Movie Review Wonder

Wonder (2017) 

Directed by Stephen Chbosky 

Written by Stephen Chbosky, Steven Conrad, Jack Thome 

Starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs 

Release Date November 17th, 2017 

Wonder is a real, well, wonder. Rarely do tear-jerkers work as well as what director Stephen Chbosky assembles here. Everything in Wonder seems set to be a clichéd way of sucking out tears. A child with a facial deformity, a pair of goodhearted parents, a sick dog, these are all elements that under the guidance of a lesser director, would be used to physically assault audiences in the search for tears. Stephen Chbosky is, quite thankfully, a terrific director and he employs these elements in the way a good director does.

Wonder stars the exceptional young Jacob Tremblay as Augie Pullman, a boy born with a facial deformity that caused him to go through several life-altering surgeries. Auggie is about to go to public school for the very first time on the insistence of his mother, Isabel (Julia Roberts). Isabel has home-schooled Auggie for the first years of his school life but at nearly 10 years old, she feels it’s time for him to be around other kids, to begin trying to find normalcy.

Auggie is enrolled in a private school run by Dr. Tushman (Mandy Patinkin) who has instructed several students to welcome Auggie and be his friend. Auggie is initially troubled but eventually earns a genuine friend in Jack (Noah Jupe), though not without the pitfalls of youthful struggle. The journey of Auggie toward a normal life at school would appear to be the focus of Wonder but director Stephen Chbosky, who shares screenplay credit with Jack Thorne and Stephen Conrad, smartly breaks up Auggie’s story with those of Auggie’s sister, Via (Izabel Vidovic), Via’s friend Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell), and Jack, each of whom is given the chance to give layers of much needed and welcome life and story to their characters.

The screenplay for Wonder is quite smart about not pushing Auggie’s story so much that it becomes cloying or pushy, and Tremblay does a wonderful job of giving Auggie a life we genuinely care about versus just relying on the facial deformity and a simpleminded face off with a villainous bully. Tremblay is a character beyond the face and the film is smart to let Tremblay explore the space of Auggie. Chbosky gives everyone in the cast weight and care, and the way their struggles underline Auggie’s struggling is exceptionally well-done by all involved.

Find my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal. 

Movie Review Angelica

Angelica (2017) 

Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein 

Written by Mitchell Lichtenstein 

Starring Jena Malone, Janet McTeer, Tovah Feldshuh 

Release Date February 7th, 2015 

Angelica starring Jena Malone has had quite a struggle to get to the big screen. The film was completed and shown to festival audiences all the way back in 2015. Only now, however, is this Mitchell Lichtenstein-directed Victorian-era thriller starring Jena Malone finally making it to a release date. I have no insight as to what has held the film back from release, though the strange and ambitious story and daring sexuality may have had a role to play. Angelica is not a movie that mainstream marketers would love to be assigned.

Angelica tells the story of Constance, the mother of Angelica, both of whom are portrayed by Jena Malone in an apt, if slightly confusing choice. Constance is working in a small shop when she meets Dr. Joseph Bardon, or Bardoni, (Ed Stoppard) though he prefers to downplay his Italian roots. Bardon falls for Constance immediately and begins to court her and soon marry her. This being the Victorian age, Constance is a virgin at marriage and when the two have sex on their honeymoon it is a revelation for her.

This revelation unfortunately turns harrowing when Constance nearly dies giving birth to their first and only child, Angelica. Doctors, being quarrelsome, Victorian fools, inform Constance that due to the difficult pregnancy and birth that she can no longer have sex. This is nonsense, of course, but this being Victorian era England, it’s a common bit of a bad advice and it goes immediately to Constance’s head. As Constance denies her desires for her husband and begins spending nights curling up with Angelica to avoid him and sublimate her desires, something strange begins to take hold of the household.

As Angelica grows older and Constance continues to freeze out her husband on doctor’s orders, they practically call her a whore simply for wanting to sleep with her husband for pleasure. Constance begins to have visions of some sort of viral presence floating in the air near her daughter. This floating specter takes on several, almost corporeal forms and Constance feels them in a way that seems to reflect the desires of her husband and herself. Slowly, Constance convinces herself that her sexual desires are manifesting as an attack on her daughter, as if a demon were punishing her sexual desire by threatening the child.

Find my full length review in the Horror Community on Vocal 

Movie Review Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (2017) 

Directed by Peter Landesman

Written by Peter Landesman

Starring Liam Neeson, Diane Lane, Marton Csokas, Ike Barinholz, Tony Goldwyn 

Release Date September 29th, 2017 

It baffles me that any filmmaker could screw up making a movie about Mark Felt. How is it possible to fumble a subject so timely, important, historic, and filled with all of the great cinematic trappings. I’m left baffled by the movie Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House. This Liam Neeson-starring drama should have been a slam dunk. This a subject that should be front and center in the day and age of a President who faces pressures that only Richard Nixon could truly relate to.

Mark Felt (Liam Neeson) is an FBI lifer, J. Edgar Hoover’s right hand. Felt is credited by some as being the man who restrained some of Hoover’s worst instincts in the director’s later years, or at least the film would have you believe that. When we meet Mark Felt in the titular movie about him, he is facing down Richard Nixon’s West Wing staff who’ve heard rumors that Hoover is ready to step aside. The implication of the conversation is that if Felt can show he will play ball with the White House, he will be the next FBI Director. When Felt demonstrates his loyalty to Hoover over Nixon, the die is cast.

When Hoover passes away, Felt and his team are thrown into a political maelstrom. L. Patrick Gray (Martin Csokas) is named interim director and being that he was just Nixon’s man in the Justice Department prior to this posting, Felt is aware of where Gray’s loyalties lie and what that means for the independence of the FBI. When Watergate hits, things only grow more harrowing and Felt, a man dedicated to keeping secrets, suddenly finds himself in the position of having to reveal them.

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House has a story that is all teed up for the filmmakers. The story is rife with political intrigue and spy play on top of having a historic significance that could not ring more familiar and timelier. Unfortunately, writer-director Peter Landesman is just too clumsy to bring it together. Landesman’s writing and direction are all over the place, especially the script which is a shamble of expository dialogue and sloppy scene-setting.

Find my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal

Movie Review Mudbound

Mudbound (2017) 

Directed by Dee Rees 

Written by Dee Rees, Virgil Williams 

Starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige 

Release Date November 17th, 2017 

Is Hollywood finally being forced to grow up? On one hand, no, as the fact that Superhero movies still dominate our box office allows us all an escape hatch back to childish notions of good and evil. On the other hand however, a grown up conversation about race and racism has emerged as a significant narrative in Hollywood 2017 and it’s a conversation for grown-ups only. Get Out, Jordan Peele’s exceptional meta-horror movie, began the conversation with a spoonful of genre horror to help the medicine go down. Detroit, followed this past summer by serving up some recent true crime history.

Now, as the Academy Awards approach, Mudbound arrives as arguably the most serious and troubling movie about race of 2017. No one who sees Mudbound will be able to shake it. Dee Rees’ plodding, yet terribly visceral film works its way into the weary bones of the viewer and becomes part of you whether you want it or not. The picture of the ugly parts of southern racism is unshakable and the tragedy of the ending, though leavened by an upbeat finale, is burned into your memory.

Mudbound stars Jason Mitchell as Ronsel Jackson. Ronsel’s family works a small plot of land in the deepest part of Mississippi. Having had the land that was promised to them at the end of slavery taken from them by force, they’ve forged a land for themselves by their own sweat and determination. Rob Morgan plays Hap, Ronsel’s father and the local preacher. Mary J. Blige is Florence, Ronsel’s stalwart mother. When Ronsel hears of World War II on the radio, he decides to join the army, a decision that his mother can hardly bear, leaving him with her back turned and her eyes to God.

Parallel to the Jackson family story is that of the McAllan Family. Henry McAllan (Jason Clarke) was an engineer doing well for himself in Tennessee. When Henry met Laura (Carey Mulligan) there weren’t many sparks flying, but healthy respect was enough, given the times. The two are married and meet up with Henry’s dashing brother, Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) just as he is off to Europe to fly bombers in World War II. Jamie and Laura have an immediate connection, but neither are brazened enough to give it life.

Find my full length review in  the Geeks Community on Vocal 

Movie Review Justice League

Justice League (2017) 

Directed by Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon

Written by Chris Terrio, Joss Whedon 

Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Mamoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, J.K Simmons 

Release Date November 17th, 2017 

The problem with Justice League and the problem with the entirety of the DC cinematic universe is the vision of Zach Snyder. I realize that laying the blame for what many perceive as a significant failure on one person is a little unfair, but hear me out. I like the movies that Zach Snyder has made in this universe. I like Justice League but the fact of the matter, for me, is that these movies fail to transcend into being truly great movies because Zach Snyder isn’t a great director, just a pretty good one.

Justice League picks up the story of the DC cinematic universe in the wake of the death of Superman (Henry Cavill). The world is darker and a little more chaotic following the loss of Superman, and no one feels that loss quite as much as Bruce Wayne-Batman (Ben Affleck). Bruce feels that he is responsible for Superman’s death and the danger that the world faces without its savior. Worse yet, there are new beings that have arrived on Earth that feed on the fear that has risen in the world minus Superman.

These new beings are commanded by a being called Steppenwolf (the voice of Ciaran Hinds) who intends to take over the world by uniting three cubes known as the Mother Boxes which when combined will remake the Earth as a hellscape under Steppenwolf’s command. The first Mother Box is located in Themiscyra, the homeland of Diana Prince-Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). Alerted by her mother Hypolyta (Connie Nielsen), Diana seeks out Bruce Wayne and the two set about putting a team together.

Up first is eager motormouth Barry Allan AKA The Flash (Ezra Miller). Barry is easily won over by a visit from Bruce Wayne though he warns that he’s never done battle before. Much more difficult to convince is Arthur Curry AKA Aquaman (Jason Mamoa). Until his home of Atlantis comes under attack by Steppenwolf, Aquaman appears content to stay in the ocean. Afterward however, Arthur Curry is spoiling for a fight.

Find my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal 

Movie Review Call Me By Your Name

Call me By Your Name (2017) 

Directed by Luca Guadagnino 

Written by James Ivory 

Starring Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amina Casar 

Release Date November 24th, 2017 

Luca Guadagnino is the poet of idle sexuality. His A Bigger Splash captured the sadness and tragedy of lost love while barely raising its pulse above that of the luxurious, idyllic location, a beachfront European coast where clocks don’t seem to exist. Yes, that film has a tragedy in it that drives the engine of the plot but Guadagnino’s interest lies not with exploring that tragedy but in lingering within the lives of people whose path is toward tragedy, but not a journey defined by that tragedy.

Guadagnino’s latest movie, Call Me By Your Name, appears to be on the same path as A Bigger Splash but has more ambition. Call Me By Your Name is a coming of age romance that mirrors the setting of A Bigger Splash, Guadagnino’s home country of Italy, but the film eschews the notion of a typical narrative aiming toward a conclusion that ties the narrative in a fashion that resembles a movie ending.

Call Me By Your Name stars Timothee Chalamet as Elio, the son of Academics, Lyle and Annella Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar). Elio’s life is made up of long swims, hikes, brief encounters with Marzia (Esther Garrel), his would be girlfriend, and the hours he spends listening to classical music and writing out the notes he hears in longhand, one of the more unique hobbies I’ve seen in a film character.

Elio’s teenage Idyll is upended by the arrival of his father’s grad-student assistant Oliver (Army Hammer). Oliver has taken over Elio’s bedroom and immediately begins to invade his thoughts. For the first time in his young life, Elio is looking at a man sexually and it creates an immediate tension between he and Oliver whose attempts at being friendly to Elio only seem to complicate matters further.

Find my full length review in the Geeks Community on Vocal 

Movie Review My Friend Dahmer

My Friend Dahmer (2024) 

Directed by Marc Meyers 

Written by Marc Meyers 

Starring Ross Lynch, Anne Heche, Alex Wolff, Dallas Roberts, Vincent Kartheiser 

Release Date November 3rd, 2017 

My Friend Dahmer starring Disney Channel veteran Ross Lynch is a unique and daring examination of the serial killer before the killing. Based on the true life graphic novels of John 'Derf' Backderf, a real life classmate of Jeffrey Dahmer at a small town high school in Ohio, My Friend Dahmer doesn’t aim to sympathize with the killer. Rather, like so much of the best true crime media, My Friend Dahmer feeds our fascination with what if and why scenarios. Our minds can’t resist trying to make pieces fit together and true crime adaptations are one way we seek to bring order to chaotic histories.

Jeffrey Dahmer was odd from the very beginning of his life. As a teenager, he collected roadkill that he would bathe in acid so that he could harvest their bones. To what end? He wanted to know what the animals’ insides looked like. It’s a characteristic familiar to many who follow true crime and killers, the bizarre and dangerous fascination with anatomy. It’s the kind of character trait that today might be a red flag but was mostly hidden from people in 1978.

John ‘Derf’ Backderf, portrayed in the film by Alex Wolff, befriended Dahmer as a lark. After witnessing Dahmer have some kind of episode in the hallway of their High School, an episode Derf saw not as a cry for help but as a hip prank, he and two other friends approached Dahmer to form a club based on his prank freak outs that they would document and play witness to at school, at the mall and at grocery stores. It’s easy to see why teenagers would find Dahmer's act to be a subversive, disruptive bit of comedy but from the frame of today, with our growing knowledge of mental illness, it’s not hard to see that Dahmer was seeking attention that wasn’t entirely comedic.

Find my full length review in the Criminal Community on Vocal