsequential. Siara’s script offers some compelling ruminations on depression and the emptiness of a circular lifestyle, but the film’s dramatic portions can’t convey the full extent of these concepts. Refining the film’s substantive qualities would have elevated its cumbersome third-act set-up, properly allowing the character’s painful solace to render before the cathartic final frames.

    Encapsulating the refreshingly light feel of a summer movie, Palm Springs constructs an assured reinvention of its tried and true set-up.

  • The Outpost: The BRWC Review

    The Outpost: The BRWC Review

    The haunting perils of war are a common fixture in mainstream cinema, with efforts like Dunkirk and 1917 displaying the various technical approaches to the complex subject matter. While there are countless examples of period war titles, few have captured the zeitgeist of modern conflicts, often relying on blind jingoism to deliver an agreeable message for popcorn-munching audiences (12 Strong and Act of Valor are primary offenders). The latest boot-on-the-ground offering The Outpost focuses on the US’s ongoing strife in Afghanistan, delivering an accomplished effort that earnestly honors its real-life subjects.

    Set in 2009 (and based on Jake Tapper’s novel), The Outpost follows a unit of U.S. soldiers working in a vulnerable base of operations. Their day-to-day lives consist of attempts to make peace with the locals while fending off persistent Taliban forces. Mere days before the team is set to abandon the mission, an overwhelming army raids the base, leaving the soldiers in a desperate fight for survival. Remembered as “The Battle of Kamdesh”, the conflict would go on to be the bloodiest conflict of the Afghan War.

    The Outpost differs from its contemporaries by establishing a grounded viewpoint of its subjects’ daily lives. Eric Johnson’s screenplay keeps contrived melodrama and specified dialogue to a minimum, focusing more on bawdy banter and intimate disclosures to create a genuine rapport between the characters. Johnson also portrays the day-to-day doldrums of soldier life, following their work as well-intended ambassadors trying to find common ground with the nearby locals. It’s refreshing to see a war film focus on the difficult process of two sides working together in the midst of conflict, with both combating their innate suspicion of the other party in attempts to make progress.

    Moments of quiet normalcy are consistently interrupted by enemy attacks, with a series of skirmishes displaying the routine dangers facing the ragtag outpost. Director Rod Lurie wisely builds upon small-scale action beats until the hour mark, portraying a sense of danger that boils into the infamous conflict. Once Lurie’s depiction of the Kamdesh conflict begins, he unleashes a relentless onslaught of pulsating combat with a dizzying fury. Through this chaos, Lurie adeptly walks the finite line of depicting war’s carnage without ever glorifying it, applying frenetic tracking shots that place audiences in the shoes of its central heroes with harrowing results.

    Lurie promptly renders a substantive throughline with his action rather than letting it stand aimlessly as senseless violence. Through the soldier’s desperate sacrifice to one another (including the peers they aren’t particularly fond of), their remarkable heroism is displayed without having to utter a contrived message. The well-tuned cast also helps to develop a genuine bond, with Get Out star Caleb Landry Jones excelling with his emotionally-moving work.

    Despite these strengths, The Outpost still features its fair share of technical blemishes. The over-reliance on text to introduce new characters and chapters comes off as clunky, often leading to several transitions that lack grace. I admire Lurie’s meat and potatoes approach to his subject matter, but his presentation lacks the depth and artistry to convey one of the genre’s top tier iterations.

    Assembled with a heaping of passion and technical craft, The Outpost offers a sturdy portrait of wartime struggles that honors its central subjects.

  • Mope: The BRWC Review

    Mope: The BRWC Review

    Like Boogie Nights before it, the 2019 Sundance Film Festival feature Mope takes a decidedly murky look at the adult film industry. In its efforts to examine a harrowing true story, writer/director Lucas Heyne bites off more than he can chew in a shallow condemnation of the industry’s crooked standards.

    Mope follows Steve Driver (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Tom Dong (Kelly Syr), two aspiring adult film stars who befriend each other while working as mopes (people forced to do the most heinous/bottom-of-the-barrel acts in the industry). Instead of living their dream life, the two are degraded by their harsh roles, pushing their friendship and sanity to its breaking point.

    Elevating the material to the furthest extent, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Kelly Syr dedicate themselves with reckless abandon to their distinct roles. Stewart-Jarrett displays a raw enthusiasm that morphs into volatile mania after enduring extensive abuse, doing his best to play the character’s wild mood swings with a sense of humanity. Kelly Syr has an easy-going affable presence on screen, developing a compelling makeshift friendship between Steve and Tom while keeping the narrative from completely sinking.

    Outside of its core talents, Mope does little right. Heyne’s script presents a promising objective with its attempts to portray the industry’s dehumanizing standards, including the toxic masculinity and casual cruelty present in each production (women and minorities are treated as mere objects). These negative behaviors berate audiences throughout, yet Heyne’s simplistically presents these conditions without a thematic bite. The lack of depth becomes problematic in the film’s treatment of mental illness, with Steve’s spiraling mindset transforming him into a deranged wild card without an ounce of humanity. Steve isn’t alone though, as every character is exploitatively conveyed as fame-obsessed simpletons not worthy of the audience’s empathy.

    Heyne’s takes a substantial risk in his tonal hybrid approach, mixing the hard-hitting realities of the true story while implementing a sense of humor involving the down-on-their-luck protagonists (similar to Pain and Gain and The Disaster Artist). This delicate blend lacks deft craftsmanship to thread the needle, with Heyne’s shaky filmmaking style being unpolished and unpleasant to look at. The tone never feels as cohesive as it should, often contradicting its thematic subtext with attempts to find humor in the industry’s broken standards. Add in a heaping of trashy moments played for mere shock value (actual footage of a person’s death is inexplicably displayed), Mope feels just as mean-spirited as the industry it attempts to depict.

    Conceptual ingenuity meets lackluster execution in Mope, a project too simplistic and tone-deaf to portray the adult film industry’s lingering injustices.

  • Force Of Nature: The BRWC Review

    Force Of Nature: The BRWC Review

    Old-school action hallmarks are widely celebrated staples of the 1980s, with swaggering action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone ushering in a new era of dopey, yet outlandishly compelling thrill rides. While the genre still thrives today (Extraction was a standout), some of its tendencies, including troubling racial dynamics and a heaping of woefully machismo dialogue, have begun to show their age. With the latest low-rent actioner Force of Nature, director Michael Polish’s lackluster pursuit of cheap thrills highlights the genre’s problematic ingredients.

    Set in Puerto Rico in the midst of a hurricane, Force of Nature follows Cardillo (Emile Hirsch), a disgraced cop who is tasked with evacuating a local apartment complex with his new partner Jess (Stephanie Cayo). While trying to get the tenets to leave, including a jaded old-school cop (Mel Gibson), his protective daughter (Kate Bosworth), and a man housing a mysterious creature (Will Catlett), a team of thieves break into the complex to find a priceless artifact.

    During the Force of Nature’s tightly-packed 91-minute runtime, there are glimmers of shameless genre entertainment to be embraced. Between the preposterous high-concept premise and the looming McGuffins present throughout the narrative (the impending storm and the enigmatic creature), Cory Miller’s screenplay offers an irresistible concoction of gratifying genre wrinkles that manage to keep audiences semi-engaged.

    The supporting cast also helps to liven up the proceedings, with Will Catlett mining much-needed humor from his standard-issue role. David Zayas elevates his archetype villain with menacing screen presence and slick bravado, while Kate Bosworth and Stephanie Cayo hold their own in severely under-written parts (Bosworth’s involvement can only be explained by her marriage to Polish).

    None of these flashes can overcome the film’s bankrupt design. Despite having a decent-sized budget to work with, Michael Polish directs this project on autopilot, with conventionally-constructed shots ranging from dull to laughably incompetent (hilariously utilizes archived shaky cam hurricane footage). This concept offers opportunities to implement creatively constructed action set pieces, but there’s little ingenuity to be found in these standard-issue gunfights. While the project’s sheen of cheapness could be endearing in a B-movie way, Polish isn’t able to push the envelope enough to embrace its wacky roots.

    In its attempts to feel like an old-school throwback, Force of Nature comes off as painfully tone-deaf. Alongside the casting of two problematic leads (Hirsch’s portrayal as a mean-spirited cop lacks the charisma to mask the poorly-timed role), Miller’s screenplay encompasses every dated cliche in the book. A hero with a white savior complex? Check. Female leads who are painted as strong, yet end up as damsels in distress? Check. Mel Gibson playing a dated chauvinist whose suppose to “charm” with his gruff attitude (you can guess the answer to that one)? All of these elements are blended with the film’s bizarre utilization of its Puerto Rico setting, as Miller’s shallow attempt to be topical feels insensitive considering the recency of Hurricane Maria.

    Lacking an original bone and creative craftsmanship, The Force of Nature goes through the motions in its tasteless embrace of dated genre conventions.