Extremely Wicked Shockingly Evil and Vile - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Directed by Joe Berlinger

Screenplay by Michael Werwie based on “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy” by Elizabeth Kloepfer

Starring Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jeffrey Donovan, Jim Parsons, John Malkovich

A curious set of events befell me as I undertook this assignment to review Joe Berlinger’s “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” which debuts on Netflix on May 3 and opened the 2019 Phoenix Film Festival. We were invited to our press screening knowing that we were going to be interviewing Mr. Berlinger and as I watched the film unfold, I couldn’t help but repress a smile.

Zac Efron’s performance as Ted Bundy, the infamous serial killer who was finally executed in 1989, was electrifying. I knew, instinctively that it was Efron who was performing, but he was in such command of his performance that I was in awe. His performance wasn’t filled with a set of hijinks. There was something much more sinister afoot and it is a completely different role for him.

When we sat down with Mr. Berlinger, and you can read our interview with him, he confirmed what I suspected to be the case: that “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is a sadistic, dark comedy, and yet, there is very little on screen violence.

You might ask me when you see me in the corridors of a theatre why that was an important distinction for me to make. And I’ll tell you it’s because this is not Ted Bundy’s story. This is, in fact, Liz’s story about how they first met in Washington State and their romance blossomed. She remained by Ted’s side as he went from jail to jail to, finally prison in Florida.

Efron could not have pulled off his performance without the help of Lily Collins as Liz Kendall. When they were on screen together, you could easily see why they would have made the perfectly normal couple. Her composure throughout the entire ordeal is something I’ve only seen on a politician’s face when they realize they’ve made a mistake, but won’t or can’t admit it. Collins evoked a very quiet, personal fear that matched Efron’s controlled command.

It was rather funny to see Efron come unglued during his trial. A law student and extremely well versed, his trial in Florida, presided by Judge Edward Cowart, Bundy went toe to toe with the judge. It was interesting to see the trial from afar, not necessarily through Liz’s point of view, but that of the public’s point of view where, Liz blended in with the rest of America. Bundy’s trial was the first to be nationally televised in 1989.

Performances aside, I can understand the reaction from the critics at Sundance. “Extremely Wicked” is a lot to take in. But, this film is a commentary on the state of media in this country and our obsession with “if it bleeds, it leads.”

That’s why it was almost heartbreaking for me to hear Malkovich recite Cowart’s statement during Bundy’s sentencing. (Before seeing the film, I had not heard that speech, so it was a fresh, raw experience.) Brandon Trost’s (“Can You Ever Forgive Me”) cinematography during that scene really enhances just how powerful that interaction was.

The former black listed screenplay from fellow Wisconsinite, Michael Werwie sat in a desk somewhere collecting dust until, just like in the movie, someone’s people called their people to call other people to make this deal happen. And it so happens that it landed in director Joe Berlinger’s lap. Mr. Berlinger is known for being an award winning documentarian, and in fact, then Mr. Werwie’s script was brought to his attention, he was already working on the Ted Bundy documentary, “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.” In fact that documentary premiered on Netflix the same day that “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” premiered at Sundance earlier this year and makes for an excellent companion piece.

Mr. Berlinger’s documentary background was perfectly suited for “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” both as a black comedy and a social satire on the state of media today, 20 years after the Bundy’s trial.

As the film rolled in the Cine Capri at the Harkins Scottsdale 101, with a capacity crowd, I realized just how true Joe Berlinger’s film rings. It took a compelling performance from the entire cast, but it was much more than that. This is one of the better-nuanced dramas I’ve seen this year.

3 out of 4 stars

Hail Satan? - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

The documentary ‘Hail Satan?’ triggers heaping doses of curiosity and anxiety

Directed by:  Penny Lane

Starring:  Lucien Greaves and Jex Blackmore

“Hail Satan?” – It’s January 2013 in Tallahassee, Fla., and a man lounges in a living room during the middle of the day and calls a local ABC affiliate about a state capital rally by The Satanic Temple.  

The Satanic Temple?

Two women sit close by, but the camera cuts to another man walking upstairs dressed in a black cape and hefty goat horns protruding from his head.  One of the women then draws “I love Satan” (with a heart sketched in place of the word “love”) on white poster board.

Admittedly, that particular moment of director Penny Lane’s documentary purposely feels like a surreal comedy, something out of “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014), because what exactly is happening here?  

“Hail Satan?” is not a mockumentary.  Not at all, and The Satanic Temple is a sincere organization.  Still, ordinary people in polite society making matter-of-fact comments about satanic demonstrations – with probably grocery shopping or kids’ soccer practice also shoehorned into the day – can catch moviegoers off-guard and deliver heaping doses of curiosity and anxiety with a pinch of skepticism.  

As the rest of Lane’s intriguing work plays out over 95 minutes, skepticism quickly disappears, curiosity rises and anxiety falls, although not completely.  

Lucien Greaves is completely all-in with The Satanic Temple.  He is the co-founder of the international group out of Salem, Mass., but in just a few years, several other chapters form, including ones in Santa Cruz, Chicago, Atlanta, and also Arizona.  

Soft-spoken, gracious and unassuming, Greaves took the mantle of spokesperson, because he “wanted to be sure that Satanism was properly represented.”    

Well, Lane captures b-roll of some bizarre occult-like ceremonies in which nude women choke on red wine, nude men place pig heads on stakes and others sport pentagrams on their midriffs, while various speakers and onlookers cheer, “Hail Satan!”  

These images, however, tell a small portion of The Satanic Temple’s story and Greaves’ vision, as its members frequently dive into political issues and confront religious organizations that blur the lines between church and state.  Without jumping into the specifics (in order to avoid spoiling the film’s surprises), they peacefully argue their political viewpoints in Little Rock, Phoenix and other spots around the country. The Satanic Temple does craft controversies and cause caustic uproars, due to its name and beliefs and also the members’ physical appearances.  Opposing reactions seem to be universal. Just imagine…

These fundamental and very public disagreements frequently become awkward and entertaining, as two very different viewpoints face one another in the same physical spaces.  Additionally, for those who disdain the push of religion into the public sectors (like in school classrooms or on state government property), you might find yourself siding with the Satanists, especially when confronted with a binary choice.  

For those who embrace religion within our government institutions, “Hail Satan?” is not your movie, but everyone can learn a lot about modern-day Satanism through the Temple’s community activism and Lane’s one-on-one interviews with its accessible supporters who follow The Seven Tenets.  

In fact, The Satanic Temple’s first tenant says, “One should strive to act with compassion and empathy towards all creatures in accordance with reason.”

That sounds awfully positive.  This is coming from a satanic organization, right?  Yes, and cue curiosity and anxiety again and again.

(3/4 stars)   

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

El Chicano - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

El Chicano

Directed by Ben Hernandez Bray

Screenplay by Ben Hernandez Bray and Joe Carnahan

Starring Raul Castillo, Aimee Garcia, Jose Pablo Cantillo, David Castaneda, Marco Rodriguez, George Lopez

If you’ve been reading me for any length of time, you know that I seek out independent cinema where I can find stories that push boundaries. Stories that challenge us to think outside our comfort zones and down-to-earth characters that I can potentially relate to.

“El Chicano” is one of those stories. The film isn’t really interested in what you think about. Nor does it care that you won’t agree with its politics. The story centers around three main situations: the east side of Los Angeles, a cop who tries to solve his brother’s murder and an avenging vigilante.

Bray’s story, based on his memoirs about the death of his brother uses the gang elements to build the meat on the story. It is a detective story, with Raul Castillo in the role of Pedro Hernandez. He’s a stand-up detective who will fight to protect his family, both blood and blue. His partner, Detective Martinez (Jose Pablo Cantillo) is the perfect foil. He is constantly reminded that his street smarts from Chicago won’t necessarily work in Los Angeles, but he definitely can hold his own.

Joe Carnahan will be familiar to audiences for his film “Narc,” as well as “Smokin’ Aces.” He co-wrote the screenplay with Bray. The story is steeped in Mexican history and revenge became a common theme. The level of violence in the movie didn’t shock me, but it was unrestrained. The opening scene set in the past, when Pedro, Diego and “Shotgun” (David Castaneda as the adult “Shotgun”) were kids.

They were witness to El Chicano’s first appearance. The level of detail that went into creating the myth in the story and on the screen was impressive for this level of production. The touches that were added heighten the tension and the excitement, even though the narrative projects itself.

That’s the beauty and the drawback of the story – it does write itself, but it seems to paint itself into a corner as well. We know how this story is going play out. It manages to set itself apart by having well rounded characters.

I did feel that the story leaned a little too heavily on the Mexican history of gringos taking the land that is now California, Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico. It plays into the gangster elements just a bit too easily but it works because of the characters who carry its part of the story. The violence was comical because it was so over the top. It reminded me of Mark Goldblatt’s “The Punisher” where the motives behind that film’s Frank Castle matches Pedro’s motives. It also reminded me of a smaller film with similar themes and characters from 1993 called “Street Knight,” featuring Jeff Speakman and Marco Rodriguez who plays Jesus in this film.

Outside of Pedro, Jesus is one of the most interesting characters. His character isn’t wooden or token; he has a depth that really gives credence to El Chicano. He also a plays a messianic character; not necessarily a deity, but a spiritual character that carries the history and serves as a medium between the culture and the events that unfold in the story. Rodriguez’s performance, though minimal should not be underestimated.

George Lopez has some very choice words as Captain Gomez. He’s also got the streetwise wisdom to back it up. It was a nice dramatic turn for this stand-up comedian, playing a father figure to Pedro. There is trust between the two characters, which probably stretches too many boundaries, but I bought into why their dynamic worked.

“El Chicano” works because of its characters and themes. It plays the violence card a bit too heavily handed. The myth works because of the characters that perpetuate it, not because of the myth itself.

2.5 out of 4 stars

Long Shot - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Long Shot

Dir: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Cinema has demonstrated many visions of love at first encounter, on first sight. When Forrest meets Jenny on the school bus in “Forrest Gump”, when Jack finds Rose gazing into the ocean in “Titanic”, or when Tony and Maria dance into one another’s lives in “Westside Story”; these examples display the complicated encounters of love in their romantic, tragic, and one-sided forms.

“Long Shot”, the new romantic-comedy from talented director Jonathan Levine, focuses on a first encounter of love between two unlikely people who have more in common than they actually realize. Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen are the two characters leading the charge into a tumultuous environment while trying to hold their newfound feelings intact. If you feel like you’ve seen this before, you have…still, “Long Shot” has a completely charming and raunchily hilarious heart that keeps its fairytale sensibilities in line.

Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is the Secretary of State for the United States, she is a born leader with a work ethic that keeps her one step ahead of her counterparts. Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a struggling investigative journalist, he is ambitious in the most reckless ways and impulsive in behavior that often gets him into trouble. Charlotte and Fred both attend a swanky party, their eyes meet across the dance floor and, for one of them, emotions blossom again. Charlotte, needing a speech writer, hires Fred and the two begin a worldwide political tour of private jets, fancy dinners, and lots of conversation.

What separates “Long Shot” from other romantic stories like them? Not much, but it does one thing that detaches it significantly from other rom-coms, it constructs a female character who possesses all the power, in all its forms, in the relationship. It’s surprisingly refreshing to see this dynamic work itself out between the characters, and for it to remain throughout a majority of the film.

Charlize Theron is fantastic, without her this film would lose its charming and genuine portrayal of relationships when the cliched melodrama or the raunchy comedic elements take over. Seth Rogen may not be the most talented dramatic actor but he is offered a few quiet, contemplative moments where he shines. But this film belongs to Ms. Theron, a force of screen presence but also a complimentary performer for those who share the space with her. Ms. Theron’s character is the smartest, strongest, and most confident character in the film. It creates an interesting dynamic for a film that starts in the residence of white supremacists spouting hate rhetoric and trying to convince newcomers to brand themselves with hate symbols. It’s establishing a world where even the smartest, strongest, most confident female character would still be looked upon as a long shot for every position men feel entitled to, which is sadly still not to far from the reality we are currently living.

The narrative writes itself into somewhat of a corner, as the fairytale of the relationship builds towards a reality that is more complicated to portray, more complicated when real life reveals its complex pathways. While it’s not completely unsatisfying, it does feel like the easiest, but also laziest, route towards a conclusion was taken in order to retain its foundation as a comedy.

“Long Shot” may not be the best first date film, but it may be the best third date film. You’ll get the romantic sentiments while also challenging how far your significant other’s comedy threshold is for uneasy situations and sometimes crude conversation. It’s a film that has charm and heart at its core, a film that tries its very best to have you leave the theater with the same feelings you might feel when you encounter that special someone across the room.

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

The White Crow - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

The White Crow

Directed by Ralph Fiennes

Screenplay by David Hare based on “Nureyev: The Life” by Julie Kavanagh

Starring Oleg Ivenko, Adele Exarchopoulos, Chulpan Khamatova, Ralph Fiennes, Alexey Morozov, Raphael Personnaz, Olivier Rabourdin, Sergei Polunin

You might hear someone say that there is no destiny. That we make up our own story as we go along. That is true to a certain extent, Our stories are informed and influenced by external factors, yet what makes us “unique” is how we allow those influences to guide us. At the end of the day, the human spirit is an indomitable one.

This brings us to Rudolf Nureyev, the real-life subject of Ralph Fiennes’ latest film, “The White Crow.” Nureyev was Russia’s greatest gift to ballet. He was a troubled soul though, which is the subject of David Hare’s adaptation of Julie Kavanagh’s “Nureyev: The Life.”

Fiennes offers us a minor glimpse in to the beauty and tragedy of this young ballet dancer who dreams of making it big one day. The stage is Paris, in the early 1960’s. Young Nureyev has been granted a chance by the State to study with the best ballet instructors. We are treated to his early failures, but what interested me in Oleg Ivenko’s performance is how committed and how driven he remained to his studies.

In fact, early in the film his inexperience is mentioned in relation to his age. He is so fiercely sure that he can advance in the classes that he pushes himself to the breaking point. After a falling out with his assigned teacher, he demands to be paired with the famous instructor, Alexander Ivanovich Pushkin, played by Fiennes in a supporting role.

Pushkin pushes Nureyev to his limit, but doesn’t necessarily provide a motive. When we first see Nureyev dance in Pushkin’s class, the cinematography is reflective, using the mirrors to allow us to see Nureyev from Pushkin’s vantage point. This vantage point, which is beautifully staged, allows us to see the flawed, human Nureyev.

Nureyev’s troubled journey is not merely set in 1961 Paris. Fiennes and cinematographer Mike Eley transition us between the young adult and the child, Nureyev. The unique composition of the images that represent his childhood stand in stark contrast to the determined dancer to be.

It is singly, perhaps, some of the best cinematography I’ve seen in awhile.

Sadly, David Hare’s screenplay doesn’t completely do this film or Nureyev’s true story justice as some of the transitionary drama gets bogged down through several trysts as well as an ongoing adventure to explore Paris and make friends outside of the school, and their Russian handlers.

We know, instinctually, why the story is being told, though it feels almost like we’re being guided through a museum of important events in his life, much like a gallery. The aforementioned transitions help to carry the emotional impact of the film, leading to an emotionally satisfying payoff, rivaling some of the best Le Carre and Clancy adaptations we’ve seen about Soviet Russia in that era.

It isn’t until Pushkin asks Nureyev a pivotal question, that we are able to look past the surface of Nureyev or his drive. That we are able to look past ourselves.

“What story do we wish to tell?”

It’s a very powerful conviction to be able to answer it the way Nureyev ultimately does and the rest is truly history.

2.75 out of 4

UglyDolls - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

‘UglyDolls’ offers cute music and positive messages but through a discounted narrative  

Directed by:  Kelly Asbury

Written by:  Alison Peck

Starring:  Kelly Clarkson, Janelle Monae, Ice-T, Pitbull, Blake Shelton, Wanda Sykes, Gabriel Iglesias, and Jane Lynch

“UglyDolls” – “It’s not easy being green.” – Kermit the Frog

Moxy (Kelly Clarkson), a rejected doll from a toy factory, proudly sports pink fur and three teeth and lives with her fellow oddities in Uglyville, a coastal community, complete with rugged, steep peaks made from cardboard boxes.  Her friends Uglydog (Pitbull), Babo (Gabriel Iglesias) and Ox (Blake Shelton) love Uglyville, and Moxy appreciates her home too, but she dreams of becoming the best doll-friend to a little girl in The Big World.  

Ox, the town mayor, wishes that Moxy would just enjoy her current digs and opines, “It doesn’t get better than this,” but she thinks that Out There could be better and leads her polyester pals on a passage to potential paradise.  

Director Kelly Asbury’s film offers some awfully important messages for younger kids.  You see, his dolls do not sport Barbie’s perfect blonde hair or G.I. Joe’s bulging biceps.  Instead these squatty, Muppet-like, huggable creations mimic the misfit toys’ circumstances in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964), except the 2019 group of playthings carry more optimism than their North Pole counterparts.

With a cast that includes Clarkson, Pitbull, Shelton, and Janelle Monae, Asbury’s picture absolutely calls for light fun through music, and “UglyDolls” certainly hits some high notes, especially with Clarkson and Monae leading “Today’s the Day” and “All Dolled Up”, respectively.  Five year-olds will munch on popcorn and bob their heads to the upbeat beats, and parents will toe-tap as well. In fact, the aforementioned “UglyDolls” numbers are more memorable than anything performed in the overhyped “Mary Poppins Returns” (2018).

On the other hand, after its catchy tunes and positive messages, playtime with “UglyDolls” is over, as the plot devices - to (hopefully) carry Moxy to her higher purpose - take shortcuts.  The film just jogs in place during the second and third acts. Moxy only needs to make one stop at The Institute of Perfection before reaching her dreams, but she and her buds need to cope – seemingly forever - with a whiny brat named Lou (Nick Jonas) and a 200-doll-clique of perfect-looking figures and figurines who poke fun at our colorful furballs, solely based on their looks.

Asbury sends the audience to this imperfect world of perfection to sit through forced, inane conflicts started by Lou for about 50 minutes of the film’s 87-minute runtime.  Despite Lou’s best push into tyranny, he’s about as threatening as an inch worm’s impact on 5pm freeway traffic, and his threatening Gauntlet challenge - at the picture’s crescendo - turns into a familiar and tired “The Hunger Games” (2012) gimmick.  

This critic was starving for on-screen inspiration, but these one-dimensional “Monsters, Inc.” (2001) lookalikes are not given a whole lot to do.  Their new ally Mandy (Monae) does give the gang a makeover – so they feel better about themselves - but that conflicts with one of the movie’s chief points:  be proud of who you are.

Maybe kids won’t notice the irony or forget it entirely, especially with “All Dolled Up” blasting through movie theatre speakers.  Maybe they won’t question that the town is named Uglyville, but everyone seems accepting of their appearances. Maybe the film is just an hour and a half distraction.  

Well, it’s not easy being green…or pink, but neither is sitting – with a critical eye - through “UglyDolls”.

(2/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Dogman - Guest Movie Review by Jose Ignacio Castaneda

Dogman

Directed by: Matteo Garrone

Starring: Marcello Fonte, Edoardo Pesce and Alida Baldari Calabria

“Dogman” follows the muddied tracks of the subdued dog groomer Marcello (Marcello Fonte) and his complicated relationship with the neighborhood brute, Simoncino (Edoardo Pesce).

Marcello carries out a peaceful existence as a mild-mannered divorced dad who owns the neighborhood dog-grooming store in a dreary seaside Italian town. He competes in grooming competitions, plays soccer with the other neighborhood shopkeepers, sees his daughter on occasion and shares his pasta dinner with his dog. In spite of his daily activities, Marcello is laced with undertones of crime due to his volatile relationship with Simoncino.

Simoncino is the surly local bully who commits petty crimes and constantly harasses the nearby shopkeepers. His flimsy relationship with Marcello is built upon the fact that Simoncino can continuously bum cocaine off of him. In order to gain Simoncino’s favor, Marcello constantly rolls over into nefarious schemes involving drugs and theft.

This rickety friendship arrives at a breaking point when Simoncino forcefully asks Marcello to give him the keys to his shop in order to break through the wall and ransack the jewelry store next door. During this discussion, Marcello must decide whose approval he wishes to garner more: Simoncino’s or his fellow shop-keeping friends.

“Dogman” is bathed in a beautiful and somber style that parallels that of “Children of Men” (2006). With it being set in a rundown seaside town in its off-season, the film immediately immerses you in a setting that invokes a sense of melancholy nostalgia.

The panning shots in the film are extremely smooth and they capture the essence of the story that the film is trying to tell. Matteo Garrone does an amazing job at exploring the characters through their actions, instead of exposition or dialogue. The characters unfold frame-by-frame with every beat and step the actors take.

Both Marcello Fonte and Edoardo Pesce gave fantastic performances through their vastly different characters. Before any dialogue is exchanged, the difference can quietly be seen in Marcello’s hunched and lanky posture and Simoncino’s meaty and barbaric stance. The contrasts in their separate characters helped evolve their combined relationship on-screen.

Marcello and Simoncino formed an unlikely pair in a somewhat unwilling friendship, but they played off of each other extremely well.

This Italian feature slowly explores a relationship through a dark, bleak lens. It unveils the underbelly of a sleepy coastal town and the limits of a seemingly complaisant dog groomer. 2/4 stars

Marvel Cinematic Universe's Movie Rankings by Jeff Mitchell

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Movies, Ranked #22 to #1

With “Avengers: Endgame” selling out just about every movie theatre in the Valley during its opening weekend, it feels like the perfect time to take a few moments and look back at the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and its 22 films.  After painstaking consideration, here is my ranking of the MCU films, #22 to #1. I hope that you enjoy this stroll down Movie-Memory Lane and, of course, “Endgame”!

22. “Iron Man 2” (2010) – The world knows that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is Iron Man, so new threats like Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) do not need to peek under our hero’s red and gold helmet.  Unfortunately, the script peaks during the first act – on a Monaco race track - and slides into surprising boredom for the rest of the 2-hour 4-minute runtime. Tony also gets drunk and feels sorry for himself, and after sitting through this movie, you might too.

21. “Thor: The Dark World” (2013) – A perfectly serviceable setup between the Dark Elves’ leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) plays third fiddle to the God of Thunder’s suddenly tired relationship with Earth’s Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and endless, silly portal jumps between the Nine Realms.  Thankfully, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) shines bright sarcasm and charisma.  Where would this movie be without Loki?

20. “Iron Man 3” (2013) – Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin reveal is downright hilarious, but it also might be the most disappointing moment in the MCU’s catalog.  The rise of Tony Stark’s new adversary Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is no laughing matter though. Killian puts up a threatening fight, but this Iron Man story just isn’t big enough for the MCU’s most celebrated star.  The film actually works best when Tony hangs out with a 10-year-old kid (Ty Simpkins) during a sizable portion of the second act.

19. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017) – Lightning does not strike twice, as the tight-knit wonder of James Gunn’s marvelously-kooky “Guardians of the Galaxy” somewhat disappears in a sea of noisy, bombastic excess in the sequel.  Sure, it’s a joy to experience the Guardians cracking smart-alecky one-liners again and again, but the celestial plot between father (Kurt Russell) and son (Chris Pratt) and the music – which was so memorable in the first film – do not quite resonate.

18. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) – When one of Tony’s programmed Iron Man-like androids – Ultron (James Spader) - becomes sentient, it quickly surmises that the human race should be eliminated.  Geez, just like that? Did Ultron binge-watch a season of “Paradise Hotel”? Well, our beloved Avengers – who pick up a couple more heroes along the way – return to the big screen to fight this modern-day terminator, but its ultimate plan to wipe out humanity feels – quite frankly - half-baked at best.

17. “The Incredible Hulk” (2008) – The old adage that a movie is only as strong as its villain certainly applies here, as The Hulk (Edward Norton) faces Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) who turns into another ferocious, green monster known as Abomination.  With an opponent as powerful as The Hulk, their mono e mono struggle delivers visceral comic book-movie theatre. The problem is that the CGI – as revolutionary as it was in 2008 - had a long way to go to completely suspend disbelief.

16. “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011) – Captain America’s (Chris Evans) goody two shoes persona feels a bit cornball, and standing in a long concession stand line with a dead cellphone battery carries more excitement than the film’s WWII battle scenes.  The Tesseract, however, proves to be an intriguing everlasting battery for Hydra Commander Johann Schmidt’s (Hugo Weaving) war machines, and learning his true identity is a big payoff.

15. (Tie) “Ant-Man” (2015) and “Ant-Man and The Wasp” (2018) – Paul Rudd might be the perfect actor to match the breezy tone of “Ant-Man”, and the 2015 movie – at the time - immediately vaulted to the top of the MCU’s funniest films.  Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) hires Scott Lang (Rudd) for a heist and lends him his patented Ant-Man suit for cover, and the new protégé also hopes to start dating the good doctor’s daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly).  Three years later, Dr. Pym, Hope and Lang try to rescue Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) from a bizarre micro universe called the Quantum Realm in “Ant-Man and The Wasp”. Who is van Dyne? Just Dr. Pym’s wife and Hope’s mom.  Whoa. Can they do this? It’s no small feat.

13. “Doctor Strange” (2016) – Benedict Cumberbatch’s identity in “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) was a baffling mystery, so it’s fitting that he plays one of the MCU’s most puzzling protagonists.  Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) loses his ability to perform surgery but discovers his higher calling as a sorcerer. The movie is not entirely enchanting, but Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, and Cumberbatch certainly keep us mesmerized.

12. “Captain Marvel” (2019) – Vers (Brie Larson), a Kree warrior, is captured by some Skrulls, crashes on Earth and forms a partnership with S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).  Set in the 1990s, directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have a blast with old music references and poking fun at out-of-date technology. Vers and Fury share plenty of buddy-comedy chemistry, and Larson proudly stands tall in the MCU’s first female-led superhero film.

11. “Thor” (2011) – Director Kenneth Branagh helms Marvel’s first cosmic movie and skillfully balances Shakespearean themes and some welcomed, well-placed wit.  Thor’s father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) banishes his son to Earth. Now, Thor must find his way without Asgard’s creature comforts, and Chris Hemsworth’s likable God-out-of-space-water routine gels with co-stars Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard.

10. “Black Panther” (2018) – If Dorothy ended up in Wakanda instead of Oz, she never would’ve tapped her ruby slippers to return to Kansas.  Wakanda feels like a 24th century paradise, and Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) appears to be its new king, but not without challengers.  Director Ryan Coogler rightfully chose Michael B. Jordan – and the two worked together on “Fruitvale Station” (2013) and “Creed” (2015) – as T’Challa’s/Black Panther’s fiercest rival, appropriately named Killmonger.

9. “Spider-man: Homecoming” (2017) – Okay, “Homecoming” is the third big-screen incarnation of the famous wallcrawler since 2002, but with Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) tie to Tony Stark and the Avengers, this MCU wrinkle breathes new life into the character.  Holland might have been 21 in 2017, but he convincingly channels his inner 15 year-old on the big screen. The high school banter feels authentic, and so does Michael Keaton’s baddie turn as the Vulture. Keaton should star in everything.

8. “The Avengers” (2012) – Writer/director Joss Whedon threw seven superheroes together (including Nick Fury) from previous films into a super-movie that could have turned into a cinematic disaster. Instead, he wrote a cohesive story and delicately shoehorned all seven enormous characters into one tightly-crafted picture which signaled green lights for even bigger and better MCU collaborations.  Yes, “The Avengers” proved that Marvel’s grand experiment worked.

7. “Iron Man” (2008) – Who was your favorite superhero in 2007?  Iron Man, perhaps? Except for some committed, diehard comic book fans, it’s not likely, but director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. changed all of that in 2008.  “Iron Man” was not Downey Jr.’s comeback movie. He starred in “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005) and “Zodiac” (2007), among other films, but “Iron Man” made him a transcendent star.  Who knew that Tony Stark’s “I am Iron Man” declaration would permanently intertwine Downey Jr. to the character as well?

6. “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) – Chris Hemsworth showed flashes of his sense of humor in the two previous Thor films, but director Taika Waititi serves up a big screen stage for continuous laughs and smiles for 2 hours and 10 minutes.  “Thor: Ragnarok” plays like a comedy more than an action/adventure piece, and Waititi and Hemsworth set the tone right from the get-go, as Thor awkwardly spins in chains in front of a demon-like creature named Surtur.  Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston, and Jeff Goldblum are having a blast. We are too!

5. “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) – No spoilers.  Just see this movie!

4. “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) – When Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have a falling out, the other Avengers take sides, and they don’t discuss their differences over coffee and donuts.  They fight. Avenger against Avenger. Friend against friend. How could this happen? Well, a specific event from a previous MCU film fuels Zemo's (Daniel Bruhl) bloodlust, and his discovery of a deeper conflict leads to a vicious, emotional fight between the Avengers’ biggest titans.  

3. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) – Joe and Anthony Russo turned the MCU on its head by delivering a surprising and spectacular spy movie in “Captain America: Winter Soldier”.   Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) discover that the nefarious Hydra has been growing like a “parasite” for decades in plain sight!  Cap and Widow – along with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – aim to cut off Hydra’s head and tentacles, but when you cannot trust anyone, watch your back.

2. “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) - When five ruffians band together to deliver a mysterious orb for an astronomical profit, they discover the meaning of friendship.  Director James Gunn’s highly entertaining, wholly unique and goofy action film is accompanied by a splendid, stylish 70s soundtrack that operates like another surreal character.  Walking out of the theatre after “Guardians of the Galaxy”, this critic felt the same dazzled, bowled-over haze from a very different movie: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981).

1. “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) - For a decade, the MCU has been building towards a two-part Avengers finale, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo do not disappoint.  In Marvel’s 19th installment, Thanos (Josh Brolin), a purple, eight-foot titan, treks across various galaxies to collect six coveted Infinity Stones.  Why?  To wipe out half the population of the universe, but the Avengers aim to stop him.  The Russo brothers construct their movie like a treasure hunt, mix densely-packed blends of action, intrigue and humor, and the on-screen events conjure a certain magic by always keeping us present during every single, individual moment throughout the 2-hour 29-minute operatic runtime.   

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Red Joan - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Red Joan

Directed by Trevor Nunn

Written by Lindsay Shapero based on the novel by Jennie Rooney

Starring Stephen Campbell Moore, Sophie Cookson, Tom Hughes, Ben Miles, Tereza Srbova, Judi Dench

As I watched Trevor Nunn’s (Lady Jane) “Red Joan” unfold, I was uniquely aware of my childhood. I grew up during the Cold War, but not once did I really think about how that affected my childhood. I was completely engrossed in science fiction, though I suppose now that I think about that, the ‘Star Wars’ race really was a reflection of what had come before me.

It is important to understand how the era you grew up in, influences how you react to modern events. I’d often hear my grandparents say “kids these days.” I’m not necessarily thinking about that, but I am thinking about Joan Stanley, played by Judi Dench. The story, written by Lindsay Shapero based on the novel of the same name by Jennie Rooney, transitions between modern times where the elderly Joan Stanley is arrested on charges of treason.

As the story opens, Shapero’s story flashes back to Joan’s younger days at Cambridge. The younger Joan, played by Sophie Cookson, is a bit of a milquetoast character in that she is an ideologue. Her passion was physics, but so much of the early part of the film focuses on how the male-dominated world perceived her.

She eventually comes to the attention of Sonya (Tereza Srbova) and her brother Leo (Tom Hughes). The “recruitment” is subtle in terms of the story, but the films and the allegiance song suggests that her journey was anything but subtle.

As with many of the best spy movies, “Red Joan” works overtime to make sure that the protagonist’s ideologies are cemented in our consciousness, a critical component of the modern times as the interrogation serves to try to break that.

In the past, Max (Stephen Campbell Moore), is the lead scientist working to build the atomic bomb. His character adds a lot of interesting insight in to how the British were stuck between the ‘yanks’ and the Russians with the technology and he confided in Joan. Leo (Tom Hughes) was trying to court her and coerce her in to giving information over to the Russians.

The subtleties are still present as the story tries to build a romance, but ultimately the story isn’t interested in that context as it progresses forward in time: the more we learn about Joan’s history, her loss of innocence and the complexities of treason, the less interested we become in her character’s journey.

It’s a shame too because there’s so much detail about how diplomacy, and the struggle for peace that gets lost in the background. The character of Joan is believable, but it’s the constant use of time shifting to tell the story and give us a perspective that gets lost.

Nick (Ben Miles) plays Joan’s son. Continuing in the family lineage, he is a powerful individual in the government, his character a counter for Max. That balance in the character restores some of the motive behind Joan’s path. However, by the time we get there, her story is so convoluted that we aren’t really interested in the why’s, only the how’s.

Ms. Dench’s performance is fine for this type of story as was Ms. Cookson’s, something that salvaged the film for me. The story really got bogged down in transitioning constantly that the details became irrelevant.

As those details sunk in it reminded me of just how unique the passage of time becomes, our sense of that time and our place within that time. We try to defend our actions of the past in a time where life moves so fast that the modern, older versions of ourselves struggle to prove that what we’ve done was honorable to a younger generation that has become intolerant.

“Red Joan” had the power to connect generations, but it gets stuck in its own ideology and never really lets that ideology sing.

1.5 out of 4 stars

Judi Dench's Top Five Performances by Ben Cahlamer

The first time I was aware of Dame Judi Dench, who stars in the upcoming “Red Joan”, was in the 1995 James Bond film, “GoldenEye.” There was something charming about her, arresting even, as she carried a dry sense of humor and a directness about her.

In fact, her prominence because of James Bond caused me to seek out her other films. I am still working through her extensive filmography, which started with 1964’s “The Third Secret” directed by Charles Crichton, while her appearances on British Television started as early as 1959.

Outside of James Bond, she perhaps more famous to British audiences for her work on the sitcom “As Time Goes By” from 1992 – 2005. She is a steadfast philanthropist and her work speaks volumes.

Here then are my five favourite performances from her long film career which spans over 50 years. “Red Joan” opens in Phoenix Friday, April 26.

5. “Iris” (2001, d. Richard Eyre) A difficult look at Alzheimer’s disease and its effect on a couple, Ms. Dench’s BAFTA – winning performance is touching to watch as well as difficult. Seeing someone deteriorate in front of the camera is never an easy thing, but her presence on the camera is a treat. Jim Broadbent and Kate Winslet were equally as engaging; Broadbent went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Winslet was nominated for Supporting Actress.

4. “Mrs. Brown” (1997, d. John Madden) Dench’s turn as the recently widowed Queen Victoria and her relationship with a servant, John Brown is the subject on this award-winning film. Billy Connolly played the eponymous Mr. Brown. The story follows their relationship until his death in 1883. The film is a technical marvel and supports the spectacular performances.

3. “Chocolat” (2000, d. Lasse Hallstrom) A romcom with a dramatic twist, “Chocolat” is the story of Vianne Rocher (Juliette Binoche), who emigrates to the fictional village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her son. Dench plays Amande one of the first to fall victim to Vianne’s antics. It is a heartfelt story with a sweet twist and not to be missed.

2. “Victoria & Abdul” (2017, d. Stephen Frears) In her second turn as Queen Victoria, Dench befriends Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) as he is charged with presenting her with a mohur (a gold coin) in honor of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. The story of the friendship between the two is based on a true story. Though the film was not as strong as it could have been, Dench’s performance as Queen Victoria is nothing short of amazing and is what makes the movie.

1. “Shakespeare in Love” (1998, d. John Madden) In her Academy Award Winning role as Queen Elizabeth I, Ms. Dench is absolutely electric in this romantic comedy that sees a romantic relationship between Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes.) The sharp and witty keeps us invested in Ms Dench’s small, however pivotal performance.

What’s your favorite Judi Dench film? Sound off on the Phoenix Film Festival’s social media pages. We would love to hear from you.

Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame

Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Tessa Thompson, Paul Rudd, and Josh Brolin

How do you say goodbye? It’s not a question we often think about in our everyday lives, but in cinema it’s a theme that is often explored, sometimes with intense emotion and depth of character. Remember Andy saying goodbye to his toys in “Toy Story 3”, the cowboy riding into the sunset in “Shane”, or the Paris scene in “Casablanca”; saying goodbye is hard, emotional, and sometimes complicated.

Almost one year ago, comic book movie fans were left stunned as 10 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe converged and ended with a question mark for the fates of their favorite superheroes in “Avengers: Infinity War”. It was a cinematic event, one of those pop culture happenings that people will recount in the future when asked when and where they watched the movie.

Now, the culmination of a film world, which took 11 years and spawned 22 films, prepares for a goodbye of sorts with “Avengers: Endgame”, an epic cinematic event that wraps up one long story with charming humor, an emotional heart, and cheer-worthy heroics.

The Avengers have been wounded. With one snap of his titanic fingers, Thanos (Josh Brolin) destroyed half of all humanity. Very soon after this catastrophic event, Captain America (Chris Evans), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are left scrambling for answers and on a quest to find Thanos to exact some revenge. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) are stranded in the depths of space, left starving and running out of air. The how and why of everything else after this introduction will be left spoiler-free.

The term “fan service” is often thrown around in conversations concerning influential films in pop culture. For those who may be worried about Marvel not committing towards giving fans everything they want with “Avengers: Endgame”, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. “Endgame” delivers 11 years’ worth of fan service throughout the course of the massive 3-hour long runtime, paying homage to the characters and films that have led towards this monumental culmination of heroics.

The first hour of the film is near perfect. Examining the relationships between our heroes but also the limited grasp they have with the normal world around them, that world where they can establish a sense of normalcy, and the joys associated, beyond the powers that have come to define them. It’s opportunity for these actors to shine, to display the complex emotions their characters have with themes of duty, servitude, and selflessness.

Robert Downey Jr., who has emotionally morphed throughout the journey as Ironman, and Chris Evans, who brings more insight than expected into a character who remains the steadfast compass of honorability for the Avengers, each shine bright in this early portion of the film. These two characters carry the heart of the story, and have throughout the course of these films. “Ironman”, with Downey’s foundation-setting performance, is still one of the best films of the entire franchise. One of the highlights of “Endgame” is watching Downey portray Tony Stark.

The second hour of the film is where much of the fan service takes over, unfortunately in some negative ways. “Endgame” develops a dense maze of plot devices, some that don’t always make the most sense, spanning over the course of the 11-year history of these stories. It’s overly convoluted, often silly in both humorous and puzzling ways, but its focus is clearly set on the fans that have taken into this journey for so many years. If so much passion and heart weren’t dedicated throughout the entire film, with character development specifically, this centerpiece narrative would unravel the first act completely; it’s a compliment to the skill from directors Anthony and Joe Russo that they have weaved this immense story so well.

Chris Hemsworth, who’s Thor has changed from a humdrum Shakespearean prototype into a witty and arrogant college jock of sorts, and Mark Ruffalo, who has always supplied a charm to the portrayal of the big green Hulk, are provided some scene stealing moments during this middle piece. These two characters compose most of the humor for “Endgame”. Still, these Marvel films have established the value of having humor within the narrative, it helps when watching a grown man turn into a massive angry monster or listening to a someone call themselves the “god of thunder”.

The finale returns to form, mostly accomplishing the challenging feat of tying everything back together, offering some of the brightest moments for our heroes to do what they do best, and giving fans exactly what they have waited for…a fitting goodbye to 11-years of humor, heart, and heroics that have come to define the Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Where do we go from here? I’m sure Marvel already has the next 11-years planned.

Monte’s Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

Little Woods - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

The crime film ‘Little Woods’ focuses on big American problems

Written and directed by: Nia DaCosta

Starring: Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale, and Lance Riddick

“Little Woods” – “You are so close.”

A few people say these exact words to Ollie (Tessa Thompson), but her probation officer (Lance Reddick) also adds, “Please stay out of trouble.”  

Her probation ends in eight days. 

Throughout her adult life, Ollie has emotionally and financially struggled in a small North Dakota town, a place that should be lapping the riches of the natural gas boom, but just about everyone we meet – including our heroine – looks exhausted. 

Exhausted from continuous turns of bad luck. 

Exhausted from the same self-inflicted mistakes. 

Exhausted from the lack of opportunities.

Exhausted from the past haunting the present.  

Ollie is an unenviable member of the working poor, and her criminal history originated out of necessity.  Her sister Deb (Lily James) suffers from missteps and trying circumstances too.  She’s unemployed and lives with her preteen son Johnny (Charlie Ray Bend) – the only known optimist (that she knows) within a hundred miles - in a camper that illegally resides on a big-box store parking lot.        

Ollie and Deb sit and rot in their miserable quandaries, but since they are sisters, they unfortunately share their troubles, and a messy sibling-history has formed emotional scar tissue and engorged vulnerabilities.  Now, with Ollie “so close” to freeing herself from her surroundings and invisible chains, Deb’s problems and horrible timing present her older sister with a near-impossible moral choice.  

The bleak financial environment in “Little Woods” feels as discouraging as the circumstances in “The Rider” (2018) and “Frozen River” (2008), and writer/director Nia DaCosta purposely chose a rural setting near the Canadian border.  DaCosta mentioned during a 2018 screening and Q&A that her picture centers around the inaccessibility of affordable and nearby health care and its effect on women.  

For instance, a clinic administrator mentions that without health insurance, a mother would have to fork over $8,000 to have a baby.  Meanwhile, in nearby Manitoba, the price tag would be dramatically less or perhaps nonexistent.  The fight for reproductive rights plays an important role in the story too.  While older men place legal binds on the said issue, Ollie and Deb are surrounded by uncooperative and threatening young blokes who infringe on their current spaces.

Landmines lurk everywhere, and Thompson and James are mesmerizing as the long-suffering sisters who repeatedly fail to avoid them.  Ollie needs emotional layers to hide her anxiety from those who could actually (and ironically) lend a hand, and although she properly conceals her true feelings from key, on-screen characters, the audience obviously sees the duality in Thompson’s gritty, nuanced performance.  Deb is a classic, younger-sibling screw-up who regularly reaches to Ollie for help and offers nothing but problems as payment.  Not unlike Ethan Hawke’s Hank in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007), Deb sports a magnet towards turmoil. 

“Little Woods” - DaCosta’s feature film debut - is a slow-burning crime film built on a foundation of big ideas and massive American problems, including one not mentioned in this review.  This talented writer/director is not “so close” to arriving on the big stage, because she proudly stands tall on it right now.

(3/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Teen Spirit - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Teen Spirit

Written and Directed by Max Minghella

Starring Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Zlatko Buric

Recently, a colleague posted a comment about how the style of movies changed in the 1970’s. The western was popular and started to fade away. The comment asked if there were any westerns made after the 1970’s that really struck a chord.

What amazed me about the commentary was that it missed the growth of the underdog story: characters who started on the down and out and rose to the challenge by the end of a 90-minute arc. Sure, “Rocky” is probably the best example of this, but comedies in the 1970’s and the 1980’s really focused on the underdog.

Max Minghella’s directorial debut, “Teen Spirit” is a call back to the types of comedies that I grew up with; the story is very obviously a call back to the reality TV shows like “Dancing With the Stars,” The Voice,” or “American Idol.”

Elle Fanning plays Violet Valenski, a shy teenager living in a small European town has a voice and the flair to entertain. She and her mom are on hard times though and are barely scraping by. On a chance encounter, she interviews for the British sensation, ‘Teen Spirit’

Minghella’s script downplays the interview, setting us up for the inevitable. Though that aspect of the story could possibly be seen as a cop out, it actually plays to Fanning’s strengths as an actress because it gives her character a chance to grow with a down-and-out opera singer, Vlad (Zlatko Buric) who offers, drunkenly, to be her coach.

Violet is eventually invited to perform in front of a live audience in London where the pressure of all the intricacies involved in finding new talent catches up with her. It is here that she meets the last season’s winner, Keyan Spears (Ruairi O’Connor) and the record label’s manager, Jules, played by Rebecca Hal. Her intensity makes her a natural foil for Violet as she is cornered in to signing with a label. Interestingly, Violet’s own trappings come into focus as she is forced to make a decision, while squaring off with Vlad, whom Violet discovers is more than he seems. Her shyness melts away in the second act as the excitement of being in the moment catches up with her.

We are only four months into 2019 and this is the second film to feature an underdog theme; the first being Stephen Marchant’s “Fighting with My Family.” Both films feature female leads, something that was sorely lacking from the majority of the underdog stories I enjoyed as a kid. Both use humor to convey and mask their dramas, but the predictability of Minghella’s story is where “Fighting with My Family” edges out “Teen Spirit.”

That’s not to say that “Teen Spirit” doesn’t have its own heart. Everything builds up to ‘the’ moment, becoming more and more predictable. Minghella’s intentional focus on the essence of living in the moment eventually pays off bringing Violet’s journey to a satisfying conclusion.

Directing your first film can be daunting enough. Directing your own script can be downright scary. Max Minghella delivers just enough to make Violet’s journey relatable, but makes us wait just a bit too long for the ultimately satisfying payoff.

Full of glitz and glam, “Teen Spirit” will appeal to anyone who has a dream and the fortitude to follow it.

2 out of 4

Penguins - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

“Penguins” brings warm smiles

Directed by: Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson

Written by: David Fowler

Narrated by: Ed Helms

“Penguins” – “She smiled with the warmth of a penguin.” – author Kim Harrison

For many of us - especially those who shovel long driveways between Dec. 26 and the spring equinox - freezing, snowy winters are not a time for celebration, but “Penguins”, set in frosty Antarctica, will bring warm smiles.   

Adelie penguins stand about two feet high, sport recognizable tuxedo coloring, and with their awkward walks, soothing personas and indelible social graces, they are as lovable as Chilly Willy himself.

Directors Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson filmed in Antarctica for four years, and their team braved the harshest of Earth’s conditions.  Temperatures sometimes dipped to 70 degrees below Fahrenheit, but it was worth it.  In the end, they gleaned and packaged their footage into 76 glorious, nifty, big-screen minutes of Adelie colonies, and their movie centers around one particular penguin:  Steve.

Producer Roy Conli - who stopped at the 2019 Phoenix Film Festival to introduce his movie and host a Q&A - said (in a different, online interview), “It’s the story of a young penguin father who learns how to become a dad.”

Comedian Ed Helms steps up to the microphone, narrates Steve’s adventure and also encapsulates our hero’s inner thoughts.  Meanwhile, Fothergill, Wilson and the filmmakers offer spectacular aerial, wide and close-up shots of oceans, chucks of floating ice, mountainous terrains, and the penguins themselves, as the Adelie congregations travel and also set up camp for the summer.  

With Antarctica’s warmest season shinning on Steve, thousands of his friends and first, second and third cousins, the bright sun and blue skies might convince movie audiences to purchase chunks of icy real estate, build igloos and post rentals on Airbnb.  With some IMAX screenings in play, a 60-foot Steve squawking and chatting will most likely widen eyes and swell hearts, and a sweet, courtship moment between Steve and his new found love Adeline while a famous REO Speedwagon tune plays in the background is just one on-screen example.

Although, Fothergill’s and Wilson’s picture is not all lovable images and innocent storytelling.  Penguin predators emerge and give moviegoers some pause, but with the film’s breezy tones and everyman, awe-shucks Helms as our escort, experienced viewers should know the narrative arc’s ending before walking into the theatre.  “Penguins” is not a carbon copy of National Geographic’s “March of the Penguins” (2005), helmed by Morgan Freeman and his one-of-a-kind gravitas.  Freeman’s voice accompanied emperor penguins (who stand about twice as tall as the Adelies), and that film takes a more serious (but also rated-G) approach compared to the freewheeling “Penguins”. 

Admittedly, the world does not necessarily need another penguin documentary, but it’s been 14 years since “March”, improved camera technologies can enhance our experience and this appealing picture reaches our better angels.  For those who have seen nightmarish docs like “A Plastic Ocean” (2016), one might wonder why massive collections of plastic bottles, bags, caps, and wrappers do not float into Steve’s space and diet, especially since these said items and broken-down microplastics are toxic to ocean communities. 

“Penguins” is not that documentary, but there is one scene when Adelie chicks feel overheated, feel stress and profoundly pant while sitting on the shore.  A nod to climate change, perhaps?

Hopefully, this beautiful movie and the importance of the Adelies’ habitat will become permanent fixtures in the minds of children and adults everywhere.  Kids of all ages at the Phoenix Film Festival screening certainly carried oceans of warm smiles that matched the resting faces of the extraordinary Adelies, so it’s possible.

(3.5/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

The Chaperone - opening exclusively today at Harkins Shea 14

and

Present

THE CHAPERONE

Written by Julian Fellowes    Directed by Michael Engler

Based on the book by Laura Moriarty

The Chaperone is opening exclusively Friday, April 12th at Harkins Shea 14!

Starring: Elizabeth McGovern, Haley Lu Richardson, Géza Röhrig, Victoria Hill, Miranda Otto with Blythe Danner and Campbell Scott.

SYNOPSIS

Louise Brooks, the 1920s silver screen sensation who never met a rule she didn’t break, epitomized the restless, reckless spirit of the Jazz Age. But, just a few years earlier, she was a 15 year-old student in Wichita, Kansas for whom fame and fortune were only dreams. When the opportunity arises for her to go to New York to study with a leading dance troupe, her mother (Victoria Hill) insists there be a chaperone. Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern), a local society matron who never broke a rule in her life, impulsively volunteers to accompany Louise (Haley Lu Richardson) to New York for the summer.  

Why does this utterly conventional woman do this? What happens to her when she lands in Manhattan with an unusually rebellious teenager as her ward?  And, which of the two women is stronger, the uptight wife-and-mother or the irrepressible free spirit?  It’s a story full of surprises—about who these women really are, and who they eventually become.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thechaperonefilm   
 Website: thechaperonefilm.com

Christopher Walken’s Top Eight Performances by Jeff Mitchell

Christopher Walken’s Top Eight Performances

Christopher Walken turns 76 on March 31, so let’s celebrate this Oscar-winning thespian’s birthday by looking back at his movie-resume and applauding his best work.  With over 90 film credits to his name, I would love to list 45 performances, but here are my top eight.

8. Duane Hall, “Annie Hall” (1977) – Annie (Diane Keaton) drags her boyfriend Alvy (Woody Allen) to her parents’ home for Easter dinner.  Now, Alvy’s anxiety usually bursts at the seams 365 days a year, and this particular one is no exception.  First of all, Alvy is Jewish, so this family event is not exactly ideal, but in addition, Annie’s brother Duane (Walken) confesses to him – in a dimly lit room - that he has a burning desire to drive into oncoming traffic.  Life doesn’t become any easier for Alvy, when Duane actually drives Annie and him home!  With “Annie Hall” winning 1978’s Best Picture Oscar, the film introduced Walken’s uncanny knack of playing mysterious, unusual characters to a worldwide audience.

7. Gabriel, “The Prophecy” (1995) – This unremarkable, clunky horror movie pits a former seminary student/present-day cop Thomas (Elias Koteas) against a nasty angel Gabriel (Walken).  Gabriel is searching for a soul that could tip the balance of power in a spiritual war, while Thomas is playing catch up and struggling with his past.  Other than an experiencing a “Some Kind of Wonderful” (1987)-reunion between Koteas and Eric Stoltz, the only reason to watch this movie is Walken’s devilishly campy performance as Gabriel.  While sporting jet black hair and chalky skin, he lights people on fire and rips out their hearts, but still finds time to encourage schoolkids to “study their math.”  Well, maybe Gabriel can work with students on weekdays and torture humanity on the weekends.  Just a thought.

6. Vincenzo Coccotti, “True Romance” (1993) – “Do you know who I am?  I am the Antichrist.  You got me in a vendetta-kind of mood,” Vincenzo Coccotti says to Clifford Worley (Dennis Hopper).  Clifford’s son Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) stole a large bag of cocaine.  They disappeared, so the fearsome Mr. Coccotti wants them and the said drugs back stat!  The result is a 10-minute faceoff in Clifford’s home, where both men know that the questionee will not survive the interrogation. Hence, Clifford dives into an uncomfortable, racist monologue squarely directed in Vincenzo’s direction.  The result is a mesmerizing cinematic moment of both Clifford’s words and Vincenzo’s reaction, and even though Vincenzo has not “killed anybody since 1984”, his streak is about to end.

5. Captain Koons, “Pulp Fiction” (1994) – Butch was just a kid, when his father was killed in the Vietnam War, but his dad’s friend Captain Koons (Walken) pays the young man a visit.  Why?  To pass along Butch’s late-father’s watch, but the captain also chronicles the impressive, absorbing history of this precious male heirloom with the deliberate cadence of a determined soldier filled with an equal mix of empathy and brutal honesty.  The latter creates an unexpected, riotous surge of audience laughter, as only writer/director Quentin Tarantino (who also wrote the script for Walken’s #6 performance) could engineer.  Walken, of course, is his perfect conduit.   

4. Hans, “Seven Psychopaths” (2012) – By 2012, Walken played more than his fair share of villains.  In writer/director Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy, yes, Walken plays a criminal, but he is not a bank robber, angel or mob consigliere.  Hans (Walken) and his partner Billy (Sam Rockwell) are dog kidnappers who collect rewards from unsuspecting owners.  Sure, they cause emotional trauma to doggie moms and dads, but Hans is a pacifist and the pets are never harmed.  Quite the opposite, actually.  Meanwhile, Walken seems thoroughly delighted to pal around with this talented ensemble that includes Rockwell and Colin Farrell and delivers the film’s most memorable moment by refusing to raise his hands when facing the barrel of a gun.  Crazy, right?

3. Frank Abagnale, “Catch Me if You Can” (2002) – Masterful conman and teenager Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) successfully impersonates a commercial pilot, a doctor and a lawyer, and his father’s (Walken) troubles triggered this infamous, dishonest spree.  Along his twisty journey, Frank Jr. routinely checks in with his dad, and Walken’s Frank Sr. tenders layered messages of love and perseverance while unsuccessfully hiding his deep sorrow.  At one point, Frank Jr. teeters on giving up, but Frank Sr. – in a moment of pure conviction - says, “They’re never gonna catch you, Frank.”  Walken caught himself a Best Supporting Oscar nomination.

2. Johnny Smith, “The Dead Zone” (1983) – Johnny (Walken) was enjoying a happy life.  He loved his relationship with Sarah (Brooke Adams) and his job as a school teacher, but after a horrible car accident, he fell into a coma for five years.  Sarah moved on, and Johnny laments the time and relationship that he lost, but he gains something else: a power to see someone’s future through physical touch.  In director David Cronenberg’s eerie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, Walken perfectly delivers the internal churn of an ordinary man coping with loss and his new, extraordinary gift.  The story, however, dramatically raises the stakes once a horribly-flawed U.S. Senate candidate (Martin Sheen) arrives in town, and Johnny does not like what he sees. 

1. Nick, “The Deer Hunter” (1978) – The Vietnam War left no United States community untouched, and director Michael Cimino’s sobering masterpiece captures the military conflict’s carnage on a group of friends in the tiny steel town of Clairton, Pa.  The government sends Steve (John Savage), Michael (Robert De Niro) and Nick (Walken) to Vietnam, and the war took dreadful tolls on each man, but Nick suffers the most severe emotional breakdown.  Walken is nothing short of masterful as Nick, who was the most sensible of the bunch but succumbs to perilous madness.  His haunting character arc – along with tears of anguish and disbelief - shatter our comfort zones, as Walken’s work carries the picture’s emotional core.  “The Deer Hunter” won five Oscars, including Walken’s Best Supporting Actor statue.

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Hotel Mumbai - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Hotel Mumbai

Directed by Anthony Maras

Screenplay by John Collee and Anthony Mara based on “Surviving Mumbai” by Victoria Midwinter Pitt

Starring Armie Hammer, Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Anupam Kher, Jason Isaacs

The world we live in today is consumed by mass quantities of news on a 24 by 7 cycle, rendering us immune to most world events. We are not immune because these events happen so far away from us. Rather it is because of the distance that television and the commentators constantly telling us what’s going on that separates and polarizes us.

The constant barrage of negative news also desensitizes us to these same world events.

Anthony Maras’s “Hotel Mumbai” removes the immunity and puts us right into the middle of the coordinated attacks on 12 different Mumbai locations in 2008. Maras, whose won several screenwriting awards for his short films co-wrote the screenplay with John Collee (“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Happy Feet,” “The Legend of Tarzan”) based on the documentary, “Surviving Mumbai.”

As the film opens, and in between the quick edits establishing the terrorists as they disperse throughout Mumbai, the screenplay firmly puts us in the feet of Arjun (Dev Patel, “Lion”), a kitchen server in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. He is a committed family man. As he rushes off to work, the terrorists continue to ascend on their targets throwing the city into chaos.

As Arjun arrives at work, we meet David (Armie Hammer) and Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), an architect and his actress wife, along with Vasilli (Jason Isaacs), all extreme VIPs at the hotel. Amidst the chaos of the lobby, the manager is busily prepping the staff, giving detailed instructions about how hot the water in the tub must be and to not discuss the nuptial of the couple. As an hotelier, I was impressed with the level of intricate and accurate detail about how senior levels of hotel staff go about prepping for VIP arrivals. There was a quick pace about the preparations, but it was never rushed.

Maras expertly balances the attacks throughout the city and the events that bring the terrorists to the Taj Mahal with the familial scenes, a calmness before the storm if you will that when the attack hits, you are as trapped as the victims were. British cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews, who has worked with Maras previously on the short film, “The Palace” and “Spike Up,” deftly handles the action scenes, but also maintains the strength of the drama.

The tension ratchets up when we’re locked in the hotel with nowhere to go. In a way, “Hotel Mumbai” reminded me of “The Poseidon Adeventure” in that that grand disaster classic look and feel. The reason why the film works on so many levels is because we are desensitized to the nature of terrorism.

Maras and Collee build on that, layering in religion, class, politics, and a humility that I haven’t seen in a disaster genre film previously. On the ground, the police are ill equipped to mount a rescue, and yet, through courage and determination, they make an attempt. In the hotel, desperate terrorists, who are promised riches for their efforts are guided by a faceless voice, commanding them through one execution on to the next. Some of the hostages are ensconced in a safe room in the hotel, the fear in their eyes is palpable.

There are heroes, in Arjun and the other staff of the hotel. Service is first and foremost in the host country and the film really zooms in on that aspect. There were shocking moments as well, that really sear into the back of your mind that, in spite of the fact that we’re seeing something unfold on a screen in front of us, which ironically is not much different than watching the news, we’re making our own determination about the events that unfold in front of us.

Perhaps this is because there was no sense of escape, for either the terrorists or their hostages.

It isn’t until the final few minutes of the film, when that sense of danger comes to its logical conclusion, that we release our breath. Our heart rates return to their normal levels, but we remember the danger as the real life footage from the documentary and the news clips run during the end credit roll.

You might turn a blind eye to “Hotel Mumbai,” and that would be certainly understandable. It’s not something that we would immediately jump up after seeing the trailer and say, “I’m going to see that film right away.” It is something that will take time to process. “Hotel Mumbai” is as much about its human characters as it is a moment in human history that shows us what compassion and pure hatred look like in the same two-hour time span.

Unlike “The Poseidon Adventure,” you probably won’t want to see “Hotel Mumbai” again. But it is an experience well worth taking.

3 out of 4

Dumbo - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Dumbo

Directed by Tim Burton

Screenplay by Ehren Kruger

Based on “Disney’s Dumbo” by Otto Englander, Joe Grant and Dick Huemer and “Dumbo” by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl

Starring Collin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green

Stories that stir the imagination, that bring us to think about more than just our immediate surroundings are what got me interested in films to begin with. Animation was my gateway as a kid because it allowed my imagination to soar. So too did films like “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and later, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and “Beetlejuice.”

To a certain extent, they all were vivid escapes from my reality. They did what movies are supposed to do – allow us to escape from our present surroundings, to be more than the sum whole of our parts. Of course, we are only as good as the movies we watch too.

Tim Burton’s “Dumbo,” is the first bonafide fantasy film that I’ve seen in 2019 that actually works as a fantasy. It also manages to tug at our heartstrings, and never lets go.

Set in 1916, Holt Farrier is returning from war to two strong, intelligent children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) who are desperate to show the world what amazing people they can be. They’ve been living with a couple in the Medici Brothers Circus, their mom having been killed by the flu.

Mr. Burton doesn’t waste any time setting up the particulars of the story; during the opening credits, a montage shows the state of Max Medici’s (Danny DeVito) circus as it tours the Southeastern part of the United States: Medici is broke and destitute and is looking for a quick solution, a miracle.

That miracle doesn’t come from any one aspect of the story. Ehren Kruger’s (“Arlington Road”) screenplay, inspired by the 1941 animated film of the same name by Otto Englander, Joe Grant and Dick Huemer (based on the story “Dumbo” by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl) takes the animated classic to the next level.

Never mind the rich CGI animation on Dumbo as well as the other animals featured in the film, the characters are dynamic; their emotions and needs ooze out of the screen. Not in a sappy way, mind you. Kruger created a rich foundation on which Burton was able to build his neo-real world.

None of the actors outshines one another. This is very much about Dumbo, but it is more about how Dumbo inspires the other characters. It might seem cheesy in that classic Disney sense and it has been nitpicked for that reason, but the clever magician that is Tim Burton, the one who brought us “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” 34 years ago or “Batman” a couple years later has inspired this retelling of a future classic.

Mr. Burton also surrounded himself with actors who could evoke a classic sense of struggle balanced with the gumption to go the distance. Mr. Burton has worked with both Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton previously in “Batman Returns.” Long gone are the dark shades of villainy from Mr. DeVito. Here as Mr. Medici, he is a gruff voice of hope as he guides us through the story. As the glitzy showman V. A. Vandevere, Mr. Keaton channels his inner Johnny Depp, as plantinum-blond haired character transforms from a composed, reserved business person to a cartoonish madman intent on getting what he wants, spewing singular wisdom for the selfishly independent.

Of note is Colin Farrell’s Holt Farrier, a man of action, a man hurting over the loss of his wife, and the disconnect that war has caused on his children, Farrell was much more reserved than we’ve come to see from him in past roles. This works in the film’s favor as it balances out not only his own family struggles, but also his character’s journey. Eva Green’s (“Casino Royale”) role as Collette Marchant is complementary to Farrell’s Farrier in that she is a very strong character, someone who knows how to take care of herself. She should be as a trapeze artist. She also has a trusting nature, aiding Farrier in finding the inspiration he seeks.

There are some elements of the film that felt a little too “on-the-nose” but they are not enough to put people off. It is a genuine film with exceptional craftspeople behind the camera. Chris Lebenzon is a storied editor with a number of credits to his name, he’s been a Burton collaborator for a number of years having been nominated several times in the past. This is the second Disney-released film for British cinematographer Ben Davis (“Captain Marvel” his work here shows a strong patina at the beginning of the film, a beautiful representation of the struggles in a very classic way.

What really brings the film together though is Danny Elfman’s score, full of bright notes, down notes and fun notes. If I had to pinpoint one element of the film that really brings the whole experience together, it is Elfman’s music combined with Burton’s timing. They are very simpatico.

I could gush on about Tim Burton’s imaginative Dumbo. It is a stark reminder to trust one another, to use our imagination and allow our imagination to flow. It has Disney-forward elements while it reflects on where Disney came from. It isn’t humble, but it doesn’t wear its history on its sleeve either; its refection is tempered.

I can only hope that the future re-imaginings are as tempered as Tim Burton’s “Dumbo” is.

3 out of 4 stars

The Highwaymen - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Costner and Harrelson take us on a new road in ‘The Highwaymen’

Directed by:  John Lee Hancock

Written by:  John Fusco

Starring:  Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson

“The Highwaymen” – Hollywood superstars Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty famously portrayed the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde in the 1967 movie of the same name.  Fifty-two years later, two other film icons star in a very different Bonnie and Clyde picture.  John Lee Hancock’s “The Highwaymen” centers around Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault - played by Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson, respectively - who chase down Bonnie and Clyde.

It’s 1934, and Bonnie (Emily Brobst) and Clyde (Edward Bossert) have left a soiled trail of robberies and murders in their wake.  Law enforcement is chasing ghosts, because the 20-something gangsters orchestrate numerous disappearing acts in plain sight.  After they engineer a prison break at the Eastham Prison Farm in Houston County, Texas, governor Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates) becomes absolutely desperate for a solution, and prison chief Lee Simmons (John Carroll Lynch) recruits Frank Hamer, a retired Texas Ranger to rein in the maniacal pair. 

Hamer is a manhunter with 16 bullets lodged in his body after a couple decades of violent confrontations splattered on his resume, and his old friend and Ranger-partner Maney Gault joins him to help even the odds between law enforcers and law breakers.  Ferguson, meanwhile, doubts Simmons’ judgment for “putting cowboys on Bonnie and Clyde”, but these two men also question themselves during their slow-burning pursuit. 

Are they too old to track down these kids? 

Do they have enough fight left? 

While they chase down the aforementioned ghosts, will their past-demons undo their present?

These are legitimate concerns, and Hancock (“The Founder” (2016), “The Blind Side” (2009)) and screenwriter John Fusco (“Young Guns” (1988), “Hidalgo” (2004)) explore Hamer and Gault’s friendship, their wounded souls and varying abilities to manage their pain. 

Costner and Harrelson are perfectly cast. 

Costner’s Hamer compartmentalizes his past deeds.  He lives comfortably with his beautiful wife Gladys (Kim Dickens) in a large country home, but thoughts of past sins invisibly reveal themselves through his quiet demeanor and etched crow’s feet.  Still, Hamer proves that pushing forward for a better-tomorrow and sifting through a troubling-yesterday can coexist. 

Maney actively joined in the same lead-laden shootouts, but his coping mechanisms carry less resistance.  The toil of his former, necessary deeds has left him vulnerable to vices and the misery of inaction.  These two wounded lawmen embark on a new, dark journey, but Hancock remarked that they are like “an old married couple”, as evidenced by Frank’s objections to Maney’s singing, drinking and repeated offers to drive. 

Costner is so well-versed at playing accessible, “aw, shucks” heroes who cope with the past, and just look to “Tin Cup” (1996), “Open Range” (2003) and “McFarland, USA” (2015) as spot-on examples.  In turn, Harrelson can fall into troubled antagonists – like in “The Messenger” (2009), “The Glass Castle” (2017) and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) - with the greatest of ease.

With all this space to develop Hamer and Gault’s working relationship along the dusty Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma highways, the film leaves little time for Bonnie and Clyde, but that’s by design.  Hancock and Fusco portray the criminals on-the-run as a mystery, and this decision feels entirely fitting.  These stylized, submachine gun-carrying misfits have met their match with a pair of old-fashioned gunslingers from another era.  Frank and Maney are in quiet, methodical pursuit, but Bonnie and Clyde just don’t know it.  Neither did this critic.

(3/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008 and graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

The Hummingbird Project - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

The Hummingbird Project

Written and Directed by Kim Nguyen

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Mando, Salma Hayek, Sarah Goldberg

As a child of the late 1970’s and 1980’s my intellectual curiosity about the need to increase the speed at which we can connect with one another, has been piqued.

No. I don’t want to talk to my mom any faster than a text will allow me to do. And, yes I love her.

Even beyond the ability to connect with one another is the speed at which we can get data from one point to another. As Kim Nguyen’s “The Hummingbird Project” explores the realm of the speed at which we transact in the financial markets, I thought to myself about the prospect of “speed to market,” which is really what his story is all about.

Vincent Zaleski (Jesse Eisenberg) is a high-pressured high-stakes trader on Wall Street. His cousin, Anton (Alexander Skarsgard) is a genius when it comes to the interconnected world that I referenced a moment ago. Between the two of them, we know something’s cooking. Anton is withdrawn and unwilling to talk to anyone other than Vincent. Vincent’s high-strung nature is exactly what someone like Eva Torres (Salma Hayek).

The film is set in 2011 as the market is recovering from the 2007 meltdown. Vincent wants to do more and thinks that there is a benefit to the market by increasing the speed at which traders can transact. The cousins eventually walk away from their employer in order to build a fiber-optic cable line between Kansas and New Jersey.

As with any well-laid plan, there are pratfalls and obstacles that get in the cousins’ way. It also obfuscates Mr. Nguyen’s story.

The caliber of the cast is first rate. Mr. Eisenberg plays his role to the hilt. As much a benefit of the roles he plays, Mr. Eisenberg has an air of mischievousness about him that draws me in to the characters he plays. Mr. Skarsgard is something of an anomaly. The make-up department went in to overtime to create a neurotic paranoid look for the character. And Mr. Skarsgard, who also stars in “The Aftermath” which expands this weekend to Phoenix, plays right into the neuroses and the idisyncracies.

Not to be outdone, in either the make-up department or is Eva Torres. She reminded me a bit of Signourney Weaver’s Katharine Parker from Mike Nichols’s “Working Girl”: stilted, conniving, and winning at any cost. Ms. Hayek looks simply captivating in her platinum length hairstyle and her cunning ways.

The story, which has the heart of a comedy with the lining of a drama doesn’t always work. The characters are doing most of the heavy lifting, which under other circumstances would have landed with a resounding thud. Here, they bring the comedy to life through the constant ‘clawing’ of one another while burying the drama, which is a shame because the drama really is the heart of the film.

There’s a scene at an Amish community where Vincent is trying to obtain the right-of-way to construct the cable and they refuse. It’s one of the few dramatic moments that actually work because the story understood the need for the tension to carry the story through to the third act.

The well-intentioned ending that results falls apart because the comedy once again takes center stage. It is endearing, but doesn’t come across as strongly as the drama does.

2 out of 4 stars