Film and TV Reviews and Podcasts
Unlike her betrothed kaiju’s debut in 1954’s Godzilla, Mothra doesn’t offer much in the way of social commentary. There are offhand references to atomic bomb testing and radiation. But it’s all but cast aside in favor of island natives chanting Mothra into life to rescue captured one-foot tall fairies. It’s an hour’s worth of setup for the reveal of a monster that, frankly, doesn’t have as engaging a reason for the destruction she lays out.
The US version of King Kong vs Godzilla is certainly a less piecemeal repurposing of its Japanese original than Godzilla, King of the Monsters was to 1954’s Godzilla. Instead, the film plays into the spectator sport aspect of this monumental confrontation. Bringing Godzilla into color film and taking Kong to Japan to do battle with him, King Kong vs Godzilla, while over the top in its silliness at times, provides a worthy payoff to the hour (and then some) of set up and contrivances to get these two monsters to duke it out.
Backed by data, archival footage, and filled with vibrantly animated visual aids, All In gives the viewer the knowledge needed for its call to action to fight voter suppression while also being eye-opening to the rampant practices occurring today.
Love, Guaranteed doesn’t feel as tepid as you might expect from its formulaic approach. The film has a fair amount of charm that makes for a sweet and inoffensive way to spend 90 minutes headlined by two pleasant actors with plenty of chemistry. To that end, Love, Guaranteed serves a distinct purpose and sometimes that’s all we need in the art we consume.
In this episode, Tiny and I review the newly released documentaries Desert One and Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump. We also discuss AMC Theaters’ reopening, Tenet’s upcoming release, and The Stand CBS All-Access release date announcement. Note: This episode was recorded before news broke of Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing. We will cover it in the next episode.
Through its unique narrative effect, I’m Thinking of Ending Things creates an abstract tapestry of human relationships that runs the gamut from the darkest corners of romantic encounters to the most idealistic and fantastical movielike romances. The result is a relentless descent into multiple facets of human relationships that proves to be gripping from the word go and does not let up.
Son of Kong’s light-hearted tone, while enjoyable, does little to elevate the weak script. Little Kong’s action sequences do get the job done fairly well. Ultimately though, the lack of substance to the storyline of this sequel is its downfall. You’ll find little to latch onto and even with a short runtime (an hour and ten minutes), the lack of a clear plot drags the movie to a crawl. There are more complete monster movies available. Son of Kong leaves little to admire.
Tesla doesn’t seem to know what kind of biopic it wants to be. On one hand, it attempts the recent trend of having a character break the 4th wall to infuse cheap modern humor into an otherwise stuffy narrative. And on the other hand, well, it’s a stuffy narrative about the trials of tribulations of Nikola Tesla. Unfortunately, the film is a dud on both of those fronts. It leaves its audience with a dull, lifeless recounting of Tesla’s life that doesn’t seem too concerned about or focused on much of its subject. Meanwhile, the humor feels forced and falls flat every time.
King Kong maintains itself as a strong early example of both an adventure film and a monster spectacle picture. Though the effects are as dated as one would expect from a film from its era, there’s more substance to King Kong than meets the eye.
Mixing a unique throwback vampire aesthetic with a modern psychological horror bend, Climate of the Hunter guides its audience through the paces of its macabre story in a way that will keep you engaged throughout. The film weaves its tale of horror through the story of two women at a family cabin who are competing for the attention (and potential affection) of a man from their past who has returned after a long absence. As their interactions with him heat up, the tension between the sisters bubbles up and his true intentions are called into question.
Since it’s poorly repurposing such a fantastic Japanese film, much (if not all) of Godzilla, King of the Monsters feels like a waste of time meant to dumb down a good story for an American audience.
Making its world premiere at Indy Film Fest 2020, HUM is a cerebral dance through an ethereal landscape of grief, regret, and the doubt that’s cast by overwhelming existential uncertainty.
Currently screening virtually at Indy Film Fest 2020, The Last Christmas Party takes a vérité approach to its telling of intersecting romantic dramas playing out over one college Christmas party. Through three central couples, the film examines meaty relationship quandaries such as casual vs serious dating status, who’s really in love with who, and how individual decisions can wreak havoc on long-term relationships. The Last Christmas Party brings these elements together to form a worthy and contemplative entry in the tried and true subcategory of film that is the one night existential crossroads movie.
In the latest installment of our Ebert’s Great Movies Review Series, our contributor and friend Ben Sears joins me to discuss the Yasujirō Ozu masterpiece Tokyo Story (1953) and Sidney Lumet’s prescient satire Network (1976) from Ebert’s “Great Movies” list. We also chat about Indy Film Fest, currently underway virtually, Ben’s thoughts on Yes, God, Yes and more.
Released just six months after 1954’s original Godzilla film, Godzilla Raids Again is not nearly as well-executed and nuanced as its predecessor. However, there is a lot of fun to be had in this movie and, in at least one case, it actually eclipses the original.
The Obsessive Viewer 