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  • No Sudden Move: The BRWC Review

    No Sudden Move: The BRWC Review

    No Sudden Move Synopsis: In 1954 Detroit, Curt Goynes (Don Cheadle) and Ronald Ruso (Benicio Del Toro) are hired to steal a document. When their heist goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them — and for what purpose – sends them wending through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city.

    In a storied career spanning three decades, director Steven Soderbergh has embraced a remarkably formless sensibility. Few can shift between stark genre changes with such ease, with the director crafting a cerebral take on the sports world (High Flying Birds), claustrophobic, iPhone-filmed horror (Unsane), and a reflective female ensemble (Let Them All Talk) in the last 5 years alone. No matter the genre, his calculated eye always feels like a proper match for whatever world he embraces.

    Soderbergh’s latest No Sudden Move finds the director shifting the heist genre’s high-steaks thrills into the grimy muck of 1950’s Detroit. Imbued with potent textures and a dynamic verve, Soderbergh continues his dominant streak with one of his finest offerings to date.

    Audiences are used to seeing Soderbergh operate within heist film’s bustling machinations, whether he’s extracting luxurious opulence from the Ocean’s trilogy or embracing southern-fried cheekiness with Logan Lucky. With No Sudden Move, Soderbergh repurposes his refined techniques into an entirely new connotation. His work may still zip along with his usual fervor, but under the surface lies a far more prominent reflection of the dog-eats-dog American experience.

    It’s easy to gleam subtext from the film’s unique time period. 1950’s Detroit stands as a stark reflection of the country’s unjust racial and class standards, with the location’s booming automobile industry only prospering the wealthy fat cats in charge. Curt is well-aware of these broken standards, which sets the course for his hail mary play to extract revenge against his oppressive foes. Soderbergh and screenwriter Ed Solomon’s potent ideas reach full boil thanks to their eye for realistic textures. Anytime audiences expect the narrative to shift towards Hollywood pleasantries, Soderbergh subverts back to the harsh realities of our inequitable landscape (the ending is a gut punch in the best possible way).

    That’s not to say No Sudden Move operates solely as a dour enterprise. Soderbergh’s direction is vivid and precise, percolating unnerving tension that crackles within each slow-burn frame. There’s no one better in the industry at crafting compelling capers, with the director utilizing swift camera movements and David Holmes’ rhythmic score to keep viewers on their toes throughout. While I can understand critics’ qualms with Soderbergh’s detached voice, to me, it’s that exact choice that allows the director to pull off his tricky narrative high-wire act (Soderbergh is a master of atmosphere and subtle character beats).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GRDLX3a-IE

    The director wisely entrusts a star-studded ensemble to bring his distinct universe to life. Don Cheadle wears Curt’s worn wisdom through a plethora of subdued techniques. In a film defined by enigmatic characters, Cheadle’s gravitating presence provides a crucial center point. Benicio Del Toro is a hoot as Curt’s wildly and borderline incompetent partner-in-crime. Brendan Fraser is nearly unrecognizable as the gruff and imposing crime boss Doug, while the other supporting players (Jon Hamm, Julia Fox, and David Harbour) catapult tertiary roles through their dynamic abilities.

    No Sudden Move is an utter delight, with my only real gripe centering from audience’s inability to see Soderbergh’s magnificent work on the big screen. It’s truly awe-inspiring to see the director continually reinvent himself despite his assured status in the industry.

    NO SUDDEN MOVE is now available on HBO Max.

  • Dynasty Warriors: Review

    Dynasty Warriors: Review

    Dynasty Warriors Synopsis: Warlords, warriors, and statesmen wage a battle for supremacy in this fantasy tale based on the hit video games and the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

    Amidst a busy array of video game movies (the last eight months alone has brought us Monster Hunter, Mortal Kombat, and the indie darling Werewolves Within), Netflix has quietly purchased the rights to an international adaptation of the cheeky Dynasty Warriors games (the streaming juggernaut spent eight-figures alone for domestic rights). I’ve always had a soft spot for the hack and slash series, which puts players in control of superpowered soldiers battling an endless array of enemy rebels. The games are enjoyable in their inherent mindlessness, presenting over-the-top carnage with dynamic reckless abandon.

    A mixture of grandiose action setpieces and bold stylistic choices would seemingly make the game franchise ripe for shameless entertainment. While the film extracts some colorfully cartoonish charms, director Roy Chow Hin-Yeung largely oversees an overproduced and undelivered rift on the game’s spirited energy.

    Still, Hin-Yeung certainly presents a pulse on what fans of the franchise want to see. The director’s earnest feature embraces every chance for bombastic thrills, taking the game’s action-driven approach to heart with an endless onslaught of busy confrontations. Hin-Yeung skillfully infuses supernatural sparks and bold choreography to spice up the eastern action formula. Compared to the games, Dynasty Warriors also makes a more sincere effort in the storytelling department. Following a band of famed warriors plotting their revenge against a boorish rebel leader, Chi-long To’s screenplay scores points for its reflections on soldier’s personal responsibilities amidst days of government division.

    Sincerity can only take middling material so far, as Dynasty Warriors suffers from the same noisy emptiness as its interactive counterpart. I can appreciate the difficult task of turning the game’s ample historical inspirations into a succinct narrative, but To settles for far too many flat devices. The narrative is equally bloated and meaningless, dully plodding along exposition that is never given much in terms of weight. It all takes place across a needlessly convoluted two-hour runtime, with the film drifting between busy plot mechanics despite the narrative’s simple approach. Seriously, why does the film value window dressing semantics rather than providing a simple rooting interest? The flat characterization and routine performances prevent audiences from ever investing in the carnage on display.

    Dynasty Warriors rarely elicits much in terms of excitement. Even with his efforts to adhere to the game’s formula, Hin-Yeung’s film seems deathly afraid of the game’s preposterous roots. The CGI-laden action rarely backs up its creative visuals with dynamic framing (the few occasional gimmicks aren’t presented with enough craft), while the well-intended stuntwork still falls short of the series’ gonzo action flair. A satisfying last-ditch climax feels like too little too late for viewers who likely have started to tune out by the time chaos ensues.

    I’ll always be first in line for any video game adaption, but Dynasty Warriors falls short of the source material’s unique edge in the gaming sphere. What works in gaming isn’t always best for the big-screen, but I would still give any future adaptation of the franchise a chance considering the brand’s lovably grand persona.

    Dynasty Warriors is now available on Netflix.

  • Marathon: Review

    Marathon: Review

    There are marathons run all over the world and part of the fun is that almost anybody can take part regardless of their level of fitness. There are the elite athletes who have competed in the Olympics, then there are those who see themselves as elite athletes and want to train in order to prove to themselves (and others) that they’re just as good. Then there are people who see training for a marathon as an opportunity to raise money for charity and usually end up wearing a silly costume while doing it.

    Marathon is a mockumentary that follows a group of wannabe marathon runners as they prepare for the biggest challenge of their lives. There’s Ryan O’Brian (Andrew Hansen), an aspiring elite athlete who finds this opportunity to show the world what he’s made of – and raise money for charity.

    Jenna Kowalski (Natalie Sullivan) a woman who wants to break the world record marathon time for running in a fruit costume. Abby Dozier (Anais Thomassian) is a new mum who finds the marathon as a chance to reconnect with her body after having given birth and then there’s Shareef Washington (Tavius Cortez), a black man who just can’t understand why the police are so eager to chase him while he’s simply running.

    Emilou Paunch (Kimia Behpoornia) would have taken part, but after realising how long a marathon actually is, she did the sensible thing and backed out.

    Taking its inspiration from mockumentaries such as This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show, Marathon shows a wide variety of characters who are all working towards the same goal – well mostly. What starts out as what could be two dimensional characters, their stories all gradually unfold and before the end the audience would have no doubt picked their favourite.

    There’s a lot of material that comes from watching people to train for a marathon and writer/directors Anthony Guidubaldi and Keith Strausbaugh have clearly found a lot and sprinkle their characters with unique little aspects which will surprise audiences and make them laugh out loud. All the cast are great and fit their roles very well which may also make audiences wonder how versatile they could be in other roles.

    Marathon may very well remind its audience of more established comedies, but this one has legs.

  • Dirt Music: Review

    Dirt Music: Review

    “Dirt Music” is an Australian film directed by Gregor Jordan and inspired by a 2008 short story of the same name by author Tim Winton. Gregor Jordan is an experienced Australian director, he has directed more than nineteen projects since 1995 including “Two Hands” (1995) starring Heath Ledger, “Buffalo Soldiers” (2001) starring Joaquin Phoenix and “Ned Kelly” (2003) with Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts.

    The film was presented in September 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is available for streaming on several platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu or iTunes. It takes place in the wonderful and wild landscape of western Australia, more precisely in White Point, where nature still seems to be very present and at the heart of the local economy.

    The film presents a budding romance between Lu Fox, played by Garret Hedlund, known for his role as Sam Flynn in “Tron” and Georgie Jutland played by Kelly Macdonald, who is known for her appearances in the series “Boardwalk Empire”, or in films such as “No Country For Old Men” and “Trainspotting 1 & 2”. Georgie is a former nurse, now in a relationship with Jim (played by David Wenham, Faramir in Lord of The Ring), one of the most important fishermen on the coast, a rich man, respected and feared by the locals.

    The plot of the film will therefore revolve around the forbidden love relationship between Georgie and Lu. In parallel, the film traces the dark history of Lu’s family and the meeting between Jim and Georgie. Unfortunately, the writing of the film makes us feel that the first part, devoted to the meeting between Georgie and Lu, is rushed. This romance is established way too quickly, we can even have the impression that they already know each other and this does not allow us to really grasp the strength of this relationship. The rest of the film will spread out and sometimes get lost between the flashbacks.

    The writing of the male characters is really very basic and unoriginal. Whether it’s Lu, a cliché of a character with a heavy and dark past, who today is plagued by turmoil and doubt. Or Jim, a cliché of a rich man, who can’t stand to be denied anything or to lack control. The photography of the film, anchored in the superb natural landscapes of western Australia, will make us enjoy superb aquatic, desert or mountainous scenes, always very wild. It’s thus one of the strong point of the film.

    The performance of the actors, in spite of roles that are not very elaborate, remains very good, especially the Scottish Kelly Macdonald, who remains very interesting throughout the film. “Dirt Music” suffers from a lack of rhythm and a not very elaborate plot, but will make us travel thanks to its superb visuals. However, it will perhaps satisfy the fervent lovers of romance.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mld6x7yKpkY
  • Fear Street Part 1: 1994 – Review

    Fear Street Part 1: 1994 – Review

    Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is the first part of a new trilogy taken from R. L. Stine’s series of books of the same name. Given a cinematic style and put on Netflix, it aims to lovingly recreate horror movies from certain eras, as well as subverting some tropes along the way.

    Fans of the genre and those who grew up with films such as Scream, I know What you Did Last Summer and Urban Legend will immediately be familiar with what Fear Street: Part 1 is going for. Although thankfully it hit its audience over the heads to tell them about the decade – besides the soundtrack that is.

    Instead, Fear Street is a solid horror movie that may stand up by itself and gives its audience exactly what they were expecting with a few twists along the way.

    Deena (Kiana Madeira) is one of those troubled teens that you see in those kind of slasher movies where she’s a diversion from the identity of the real killer. She lives with her brother, Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) and is very confident about who she is, including when it comes to her sexuality. Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch) is the typical all American teenage cheerleader, her boyfriend is a local football star and she’s seen as one of the popular girls. The thing is that after her and Deena get close, Samantha starts to question her own sexuality, not only that but Samantha goes to a rival school and cheers for the other team – quite literally.

    Then one night after a big game, Samantha ends up in hospital after an accident and Deena’s heart follows her there as well. However, when the girls are chased by a serial killer considered to have died after attacking somebody a few days before, they realise that something may not be quite right. They try to convince the local authorities, but as often happens in these kinds of films, nobody believes them. So, after Simon (Fred Hechinger) and Kate (Julia Rehwald) get involved, they formulate a plan to survive the night being chased by the town’s supernatural forces.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZK2PqLWpI

    Fear Street Part 1: 1994 may very well give its audience exactly what they may be expecting, but that may be its strongest and weakest point. Besides all the gore and the occasional swear, Fear Street may have been able to play to a younger audience instead of those adults who are nostalgic for this era of horror. Because of the ways things were back then, slashers of the Nineties which in turn were inspired by slashers of the 80’s all felt like a cheap formulaic thrill and Fear Street is no different.

    There’s plenty of blood and guts for horror fans, an easy set up to bring a group of teens together and there’s even a chance for some sexy teen situations. If it didn’t knowingly go for a pastiche of horror movies from nearly 30 years ago then it could have easily been written off. However, the thing that may grip the audience is the connection to the other movies which is teased at the end. So, we’ll have to see how Part 2: 1978 and Part 3: 1666 play out.