Movie Review Armageddon Time

Armageddon Time (2002) 

Directed by James Gray 

Written by James Gray 

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong 

Release Date November 4th, 2022 

Published November 10th, 2022 

Armageddon Time  stars Michael Banks Repeta as Paul, a young man in 1980 New York City attending public school. Paul comes from a Jewish background but his family has hidden that behind the name Graf. At school, Paul is unremarkable, a minor rebel who mocks his teacher. He finds a friend in Johnny (Jaylin Webb), a fellow outcast, a young black kid whose been held back at least once. Johnny is in trouble a lot, mostly because his teacher just assumes Johnny is the one causing trouble. 

At home, Paul has a loving, if somewhat angry family. Paul has somehow convinced himself that his family is rich though we can clearly see that there are middle class at best. Regardless, Paul takes liberties with his parents, especially by ordering take out even after his mother, Anne Hathaway, has cooked an expansive dinner for their entire family. His father, played by Jeremy Strong, is loving but can be overbearing and outright abusive. 

That abusive side comes out when Paul finds trouble at school. With Johnny, Paul is caught smoking marijuana in the school bathroom. Paul's father finds out and give his son a frightening beating with a belt in a scene that director James Gray is smart not to romanticize. Many of Gray's generation, my generation, as well, tend to act as if a father who beat their kids was a 'disciplinarian' and not an abuser. Gray and Jeremy Strong give the father character in Armageddon Time a more complex rendering as a man who loves his kids but also feels at a loss at how to care for them. It's clear he was also beaten as a child and he sees it as the only way forward as a parent. 

Paul gets pulled out of his public school and placed in a rich private school with the help of his benevolent and loving grandfather, played by Anthony Hopkins. At this rich private school Paul runs in the same circle as the sons of the Trump family. When they see Paul talking with Johnny at the gates of the school, their sneering racism causes Paul to pull away from his friend. At the urging of his grandfather, Paul tries to repair his friendship but his plan to do so only causes more problems. 

At his new school, the line between white and black, the privileged and the less than privileged, is brought into stark contrast when Maryanne Trump (Jessica Chastain in cameo), visits the school and delivers a speech. The speech is like a message directly to Paul, and thus to us, about where you stand and who you stand for. Will you be part of the future she proposes led by the rich elite, or stand with those in need of help. 

I think... honestly, I am not entirely sure what James Gray is going for overall. There are elements of class warfare, and something being said about white-privilege and the racial divide. That said, what point James Grey is trying to make is undermined by his storytelling choices. The lasting memory of Armageddon Time is that of a young black kid acting as a functionary in the coming of age of a young white kid. The young black kid has no life, no dimension, he exists to teach a lesson to our main character. 

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media. 

Classic Movie Review The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1989)

Directed by Terry Gilliam 

Written by Charles McKeown, Terry Gilliam 

Starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Robin Williams 

Release Date March 10th, 1989 

Published January 3rd, 2023 

Terry Gilliam's delirious, chaotic, and fantastic, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, is now part of the Criterion Collection. Released in 1989, this wildly over the top, sensory overload inducing film remains, 34 years after release, as alive and full of imagination as ever. Even as special effects and cinematography have evolved past the somewhat aged looking Munchausen, Gilliam's dedication to practical effects gives his masterpiece a timeless look. 

The story of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen begins on the stage where an acting troupe is acting out the supposedly fictitious adventures of Baron Munchausen. The story kicks into gear when the real Baron Munchausen (John Neville), charges the stage and demands to be allowed to tell the story of his adventures correctly. Thus, the Baron launches into a fantastical story about his conflict with the Grand Turk, one that began with a reasonable wager and ended with the Baron and his men leaving with all of the wealth of the empire. 

The Baron's remarkable and vivid tale is interrupted when that same Grand Turk and his army begin to bombard the English city where this tale had been told. Caught off guard, it appears that the English are to be overrun by the Turks until the Baron makes a big movie, creates for himself an airship on which he will fly across the galaxy to gather his servants to help fight the Turks. Stowing away on the Baron's airship is Sally Salt (Sarah Polley), a plucky youngster who is one of the few who believes that the Baron's fantasies are real. 

And boy are they real as, indeed, the Baron takes Sally to the Moon where The King of the Moon (Robin Williams), imprisons them. There they are able to recover The Baron's top assistant, played by Eric Idle. Naturally, there is an amazing escape that leads to another remarkable adventure that includes a brief bit of romance wherein The Baron is smitten with the wife of a dangerous bandit king. Uma Thurman is luminous as the Queen while the inimitable Oliver Reed chews the very large and practically crafted sets. 

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is a wildly imaginative masterwork. It's pure chaos but in the best possible way. The flights of fantasy and the visual delights never rest while the extraordinary cast provides even more color with big, broad, and hilarious performances. Star John Neville grounds the story with elegant dignity and roguish charm, while Sarah Polley never succumbs to the cliches of a plucky child sidekick. Her Sally is an urgent part of the plot as she plays the part of the Baron's conscience. 

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media. 

Movie Review Human Resources

Human Resources (2022) 

Directed by Braden Swope 

Written by Braden Swope, Evan Swope 

Starring Hugh McCrae Jr, Anthony Candell, Sara Jose, Tim Masuradze 

Release Date January 10th, 2023 

Published January 3rd, 2023 

Human Resources opens on a terrific piece of visual filmmaking. With a very low budget, director Evan Swope knows that he needs to set the tone for his movie without the bells and whistles of a big production. So, he relies on the most basic components of good filmmaking: sound design and camera work. We open inside Brooke's Hardware Store. An eerie breeze blows through the store creating an innate sense of dread. A worried yet determined employee walks into a room that is marked with signs telling him not to enter. 

Keith, the employee, goes ahead and enters. Inside, he begins to call out for someone or something. He's here to confront whatever entity has created this sense of dread at his place of work. Through a terrific sequence of camera movements, strong and fast editing choices, and tremendous sound design, we watch Keith search for, and, unfortunately, find something that ends up getting him killed. Barely a word of dialogue is spoken and yet, in less than four minutes, the premise of Human Resources is established. This business harbors a dark secret that will be uncovered as the movie plays out. 

Cut to daytime, a new employee is needed at Brooke's Hardware. The General Manager, Brian (Tim Masurdze, tells his store manager, Gene (Anthony Candell), to hire Sam Coleman (Hugh McCrae Jr). Though Sam has little work experience, and a less than impressive resume, Gene agrees, and Sam is brought on board. Once at his new place of work, Sam is trained by Sarah (Sarah Jose), a cynical, long-time employee of Brooke's Hardware who advises Sam not to let working this dead end job become his whole life. 

Together, Sam and Sarah stumble over the mystery of Keith, our opening kill victim. Keith had begun to document the creepy, odd and frightening goings on at Brooke's Hardware. Employees prior to Keith had been going missing. The store was always strangely empty, except on Black Friday when the story would be overrun with customers. Brian and Gene are very serious about Black Friday and how it keeps the entire store afloat for the whole year. If that sounds suspicious, it's intended to be. In the clever script by director Braden Swope and his brother, Ethan Swope, the suspicious elements are all cleverly employed. 

Bubbling under the surface of Human Resources is how our modern economy calls on low wage employees to dedicate themselves to work. Gene talks about culture and teamwork and builds up working a Brooke's Hardware as a calling as much as it is a job. Meanwhile, employees are paid a pittance for their time while being expected to work hard and over-deliver on their effort. Work hard for nothing in return because work itself is somehow a reward. Ugh! Human Resources takes this idea and rightly turns it into a premise for a horror movie. 

I really adored the direction of Human Resources. The smart choices, the limited exposition, it's a welcome breath of fresh air. Little dialogue is wasted in telling us the plot. Instead, the basics of filmmaking deliver important details visually. The characters interact as human beings who know and work together would, not as movie characters who must also explain to the audience what the plot is and what we should be aware of. The direction tells us far more than the script and that's the mark of good filmmaking and smart writing. 

Find my full length review at Horror.Media