Thelma

Perhaps the most unexpected buddy action comedy of the Summer is the delightful new film, Thelma. With a fantastic cast, a witty script, and plenty of charm I have to say I absolutely loved this film. 

Thelma (played by June Squibb) is an aging retiree living alone but is frequently visited by her doting grandson Danny (played by Fred Hechinger), who worries about her and keeps reminding her to wear her medical alert bracelet. One day she gets a call from an unlisted number and picks up. The person calling claims to be her grandson saying he was in an accident and was in jail. This is enough to panic her and she doesn't pick up on the obvious cues that it's a scam when they tell her she needs to mail in $10,000 to bail him out. Distressed, she collects cash she has stashed around the house and heads out to the post office to send it without even thinking twice. It's only when she talks to Danny, as well as his parents, Gail (played by Parker Posey) and Alan (played by Clark Gregg) that she realizes what happened. Furious, Thelma sets out to get her money back, enlisting the help of her friend Ben (played by Richard Roundtree) to help. The two set out on an adventure as they venture to the P.O Box she was instructed to send the money to and find the scammer who ripped her off.

The film was written and directed by Josh Margolin, taking inspiration from his own grandmother and crafts a highly entertaining film about the least likely action hero. I loved the way he re-purposed all the usual tropes of the action movie genre into the realm of Senior Living, including a car chase except it's scooters through a Retirement Home or using hearing aids synched to cellphones for surveillance purposes. Pairing nicely with this is the heartwarming aspects of the story, especially with Thelma and Ben showing they're still capable adults despite their older age. Josh Margolin balances the humor and more dramatic aspects of the story well, keeping things reasonably light and fun throughout while giving the proceedings just enough emotional weight to give it some poignancy. 

June Squibb is fantastic in the titular role of Thelma. She hits the right notes with her performance, handling the more easily trusting and vulnerable aspects of her character at the beginning of the movies quite well. She also handles her character's transition to deciding not to be a victim and taking the initiative to track down her victimizer and get her money back when it appears the Police is either unable to uninterested in helping. She also handles the physical comedy of her character quite well whether it is trying to sneak through a cluttered room or trying to balance on a bed to retrieve a gun from a high shelf at a friend's house. Fred Hechinger is quite endearing as Danny. He plays off June Squibb well and the two really sell how close their characters are and adds some nice emotional weight to the movie. It's a really sympathetic performance as Danny is at a bit of a crossroads himself. He's not currently in school and he and is girlfriend are on a break and seeing those two parallels play out between two characters in different stages of their lives play out was well done. Richard Roundtree is great as Ben, often acting as the voice of reason who continues to go along with Thelma's crazy adventure because he just can't let her go at it alone. His more level headed character plays off well with Thelma's stubborn determination. They make a great pair as they go through their adventure together. Parker Posey is a hilarious as Gail, the harried daughter of Thelma and mother to Danny. She sells how much her character cares about her family, especially both Thelma and Danny who she is both worried about and Posey finds the right balance between genuine and funny throughout the movie. Clark Gregg, much like Richard Roundtree' Ben, provides a voice of reason throughout the film for his family unit of himself, Gail, and Danny, who spend the second half of the movie trying to find Thelma and bring her home. It's a fun performance and he's amusing in the role in that uniquely Clark Gregg way. 

Josh Margolin has hit a home run with Thelma, smartly upending the oft told revenge tale with real wit and humor as it centers on two elderly main characters who show they can still get it done in their own uniquely brilliant ways. It's a warm and funny film that was a delight to watch from beginning to end backed by an equally delightful cast. I loved every minute of this film. If you're in the mood for something other than the usual Summertime blockbuster fare, this one comes highly recommended.   

  

The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy is the perfect way to kick off the Summer movie season with exactly the sort of action spectacle audiences find themselves craving this time of year. Filled with humor and stunts galore, it's also an endearing love letter to the people who make this exact sort of spectacle we love so much. 

Eighteen months after a stunt gone wrong left Colt Seavers (played by Ryan Gosling) with a broken back, he walked away from his career as stuntman for movie star Tom Ryder (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and film business. This included his then girlfriend Jody Moreno (played by Emily Blunt), who was working on the same set as a camera operator. He is pulled back into it though when he receives a call from Tom's producer, Gail Meyer (played by Hannah Waddingham), stating she needs him to double for Tom again on his latest movie, the sci-fi epic Metalstorm. To further convince him she tells him it's Jody's directorial debut, Jody specifically requested Colt, and the success of the movie is on the line. It's only when he arrives on location in Sydney, Australia that he finds out the truth that Tom has vanished and Jody not only did not request him but is still mad at him for ghosting her after his accident. Gail tasks Colt with locating their missing star since Tom and Colt used to be close she figures he is their best shot at locating Tom, especially since they can't go to the police since Tom has gotten involved with some shady folks (as well as they don't want any negative publicity that may impact the movie). What seems like a simple enough task quickly spirals out of control as Colt has to dodge bad guys while keeping the movie going as well as trying to repair his relationship with Jody. With some help from his best friend, and stunt coordinator on the film, Dan Tucker (played by Winston Duke), he's going to have to do all he can to find Tom and save the movie.

The film was directed by David Leitch from a script by Drew Pearce. Prior to becoming a director, Leitch worked as a stuntman and stunt coordinator himself and that sort of insider knowledge permeates throughout the film. Some of the most fascinating elements of the film for me were them showing the dynamics between the members of the stunt team, what all went into creating the various stunts and how they pulled them off. Of course, any movie with this sort of plot is definitely going to bring it in terms of action sequences, which is pulls off fantastically, including a prolonged car chase through the streets of Sydney that was both thrilling and amusing in the way it escalated throughout, along with others I won't mention because I don't want to give away too much of the fun. This is balanced with plenty of well done humor and comedy, much of it coming from Colt as despite all his derring-do in the stunt world quickly finds himself in over his head when it comes to trying to find Tom. The cherry on top of the whole thing is the perfectly handled romance between Colt and Jody throughout the film. 

The film has a fantastic cast led by Ryan Gosling. He has really carved out a niche for himself in comedic roles such as this giving off plenty of charm and just enough goofiness to be endearing as his character repeatedly finds himself in over his head and manages to get by on his wits and experience as a stunt man. Emily Blunt is the perfect foil for his antics and has impeccable chemistry with Gosling that really sells their romance. But even more than that, I love how she plays her character and really captures how overwhelming it must be at times to be a first time director, especially on a huge science fiction epic where everyone is coming at her from all departments and having to make countless decisions. The combination of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt is fantastic though and honestly made the movie for me, from their flirtatious and at times spiky banter, the two of them play off one another perfectly. Another pairing I loved was Gosling and Wilson Duke, who gets pulled into Colt's adventures and the two have a fantastic rapport with each other and really sell the long time friendship of their characters, with their tendency to trade off movie quotes with one another ringing true for a movie geek like me. Hannah Waddingham is a delight as the put upon Gail Meyer, who is trying desperately to keep the movie afloat as she moves from one crisis to another, forever with a can of Diet Coke in hand. Stephanie Hsu has a fun role as Tom Ryder's assistant Alma Milan, who turns out to be critical in Colt finding Tom and also turns out to be surprisingly good in a crisis. Hsu handles the role with plenty of humor and easily steals her few scenes in the film. 

Overall, The Fall Guy was a blast from beginning to end and the perfect movie to kick off the summer movie season. As I was watching the movie, I was once again how much I missed movies like this. In a era where it seems like every blockbuster is shot against a green-screen and CGI'd to death, it's a real thrill to see a genuine and thrilling action spectacle with practical effects and incredible stunt work. On that note, make sure to stay for the credits as they play over actual footage of how they pulled off all the incredible stunts for the movie, showing the actual stunt team pulling them off too. The perfect cherry on top of this very fun movie.   

Challengers

Originally scheduled for release last September, Luca Guadagnino's latest film, Challengers, was delayed due to the SAG/AFTRA strikes and finally makes it's debut in theaters this week. So, the predominant question I had going into this movie was if it was going to have been worth the wait, especially after having seen the trailers for months by this point. I am relieved to say that it absolutely was. 

Tashi Duncan (played by Zendaya) was a promising Tennis prodigy when she suffered a career ending knee injury and instead turned to coaching Art Donaldson (played by Mike Faist), who is also her husband and father to their little daughter. Art is in a slump losing match after match and in an effort to try and get his confidence up, Tashi gets him in as a wild card at a Challenger match where he finds himself going up against his former friend Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O'Connor). When they were younger, Art and Patrick were best friends and competing together through the Tennis circuit when they both met Tashi. Equally enamored with her, both boys are vying for her attention when she visits their hotel room that night. As the years pass and each character reflects on their past in this unique love triangle it all leads to this critical match where all three find all their past choices coming to a head and discover if their friendship can even be salvaged. 

The film was directed by Luca Guadagnino from a script by Justin Kuritzkes. As I watched the film, I was increasingly glad I was seeing it in the theater where it would have my undivided attention since the film adopts a very non-linear timeline as it starts in the present and then has flashbacks to various other points in the three leads lives, back to the present and then another flashback. It's an effective way to tell the story as the interpersonal interactions with Tashi, Art and Patrick over the years are revealed. Guadagnino does a great job differentiating the different time periods and times with subtitles documenting the time period. It was initially challenging but soon I was able to settle into the unique groove of the film. When it comes to the tennis matches, Guadagnino and Director of Photography Sayombhu Mukdeeprom do a fantastic job of crafting tense and thrilling tennis matches, including the big match between Art and Patrick that runs through much out the film and builds to a genuinely tense climax. 

The three central performances in the film are quite strong. Zendaya gives some wonderful layers to Tashi Duncan, who is someone who had to reinvent herself after a career ending injury and find a new way forward in life when the one she thought she was going to have was snatched away. She gives a very compelling performance, capturing Tashi's intelligence and drive, but also her impulsiveness, especially when it comes to her relationships with Art and Patrick. Mike Faist tackles his role as Art quite well, conveying his character at various stages in his career, from young upstart to someone who is anxious to retire. He does a great job capturing Art's frustration when he gets into his slump especially, with the frustration that comes with it resonating really well with me. Josh O'Connor is equally compelling as Patrick, whose Tennis career hasn't turned out as well as Art's, barely scraping by and sleeping in his car when he has to travel to meets since he's not even able to afford a room at a dingy motel. This, of course, is what is driving him throughout the epic rematch with Art as the two work out years and years of feelings on the tennis court.  

I was really impressed with Challengers, with three compelling characters acted beautifully by three very talented actors making for some riveting drama that had my attention from beginning to end. It's also one that you need to watch without distractions due to the non-linear storytelling, but if you can keep up with it, it's a good one that I look forward to watching again. 

2024 Oscar Predications

 

I haven't done this in a few years but I figured it would be fun to make my predictions for the major categories for tonight's 96th Annual Academy Awards telecast tonight. So, without further ado, here is how I'm thinking it will go:

Best Picture: 

This years spread of movies is a really strong one and I genuinely loved each one of them which is a rarity for me. It makes it hard to choose but I genuinely think it will go to Oppenheimer. It was a fantastic film that kept me riveted throughout it's three hour runtime. The direction from Christopher Nolan is magnificent and it has a stellar cast that is acting their socks off. I could see there being an upset for Killers of the Flower Moon but I'm nearly certain it will be Oppenheimer

Best Director: 

Much like Best Picture, I feel like this one is going to go to Christopher Nolan. Oppenheimer is a magnificent piece of filmmaking and he did a great job telling that story and tapping into his titular subject. Again, I could see it possibly going to Martin Scorsese too in an upset, but I'm pretty sure this is going to be Nolan's year. 

Best Actor: 

I'm nearly positive it will go to Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer. So much of the movie rested on his shoulders and he rose to the challenge wonderfully, crafting a riveting and revealing performance that, no pun intended, blew me away. I could see an upset and it going to Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, which would thrill me as I adored that performance too, but I'm pretty sure it's going to Cillian Murphy. 

Best Actress: 

This needs to go to Lily Gladstone for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. She outshone Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro with a dynamite performance that made the film for me. Her character goes through a lot through the film's three and a half hour runtime and throughout her performance was flawless. I loved it and I am convinced she will win. 

Best Supporting Actor: 

Ever since I first saw the movie last July I knew this was going to be Robert Downey Jr.'s year. He was fantastic as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer and I honestly can't see anyone else winning the award. It's Downey's year and I have no doubt about it. 

Best Supporting Actress:

Honestly, if it isn't Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her fantastic and empathetic performance in The Holdovers I will be shocked. From the moment I saw the film, I knew she had to win for that performance. It's such a beautiful and touching performance in a truly wonderful film. 

Best Animated Feature Film:  

I'm nearly positive this one will go to the fantastic Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which features stunning animation coupled with a great story and a smart story. I could see an upset going to The Boy and the Heron, but I'm feeling pretty confident with this one. 

Best International Feature Film: 

I feel confident that this one will go to the powerful and haunting Holocaust film The Zone of Interest. Focused on the commander of Auschwitz Concentration Camp and his family, the film is a searing look at the banality of evil. This one easily outshines the other films. I wouldn't mind seeing an upset for the equally riveting Society of the Snow, but I'm confident this one will go to The Zone of Interest. 

Best Cinematography: 

I'm calling this one for Hoyte van Hoytema for Oppenheimer. He did a fantastic job shooting this film and among all the other things I could say about the film, it looked stunning as well. I'm confident this one is locked up for Oppenheimer. 

Costume Design: 

I'm going to be bold and call this one for Jacqueline Durran for Barbie. She did a magnificent job crafting the style and fashion of Barbie world and all the various different Barbies and Kens with real style and humor that fits the film perfectly. If nothing else, the fact that everyone wanted that I Am Kenough sweatshirt speaks for itself. The Academy could be boring and give it to the latest costume drama, but I really think it deserves to go to Barbie.

Best Original Screenplay: 

I am really hoping this one goes to David Hemingson for his heartfelt, touching and quite funny script for The Holdovers. I adored this film and the writing is a big part of it. I would love for it to get some Oscar love tonight and I think this will be one of the categories where it will win. 

Best Adapted Screenplay: 

Once again, I see this one going to Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer. Trying to adapt the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb as well as it's aftermath, but he managed to do it with a precise and riveting approach that made for a memorable viewing experience. 

Best Original Song: 

I really want it to go to I'm Just Ken for just being the fantastic little earworm that it is. That's the one I'm rooting for but I'd be shocked if it actually won. But hey, Ryan Gosling is performing it live at the Oscars so either way, we win. 

Best Original Score: 

Once again, I think it's going to go to Oppenheimer. Ludwig Göransson's score for that film is a large part of that film and fit the film perfectly. I can't see any of the other nominations winning. 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: 

This one I am not sure of, but I'm going with Poor Things. Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston crafted a unique vision and makeup design for a very memorable film that plays like a fever dream spin on the Frankenstein tale. 

Best Production Design: 

I have to give this one to Barbie for the way it brought Barbie World to life in a way that made it so real and tangible. I think it deserves the win for that alone.   

That's it for me folks, there are a few other categories that I simply don't have predictions for. I haven't seen any of the short films or the documentaries so I don't really have any predictions there. We'll just have to see how right I turn out to be in a couple hours!