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The Phoenician SchemePG-13 1h 41m

• Director
  • Wes Anderson
• Writers
  • Wes Anderson Roman Coppola
• Stars
  • Benicio Del Toro
  • Mia Threapleton
  • Michael Cera

by Jason KoenigsbergWes Anderson returns to the big screen with his distinct vision, style, and brand of humor with his newest comical lighthearted slight social commentary The Phoenician Scheme. This is also a return to form after his uneven Asteroid City (2023) and both Wes Anderson’s most ardent and casual fans should rejoice with how this ‘scheme’ unravels with it’s combination or smart and silly laughs as well as sudden jolts of exuberance that will energize the viewer in their seat not sure what to expect at any moment. The Phoenician Scheme abandons his usual ‘story within a story’ trope but does explore the intricate complexities of family dynamics as a lot of his most memorable pictures do.

The opening image is a 4:3 full frame shot of the inside of an airplane with Benicio Del Toro smoking a cigar in the bottom right corner of the frame. Then, ka-boom! The first of many shocking surprises The Phoenician Scheme has in store. There are moments of dialogue in certain scenes that get wordy but then the camera and sound design grab your attention and draw you in making you want to sit closer to the screen to keep up with these characters and stay alert because a big surprise can happen at any moment. This movie has the fast paced, witty dialogue Wes Anderson is known for and it showcases spectacular sets and costumes. He always makes sure to use the full frame to illustrate his unique sets and color patterns. He also incorporates miniatures into most of his films and The Phoenician Scheme is no exception where a mini set actually plays a part in the climax of the plot.

The plot itself centers around Benicio Del Toro as a cold and calculating billionaire tycoon character in the early 1950’s who has a knack for surviving plane crashes and other major disasters. As his character develops we learn he has many children but want to make his only daughter played by Mia Threapleton his sole heir. The ironic twist is that she is a novitiate on her way to becoming a nun. She goes with him on his endeavors to make money and protect his empire. They meet some very interesting characters played by some incredibly talented actors like Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Hope Davis, and Michael Cera tags along as a tutor/entomologist who joins them on their journey.

One of the highlights on this trip is where they meet Geoffrey Wright on his ship for a blood donation after another plane crash. We are treated to some very clever camera work involving a slap that is the best moment to jolt the audience. About half way through The Phoenician Scheme the viewer will realize that this cold, industrial tycoon is a vessel to make us question if we can sympathize with the ultra wealthy despite knowing they have so much and in our current political climate seem to be doing so much damage to our country.

The final shot shows resilience of the human spirit and importance of family. There will always be holes and leaks in life and we need people to help us get through our most challenging moments. The Phoenician Scheme also says things about religion and the afterlife but those moments are very lighthearted and not meant to be taken seriously as the political allegory is not meant to hit as hard as the social commentary in other films. It is mostly meant to be a fun escape to the cinema. With a run time under two hours, a rarity these days, The Phoenician Scheme has enough laughs to warrant a recommendation. With it’s zany, over the top violence, remarkable intricate sets, and terrific performances big and small, Wes Anderson once again uses his distinct world building skills to create a comical place we can enjoy to spend a couple hours in.

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Mickey 17R 2h 17m

• Director
  • Bong Joon Ho
• Writers
  • Bong Joon Ho
  • Edward Ashton
• Stars
  • Robert Pattinson
  • Steven Yeun
  • Michael Monroe

by Jason KoenigsbergSix years after Bong Joon Ho delivered the global phenomenon Parasite (2019) he finally has another feature film credit for audiences to flock to. The world is very different since Parasite made history winning the Academy Award for Best Picture and was the toast of the town on the eve the pandemic. People do not exactly flock to R-rated science fiction movies that are not part of a cinematic universe or brand name property despite having a big star like Robert Pattinson as the lead. So how does Bong Joon Ho’s long awaited post-COVID follow up Mickey 17 stand on its own as the work of a great cinematic auteur? Well, it certainly is not one of his best films but it is not a total failure. Mickey 17 falls in a long line of recent movies just feeling OK. No serious risks taken, no harm done, but nothing memorable or poignant comes out of it.

Mickey 17 tells the story of a man named Mickey (Pattinson) in the future who volunteers to be an ‘expendable’. A thankless job where he is willing to die for his employer on command. His job forces him to place himself in the most dangerous situations knowing that he will re-awaken alive exactly as he was before his death with all of his memories intact. So basically what ‘South Park’ does to Kenny on a regular basis just with the moral implications of what killing a human life would entail knowing that he can come back exactly the same after his death. This is done in the future through a type of CAT scan sized 3D printer that can print or clone human beings. These ‘expendables’ live unimaginably painful lives as the movie tries to create a future world with an evolved type of slavery.

The opening shot shows Pattinson’s face up close covered in snow as he wipes it away and removes his goggles to reveal it is him. He just fell in a hole on an ice planet and is coldly left for death by his co-workers since they treat his life as if it is a recyclable piece of garbage. To his face they coldly state he’ll come back again just fine the next day. Mickey 17 tries to be realistic with a righteous moral code. An early scene of Robert Pattinson sitting in a car as a human crash test dummy is quite obvious that this is going to a ‘message movie’ and that is exactly what Mickey 17 is for two a quarter hours. The crowds of weak minded people wearing red hats and red shirts cheering for Mark Ruffalo’s politician character are an obvious jab at the MAGA worship of Donald Trump. A female African-American character starts off as a sex object for Pattinson but in the end has a chance to be humanity’s answer for change similar to what Kamala Harris was for the Democrats, and the attack first attitude on aliens when the humans are invading their planet is not subtle or smart, it is beating the audience over the head with its message.

Robert Pattinson maintains his composure, carries the movie with an impressive dual performance and deftly leans into the scripts humor. Mickey 17’s ability to provoke laughs in unlikely moments is one of the movies strengths and remains one of Bong Joon Ho’s finest qualities in all of his pictures. Those are the two best elements of Mickey 17. Everything else is average at best. The alien bug creatures that they encounter on the ice planet are clearly meant to resemble buffalo roaming the snowy Great Plains and remind audiences of the horrible injustices our government inflicted on Native Americans. Plus the translation tool they introduce at the end is some of the laziest writing to make the plot move faster in an already overlong picture. Mickey 17 takes themes and images from so many other movies that deal with the concept of a lower class, or a manmade human being forced to do the dirty work of the future. 1982’s Blade Runner is maybe the best and most influential title to come to mind but there have been dozens of anti-cloning movies from the past that have made the same statement in less heavy handed ways. This movie suffers from not feeling like an original statement other than an obvious topical commentary about some of our political leaders and issues regarding immigration and trying to create an ‘other’ group in society to either leave the country, or do the jobs that white upper class people do not want to do.

Bong Joon Ho has made terrific sci-fi films before with his monster movie The Host (2007), and his dystopian future of all humans surviving on a train during another ice age in Snowpiercer (2014). They both deal with themes about socioeconomic class structure, race, gender, and have a lot more original ideas, and genuine humor than Mickey 17 does. I have no doubt that when Bong Joon Ho dips his feet into the sci-fi genre again he will give viewers something more engaging and less patronizing than what we have here.

Skip Mickey 17 and rewatch his masterpiece Parasite instead or check out The Host. Still one of my favorite movies from Bong Joon Ho. A scary, funny, and exhilarating monster movie.

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The tradition continues… Jason Koenigsberg and Frank Morano discuss the 97th Academy Awards. Get your expert Oscar predictions right here.

https://www.audacy.com/stations/kmox/shows/the-other-side-of-midnight-with-frank-morano-693ba/episodes/a188fcf4bcd6

Click on part 11 starting at the 12:23 mark. We also discuss the career of the late Gene Hackman.

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Best Picture:

Civil War

Heretic

I Saw the TV Glow

Juror #2

Nosferatu*

Best Director:

Clint Eastwood-Juror #2

Robert Eggers-Nosferatu

Jesse Eisenberg-A Real Pain

Alex Garland-Civil War*

Julia Von Heinz-Treasure

Best Actor:

David Dastmalchian-Late Night with the Devil

Jesse Eisenberg-A Real Pain

Stephen Fry-Treasure

Hugh Grant-Heretic

Nicholas Hoult-Juror #2

Best Actress:

Lily-Rose Depp-Nosferatu*

Lena Dunham-Treasure

Kirsten Dunst-Civil War

Demi Moore-The Substance

Naomi Scott-Smile 2

Best Supporting Actor:

Nicholas Braun-Saturday Night

Kieran Culkin-A Real Pain*

Stephen McKinley Henderson-Civil War

Guy Pearce-The Brutalist

Denzel Washington-Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress:

Toni Collette-Juror #2*

Chloe East-Heretic

Margaret Qualley-The Substance

Cailee Spaeny-Civil War

Sophie Thatcher-Heretic

Best Screenplay-Drama:

Civil War

Heretic

I Saw the TV Glow*

Late Night with the Devil

Nosferatu

Best Screenplay-Comedy:

A Real Pain*

Saturday Night

Treasure

Best Visual Effects:

Nosferatu*

Best Sound:

Nosferatu*

Best Music Score:

Nosferatu*

Best Editing:

Civil War*

Best Cinematography:

Nosferatu*

Best Set Design:

Nosferatu*

Best Costumes:

Nosferatu*

Best Make-up:

Nosferatu*

Best Scene in a Movie:

Civil War-Jesse Plemons, “What kind of American are you?”*

Legends Award: John Goodman

https://youtu.be/MydL35ppQxk?si=ZA32ePiF_-c_LSua

Special Achievement Award: Mike Leigh

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by Jason F. KoenigsbergIf the movies of 2024 were to be described in one word, it would be “whimper”. 2023 was a huge step forward in film returning to the pre-pandemic era and the final few months of 2023 were truly an exciting time with unique voices telling stories. There were new titles that were worth going to cinemas for each week. Then once 2024 rolled around, it slowed down and never really picked up. Too many competently made films that seemed orchestrated by a committee and focus groups meant to please mass audiences and not enough individual works of art. Even some of the best films of 2024 seemed as if some people had an idea about making a social commentary and were tying their best to imitate Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, or the recently deceased David Lynch. There were some diamonds in the rough that really stood out but overall 2024 as a whole felt like a massive step back from the progress made in 2023. Here are the top 10 movies from 2024.

Best Movies of 2024:

1. Nosferatu
2. Juror #2
3. Civil War
4. Heretic
5. I Saw the TV Glow
6. Treasure
7. A Real Pain
8. Saturday Night
9. The Substance
10. Dune Part 2

Ironically, the best film of the year was a remake of a story that is in the public domain and has been told hundreds of times. Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’ has inspired countless film and television adaptations. Robert Eggers’ film is the third picture to use the title Nosferatu retelling the popular tale. Notwithstanding the 1922 silent era classic from F.W. Murnau, his recent version may be the best and one of the most beautiful, haunting, and elegant vampire movies of all time. The film it will most likely be compared to for the rest of time besides the two other Nosferatu movies would be Coppola’s 1992 version of Dracula which is highly regarded but the performances from American generation-X actors and some over the top bombastic visuals were distracting from some of the positive artistic elements. Here Eggers corrects that films flaws and he composed a horror symphony with his own unique touch, impeccable performances especially from Lily-Rose Depp, and crafted one of the most luscious visions of terror ever seen on film. It should win awards in every technical category and is the best picture of 2024.

I also valued that 94 year old Clint Eastwood (that is not a typo) could direct one of the best “old-fashioned” courtroom dramas of the decade with his latest and possibly final film Juror #2. A standard legal thriller that felt like a remake of 12 Angry Men (1957) but with a twist regarding one of the jurors. It plays like a melodrama that might have been standard intelligent entertainment for adults years ago but today felt extremely unique and refreshing since they do not make movies like this anymore. Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette give award worthy performances.

Way back in April of 2024 Alex Garlard released his best film as a director with the topical and harrowing Civil War. After the results of the election this past November and the acts of the US President since his inauguration in January they make Civil War feel eerie and more prescient than we would like to believe. Hopefully this film remains a metaphor for what could happen if American democracy is not contained and does not turn into a prediction of what the United States will become.

The rest of the films on my top ten are the movies that spoke most directly to me and entertained on a cerebral level. Hugh Grant gave one of his best and most distinctive performances in a horror movie and harsh commentary on the dangers of religious zealots in Heretic. I Saw the TV Glow relied heavily on 90’s kids now being adults and their nostalgia as well as memories that haunt them as they face their own demons and mental illnesses as adults reluctant to move forward in life. It was an effective and thought provoking thriller that stayed with me long after the end credits rolled. Treasure and A Real Pain were both very personal stories about children dealing with how the Holocaust effected their ancestors and in turn define the adult main characters lives. Both films feature terrific performances from Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham in the former, and Jessie Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in the latter. Eisenberg also wrote and directed A Real Pain and both of these films contain some of most empathetic characters from any movie this past year. Saturday Night felt like Aaron Sorkin and his screenplay for the Steve Jobs movie from 2015. The intense final hours leading up to the premiere of what would become one of the most iconic and longest running sketch comedy shows for the next half century. The performances in Saturday Night are not great because they are emotional, but they are incredible because of how well all of the actors capture these famous people they are portraying which is sometimes an even harder task. The Substance I give credit to because it goes for broke and somehow managed to crossover into the mainstream with such disgusting and graphic visuals. However, David Cronenberg and the estate of Stanley Kubrick should sue the filmmakers for plagiarism, and if I were the judge I would side with the plaintiffs. That may seem like a backhanded compliment to a film I have on my top ten of the year list but 2024 contained very few great original pictures. Denis Villeanueve’s Dune Part 2 was a solid sequel to the original and both of his Dune films are the closest audiences have to the Lord of the Rings epics so they deserves all of the praise they receive.

Now on the flip side, here are the worst movies I saw in 2024…

Worst movies of 2024:

1. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
2. Megalopolis
3. Madame Web
4. Anyone But You
5. Mean Girls

The less said about these the better and other than Megalopolis they will all probably be forgotten within the next 12 months if they have not already been forgotten already. Seriously, does anyone other than the people involved in the Mean Girls remake remember that movie less than a year later? I mention Megalopolis because it will likely be the final film from legendary director Francis Ford Coppola and it was his self-financed, decades in the making, labor of love. In a world where so many movies feel like they are directed by artificial intelligence, Megalopolis felt like one man’s vision. But it was also one of the most excruciating films I have ever sat through. It delivered exactly what I asked for but made me rethink my cinematic values and wonder if I would rather sit through a turgid innocuous crowd pleaser. The only film worse was from the same team that created Saturday Night which felt like a masterwork compared to Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Once again, this movie gave me what I asked for and I learned to be careful with what I wish for. Back in 2021 when I saw Ghostbusters: Afterlife in my negative review I said that the two biggest problems were that the original ghostbuster actors were relegated to pointless cameos at the end and they took the ghostbusters out of New York City. Well, Frozen Empire gave me exactly what I wanted but the movie was so horrendous it made me with they stayed out in the midwest cornfields and that the original ghostbusters stayed retired and never put on their proton packs for either film. Ghostbusters should have always only been a one or two movie franchise. Frozen Empire solidifies that and it upset me more than any other film from 2024.

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NosferatuR 2h 13m

• Director
  • Robert Eggers
• Stars
  • Lily-Rose Depp
  • Nicholas Hoult
  • Bill Skarsgård

By Jason KoenigsbergRobert Eggers’ Nosferatu takes over one hundred years of vampire imagery and lore on film and creates a gothic horror masterpiece. It is one of the most elegantly constructed movies of recent years regardless of genre. This is an unforgettable re-telling of one of the most over-told horror stories. The atmosphere created in Nosferatu is equalled by the terrific performances which are simultaneously grounded and over-the-top but feel perfect for this picture. This timeless tale has been adapted into a timeless classic by its director which makes it modern and relevant for 2024.

The opening shot starts off with music box style tunes over a black screen when Lily-Rose Depp appears on screen, scared, crying and transfixed by the unseen title character trying to posses her. The camera pans and reveals she is in a bedroom and it is a great opening shot that has been seen in most trailers for the film. The whole pre-title sequence is masterfully constructed pulling the viewer in and scaring them at the same time. It creates a mood that grips the audience and never releases it until the closing credits. In between the audience is treated to haunting images that will stay with the viewer long after the movie is over.

The atmosphere in Nosferatu excels thanks to the spectacular sprawling set design for 1830’s Germany that recreates big cities, gothic castles, gypsy villages, desolate crypts, and elegant chambers. The eerie score and terrific sound effects and sound design compliment the striking visuals. Robert Eggers has proven as master filmmaker in terms of creating a mood and a historical sense of place but he outdoes even his own best work here with Nosferatu. The way Eggers uses light and shadow and blends black and white and color cinematography is why Nosferatu is unquestionably one of the best looking and sounding movies of the year. Also, some of the visuals are so mysterious and unsettling the viewer does not know what they are seeing until the camera lingers for a period of time or the low key lighting reveals more but while it does that something else in the background could be moving and make the scene even more unsettling. Even the editing can mystify the viewer from one scene to the next with the blocking of characters or elements of the mis-en-scene. Nosferatu is always sumptuous and gorgeous invigorating viewers not to know what to expect next even though most will be familiar with Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ story which is what Nosferatu is based on.

The performances are perfect for what Nosferatu demands most notably Lily-Rose Depp, Johnny’s daughter all grown up, and she owns this movie. She is ready to break though to the big time and this is the role that should make her a bigger name. Willem Dafoe is great as always as the Dr. Van Helsing type of role, Bill Skargard is barely recognizable as Count Orlok/Nosferatu, and Nicholas Hoult does more than a less actor would with the demands a male lead trying to save his wife, and himself from the ultimate evil infatuated with his bride.

Robert Eggers makes this classic horror story based on a novel and silent film both over a century old relevant for 2024 paralleling the plague with our recent bout with the COVID pandemic. He allows Lily-Rose Depp to redefine the female lead with her portrayal of the object of the vampires obsession being a strong female lead able to convincingly stand up against the evil that terrorizes her. Plus, the evil entity himself, a toxic masculine figure, has an ability to entrap victims and an entire city with his vile and manipulative ways. All of these elements add up to making Nosferatu one of the best movies of recent years.

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Gladiator II R 2h 28m

• Director
  • Ridley Scott
• Stars
  • Connie Nielsen
  • Paul Mescal
  • Denzel Washington

by Jason KoenigsbergTwenty-four years after Gladiator there is a sequel. The first movie rejuvenated the sword and sandals epic, as well as director Ridley Scott’s career while simultaneously making Russell Crowe a megastar and Joaquin Phoenix a big name as well. It went on to win Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor for Crowe and it’s legacy stands as one of the defining movies at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Now a sequel to Gladiator may seem like it will wreak with desperation but it was in fact being planned over twenty years ago after the first movie came out. Ridley Scott’s return to the Roman Empire offers a lot of admire and also a lot to scratch your head about.

Gladiator II opens up with the Paramount logo instead of Dreamworks, because alas, Spielberg’s production company which won Academy Awards and made billions of dollars is no more. The logo is followed by opening credits over a stylized animated summary of the events from the original film. The first shot is a hand grabbing rice meant to be reminiscent of the previous films first shot, a hand touching some grains of wheat. There is some text to catch the audience up to where in Rome we are after the events of the first film and that this is a Rome much worse and decaying from a corrupt government. Once again, another movie with a not so subtle immediate jab at the United States current situation. Political commentary is almost becoming a lost art in cinema with it being such low hanging fruit that anyone with an eighth grade education could criticize American politics in a screenplay. The politics of the Gladiator do reflect the politics of the USA. When the first film came out our government was thriving and people were prospering under the Clinton era. Today we have suffered several wars since then, have a struggling economy, and are failing under selfish and corrupt leaders from both sides. Back to the movie, Gladiator II mirrors the first film with its opening shot and its opening scene being an epic battle sequence. This time the fighting takes place on land and sea and the historic naval battle in Gladiator II is one of the best since Charlton Heston starred in Ben-Hur (1959). A soldier who turns out to be the main character played by Paul Mescal witnesses his wife’s death in the battle. His people are conquered by the Roman army led by Pedro Pascal in this sequence. Our main character is captured, sold into slavery, and trained to be a gladiator.

The lead actors played by Mescal and Pascal are serviceable but they certainly lack the charisma of Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix from the first film. Crowe’s ghost looms large throughout the film and is pivotal to the plot. It is highly unlikely either new actor who picks up the sword will earn Academy Award nominations or skyrocket to superstardom like the Crowe and Phoenix did for the previous film. However one actor who few would argue against him earning Best Supporting Actor nominations is Denzel Washington. He is sort of the Proximo character, played by Oliver Reed in the previous film, of this movie with a few more tricks up his toga. In fact this character is unlike any we have seen Denzel Washington play and it is a pleasure to see him relish this role and the third act provides him with a lot of twists and turns. People may be able to criticize Gladiator II as a whole but nobody can deny that Denzel does not once again excel in one of the juiciest roles of his long and illustrious career. He is easily the best part of this movie. It was also nice to see Connie Nielsen and Derek Jacobi return in their roles from the first movie. Ms. Nielsen looks great and is given a lot to do in this movie allowing her character to run the gamut of emotions, one only wishes we could say the same for Mr. Jacobi.

The plot involves a surprise regarding Paul Mescal’s character and his connection to Connie Nielsen’s and it would not be wise to speak of their dynamics anymore even though it sort of tarnishes aspects of some characters from the first film. Their relationship creates a convoluted plot involving the throne of the Roman Empire and allows for more coincidences than a Star Wars movie. The serendipitous plot makes a lot of the characters actions feel contrived and wish for a smarter screenplay with better dialogue. Despite the weaknesses in the script Gladiator II has some of the most visually sumptuous cinematography as most Ridley Scott movies do and memorable battle sequences at the very beginning and near the end.

Not all of the action is commendable. There is an early fight sequence with some really bad CGI baboons and later on some sharks and rhinos are just as unconvincing computerized manifestations. Gladiator II does drag at times in the second act but the third act is filled with surprises that will make the viewer lean forward in their seat. This is a tough one to call but the plot contrivances are just too silly to recommend and for as great as some of the performances are, Denzel Washington in particular, others are the polar opposite and borderline forgettable. Gladiator II sadly falls into the bin of long awaited unnecessary sequels.

Skip it and stay home and stream the original Gladiator which holds up even better today than it did nearly a quarter century ago.

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MegalopolisR 2h 18m

• Director
  • Francis Ford Coppola
• Writer
  • Francis Ford Coppola
• Stars
  • Adam Driver
  • Giancarlo Esposito
  • Nathalie Emmanuel

by Jason KoenigsbergFrancis Ford Coppola is usually not a filmmaker known for making sacrifices for his art. His films whether they be some of the best of all time or some of the most notorious failures are hard fought endeavors with a lot of passion and conflict behind the scenes to end up with the finished product audiences see. His latest film Megalopolis is a passion project of his that he wanted to make for over forty years. He almost made it over twenty years ago but was delayed after 9/11 and he did not want it to depict New York City in a negative light. In fact I remember reading about it as his next movie credit while it was in preproduction back when I was in high school. In fact, Coppola financed the entire $120 budget of Megalopolis out of his own pocket. He had done the same with Apocalypse Now (1979) and One from the Heart (1981), and the failure of the latter made him declare bankruptcy. All of his subsequent films up until The Rainmaker (1997) were made to pay off his debts. Francis Ford Coppola is clearly a better artist than he is a businessman and nobody can deny that he is willing to fight for his visions and make no doubt about it, Megalopolis is a movie that feels like his singular vision. In a time where most movies feel more like products of focus groups and directed by committees to stay safe, not offend anybody, and make a profit, Megalopolis is very refreshing.

But is it any good? Well the star rating certainly indicates that it is not, but this is maybe one of the most personal motion pictures on the grandest scale that the star rating above could change depending on the person, or even the mood of the person who is giving it. Megalopolis is a strange experience to say the least, but it is not a pleasant one either. It does not open up with a usual studio name but Coppola’s own American Zoetrope logo followed by a shot of the sky and then shots revealing New York City. Laurence Fishburne reads a quote in VoiceOver narration comparing the United States to the Roman Empire. It then shows our main character Adam Driver at the top of a skyscraper, probably the Chrysler building since they show that early on. He is standing there with clouds moving quickly yet little to no winds are blowing his Caesar haircut or his sports jacket. He leans over seemingly able to control space and time and defy physics. The title card flashes and it tells the audience this is a fable. So that is Coppola’s excuse to throw logic out the window as Adam Driver was able to stop himself from gravity taking over.

The rest of the movie plays like a fever dream but a very personal dream, almost like it is something Coppola thought and we are seeing the vision from his sleep play out as they did for him and it is about as awkward as that sounds. The themes are reminiscent of Alex Garland’s recent movie Civil War about the end of the United States as we know it. New York is now New Rome and we are going to fall because of greed and corruption just like the Romans did. The parallels are obvious and heavy handed and the movie keeps reminding us of the same comparisons over and over. The dialogue is preposterous and Francis Ford Coppola is too smart to not do this on purpose. Megalopolis is essentially a very expensive independent movie so he made exactly what he wanted to make and it cost him a lot of his own fortune. The talented cast including the aforementioned Driver and Fishburne as well as Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Dustin Hoffman, and Jon Voight promenade around sets that are meant to stand out, costumes meant to show off the designers skill and all manage to maintain their dignity. The men all have the same Caesar haircuts and the names are aggravatingly obvious like Cesar, Cicero, and Crassus. The NYPD emblem is replaced with NRPD, there is a license plate that resembles New York’s and says AOC. This would be clever coming from a college student, not a master filmmaker. Coppola is himself an Italian-American who is proud of his heritage as shown by his filmography and his winery. He probably really wanted to make a connection between the corporate greed that the United States has in droves and how that could lead to our downfall as it did Rome. It might have been more eye opening in the early 2000s, but instead two decades later, this commentary feels stale. That could be forgiven if Megalopolis was not such a grueling watch. With a run time of nearly two and a half hours, Megalopolis felt closer to four and a half hours. I needed to take breaks and walk around while I squirmed in my comfy movie theater recliner. The few times I walked out I came back to realize I missed nothing regarding the plot. Sadly, Megalopolis is one of the most excruciating experiences I have ever had at the movies, but at least it is unique and an original artists true vision. These days that has to count for something.

Skip this and check out The Godfather (1972) or The Godfather Part II (1974) or one of the other classics Francis Ford Coppola directed.

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By Jason F. Koenigsberg San Francisco, The City by the Bay is home to some of the greatest movies of all time. Smaller in comparison to New York, Chicago, and LA but its natural beauty near the water and architectural marvels with roads and buildings built on steep hills make it a unique city and provide for some distinguished and unforgettable moments in cinema. San Francisco is the home and birthplace for some very famous motion picture icons like Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, and Danny Glover, all of whom made at least one major movie in their native city. So now let us take a look back and see the best movies that Fog City has to offer. But before we get to the top ten San Francisco Movies, here are some honorable mentions.

The Presidio (1988) directed by Peter HyamsA fairly run of the mill action flick from the 80’s that really serves as a great showcase for the city and its titular former army post, probably the most beautiful military base in the nation. The plot is nothing special but Sean Connery certainly makes the most of it and seems to be having fun bossing around Mark Harmon and taking down some bad guys plus an early role for Meg Ryan when she was still an up and coming actress. The Presidio was Connery’s first film after winning his Oscar but he would return to the actual presidio in an even better movie further down on the list.

Milk (2008) directed by Gus Van SantFrom Sean Connery to Sean Penn. This Gus Van Sant directed film won Sean Penn his second Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to win an election for public office. The movie shows Castro Street in the 1970s and accurately depicts the life and struggles of Harvey Milk as an activist and civil rights leader who spent his who life and tragically short political career fighting for homosexual equality. He was a man way ahead of his time and the movie does justice to his legacy and his city with much of it being filmed on location in San Francisco.

Metro (1997) directed by Thomas CarterOne of the lesser known and often forgotten Eddie Murphy movies contains some of the best cinematography of San Francisco that rivals any of the other movies on this list. Metro was unceremoniously released in January of 1997 to mediocre reviews and box office likely due to the fact the studio did not know how to advertise it. This is probably Eddie Murphy’s darkest role, it is definitely one of his most serious and dramatic performances as a hostage negotiator going up against a criminal terrorizing him throughout the whole city. Metro makes great sue of its location shooting and has some splendid action sequences and chase scenes that are only topped by some of the other movies on this list if you scroll down. This was the movie Eddie Murphy probably wanted the third Beverly Hills Cop to be. Those expecting to see Axel Foley in San Francisco were probably let down. Instead Metro was the closest Eddie Murphy would get to Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan.

Dr. Dolittle (1998) directed by Betty ThomasEven though audiences may not have responded well to Metro, Eddie Murphy must have liked filming in the Bay Area since his next movie was an updated remake of Dr. Dolittle and he chose to film it in and around San Francisco. The results were much more positive at the box office this time around Murphy was delightful as a callous physician who comes around to accepting that he can talk to animals and it improves his relationship with his family. After this family comedies slowly became the norm for Eddie Murphy who at the time had young kids of his own. Obviously Dr. Dolittle did not have the grand action set pieces and stunt sequences of some of the more famous San Francisco movies but it did showcase the city as a beautiful and picturesque location as well as making use of the gorgeous forests and parks that surround the city.

Inside Out (2015) directed by Pete DocterPossibly one of the best Pixar movies of all time, the only main reason Inside Out is not higher up on the list is because other than a few early scenes it hardly takes place in San Francisco. Most of it is inside the main characters head as her emotions fight to comprehend and make the best of her situation after the parents moved their family from Minnesota to San Francisco. The few scenes they do animate that showcase the city do so in a negative but accurate light and lead to one of the funniest lines in the movie involving broccoli on pizza, “That’s it San Francisco! You’ve ruined pizza! First the Hawaiians, now you!”

Desperate Measures (1998) directed by Barbet SchroederProbably the most forgotten San Francisco movie that deserves more attention. It was another late 90’s action flick unceremoniously dumped by the studio in January and flopped along with many other movies in the massive wave of success that Titanic (1997) rode to the box office as the number one movie for months. It is another action movie with a significant chase sequence about a cop (Andy Garcia) trying to get a bone marrow transplant for his dying son and coincidentally the only match is a psychopathic serial killer played menacingly well by Michael Keaton. Desperate Measures was shot in San Francisco and Pittsburgh (Keaton’s hometown) doubled as the Northern California city. This movie should have been granted a better reception and with Michael Keaton having a resurgence in his career for the past decade people really should go back and rediscover some of his under appreciated works and Desperate Measures would be a fine place to start.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) directed by Rupert WyattAll of the recent Planet of the Apes movies took place in and around San Francisco but it was only the one that re-started the franchise that actually had the ability to make the most of its San Francisco location. Rise of the Planet of the Apes rejuvenated a franchise that most did not even realize needed to be brought back but once it did it added so much to the dormant beloved Apes series it is hard to imagine these movies not being part of the legacy. Rise of the Planet of the Apes showcases state of the art motion capture special effects, solid performances and makes great use of its San Francisco setting especially the end with the apes taking over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a memorable moment in the Apes saga and Bay Area cinema.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) directed by Philip KaufmanThis was the toughest film to omit from the top ten. One of the best sci-fi thriller remakes of all time is also one of the best San Francisco movies of all time and features one of the late great Donald Sutherland’s finest performances. The 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers works as a remake or as a continuation of the 1956 original if one prefers to view it through that lens and it culminates with one of the best final scenes in any motion picture. Plus it does display San Francisco for its architectural and aesthetic beauty albeit with an eerie tone and a sense of darkness and dread throughout that few other movies capture shot in this city. It makes the most of its scenery and all of the elements work making it a great movie that makes it hard to justify some of the titles ranked higher.

So without any further ado, here are the Top Ten San Francisco based Movies…

1. A View to a Kill (1985) directed by John GlenJames Bond heads to San Francisco to take on a diabolical computer magnate with plans to dominate Silicon Valley by killing millions and wiping out his competition. A View to a Kill is a topical film for Roger Moore’s final outing as 007 and it is also one of the campiest Bond films with Christopher Walken as a Nazi experiment of a test tube baby grown up and trying to take over the world. In typical Bond fashion he globe trots throughout the picture. He jumps a few continents, has a great fight and chase sequence through Paris starting off in the Eiffel Tower. By the end of the film James Bond finds himself inexplicably on a blimp trying to hold onto a rope for dear life over San Francisco and then there is a great fight and explosion between Bond and the main villain on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was not necessary to film in San Francisco but that added relevance to the mostly preposterous plot and the movie made the most of the scenes in the city.

2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) directed by Leonard NimoyThe Star Trek franchise has always had a connection to San Francisco. It was featured in the original 1979 motion picture, mentioned in various TV programs but it was front and center and a major part of the setting in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where the original crew has to travel back in time to the present day 1980’s San Francisco. Kirk and his crew go back in time to the twentieth century to save Earth from an alien probe and need to bring with them the only creatures that can communicate with it, humpback whales. This movie is silly, fun, and the most crowd pleasing of the Star Trek movies. It was meant for the masses and it succeeded as well as showcasing San Francisco in a matter of fact fashion as the crew wandered around the city in an unlikely fish out of water story.

3. 48 Hrs. (1982) directed by Walter HillEddie Murphy’s first feature film role and is often considered one of his best. 48 Hrs. is revered as one of the best action-comedy movies from the 80’s and is credited for kick-starting the buddy cop sub-genre which would become extremely popular for the rest of the decade with mis-matched cop partners being forced to work together, often being different races. This movie set the tone and set the bar very high for a lot of the imitators that would follow, the most notable and successful of which was Lethal Weapon (1987). 48 Hrs. deals with race, labels, and has a raw grittiness that most other buddy cop action pictures would lack. It has Asian actors in small roles back when they were seldom in Hollywood movies, long takes, brutal villains, a jazzy score, and makes great matter of fact use of the streets of San Francisco.

4. Vertigo (1958) directed by Alfred HitchcockPeople often consider this Hitchcock’s best film and the best, or certainly darkest performance from the legendary James Stewart. Vertigo flopped on its initial release and ended the partnership between Hitch and Jimmy Stewart but years later is has been reappraised and rightfully so as one of the best films of all time and one of the most influential psychological thrillers about a detective and his fear of heights but also his intense obsession with a woman he believes tried to commit suicide but soon discovers the case is not all that he sees. A masterwork of manipulation of both the characters and the audience, Vertigo uses San Francisco and the parks and woods in the surrounding areas to tell a haunting, personal, and unforgettable mystery that shook audiences half a century ago and still just as unsettling and powerful today.

5. Zodiac (2007) directed by David FincherAfter the description of the movie above, how could anyone possibly put another thriller above it? Well how about one that is based on a true story? A true story of a real life serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area back in the late 1960s and 1970s who was never really caught? This is one difficult and incredibly compelling San Francisco based motion picture that could not have worked in any other city. David Fincher used real dialogue from the detectives reports and newspaper clipping, as well as actual notes the Zodiac killer left as clues to taunt the police and reports. His two hour and forty minute exploration of these murders made Zodiac one of his most mature and complex works and one of the best and most unique serial killer movies of all time.

6. The Conversation (1974) directed by Francis Ford CoppolaMovie-wise this and Vertigo are arguably the two best films on this list. San Francisco-wise other than its spectacular opening shot Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation probably could have taken place in just about any city but it takes place in San Francisco so it deserves to be mentioned in the conversation of best San Francisco movies. Sandwiched in between when Coppola made The Godfather‘s I and II and released the same year as the second film, The Conversation seemed destined to be overlooked. It did surprise win the Palme d’Or at Cannes but despite rave reviews audiences stayed away and smaller movies from Francis Ford Coppola would get put on the back burner. This is a smaller film and even though it may not have the critical or cultural impact of his other movies from the 1970s, The Conversation is one of the greatest political and paranoia thrillers of all time. It also contains one of Gene Hackman’s best performances and can early turn from a then mostly unknown Harrison Ford.

7. Bullitt (1968) directed by Peter YatesDo you want action? Do you want excitement? Do you want San Francisco presented to you at a breakneck speed? Then buckle up in a 1968 Mustang GT and get ready for the King of Cool Steve McQueen to race through the city in Bullitt, one of the best movies to showcase the unusual and creative road designs in and around San Francisco. There is a plot involving a Senator and the mob but none of that really matters. Bullitt is about action, testosterone and getting things done with actions, not words. Plus it features one of the best car chases of all time and is synonymous for the amazing stunt work that still holds up today. CGI can never replace the iron and steel on display in the real cars from Bullitt one of the best Steve McQueen action movies and one of his most iconic cop roles and it would not have been the same if it were filmed in any other city.

8. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) directed by Chris ColumbusThis is the first movie that I saw where I noticed San Francisco and that it was a unique city on film. The buildings, the streets, the hills. Other than the exterior shots of the house in the ABC sitcom Full House, I had never seen anything like the setting in Mrs. Doubtfire and I learned the distinctive aesthetics of San Francisco. This movie is a silly comedy with a message about families and divorce and it handles the comedy and the heavy scenes perfectly. But Mrs. Doubtfire also takes the time to set up each scene and by doing so makes the city of San Francisco a character as well just like Ghostbusters did with New York and The Big Lebowski did with Los Angeles. None of these comedies needed to call attention as much as they did to the city they were taking place in yet by doing so they made their movie and their city stand out from other movies. When I told friends I was considering writing this article about movies that take place in San Francisco the one title everyone seemed to mention was Mrs. Doubtfire and that is why it should rank so high. It obviously did for other people that saw it at a young age as I did and embedded San Francisco in their head.

9. Dirty Harry (1971) directed by Don SiegelA few movies back I mentioned David Fincher’s Zodiac. Well Zodiac mentions Dirty Harry because not only was the original Dirty Harry inspired by the Zodiac killer as the police were investigating and the murders were happening but they also show Jake Gyllenhaal go to a cinema to see Dirty Harry. What Bullitt did for cars Dirty Harry did for guns making his .44 Magnum the weapon associated with Clint Eastwood. This is a tough, brutal, nihilistic and ruthless movie about crime and what some think should be done to deter criminals from walking the streets. After seeing the killer in this movie (named Scorpio instead of Zodiac) you might agree with Harry Callahan’s sentiment stating “Well I’m all broken up about that man’s rights”. Dirty Harry not only put San Francisco on the map as an important city, a beautiful location to shoot movies input it also honored their hand working police force. Plus, this is the movie that changed Clint Eastwood’s career trajectory from mainly being known as a star of westerns to playing cops and he would portray them for the next thirty plus years on film and establish himself as one of Hollywoods most iconic and enduring tough guys. Dirty Harry helped make Clint a hero for the ages.

10. The Rock (1996) directed by Michael BayThe best San Francisco movie of all time is Michael Bay’s The Rock. It knowingly took elements from Dirty Harry, Bullitt, especially with that car chase, and 48 Hrs. with the buddy cop/unlikely duo that have to work together to stop the bad guys and save lives aspect along with Clint Eastwood’s Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and combined them into a greatest hits of San Francisco on film into one of the best action movies of the 90s. It is one of Sean Connery’s best performances and the performance that changed Nicolas Cage’s career and turned him into an A-list action star in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. It also features Ed Harris in one of his best roles where he creates a complex villain which was not seen very often in studio action fare. With spectacular car chases, phenomenal stunts, a rousing score, memorable dialogue, superb editing, and outstanding cinematography The Rock is a high octane action thrill ride that showcases San Francisco as much as any other film on this list and is one of t he most satisfying summer blockbusters of all time.

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Alien: RomulusR 1h 59m

• Director
  • Fede Alvarez
• Writers
  • Fede Alvarez Rodo Sayagues Dan O’Bannon
• Stars
  • Cailee Spaeny
  • David Jonsson
  • Archie Renaux

by Jason KoenigsbergThe Alien franchise trudges on with Alien: Romulus, the seventh standalone Alien picture since the original in 1979, not including the disastrous AVP entries. The consensus is often that the Ridley Scott directed original and first sequel Aliens (1986) directed by James Cameron are the two best and the others are considered significant drops in quality with their ardent defenders. Now Fede Alvarez takes the helm, famous for his brutal and bloody horror movies like Don’t Breathe (2016) and attempts to breathe fresh life into this series that has lied dormant for seven years since Disney took over 20th Century Fox and is trying to make as much money as it can off that studios once profitable titles. Whether Alien: Romulus is a success or not depends on what the viewer ultimately wants from his Alien pictures. Alien: Romulus is thrilling for sure and definitely delivers solid scares with the adult alien xenomorphs, face-huggers, and even an effective new creepy monster alien hybrid that will probably make even the most cold blooded horror fans rejoice. However, what it does not have are any real original thoughts or visionary ideas that will propel the Alien saga further other than being a reliable slasher in space movie.

The film opens up as most of these movies do with a shot of the stars in outer space, and then slowly a ship floats into the foreground. Alien: Romulus is dark, very dark at times during the first half and then scenes of light feel a little extra special and tension filled when they do appear and let go of the low key lighting. The sound effects are all identical to the first film and so are the visual set design of the ships and later the alien habitats and grime all very reminiscent of the original which seems to be the key to Alien: Romulus making it difficult to fault some of the filmmaking decisions. It follows the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ mantra.

It also follows the same themes of the previous films. Very early on in Alien: Romulus we hear about the evils of greedy corporations willing to do anything including sacrifice human lives to save money and improve the company. The Weyland-Yutani corporate name and logo are scattered throughout the film. Allegedly the events in Alien: Romulus take place in between the first two films so playing on nostalgia as so many of these legacy sequels do seems like an obvious and safe choice. This movie does play it safe with its narrative choices but does not feel safe when it is trying to be scary. It goes for the jugular on the thrills and nobody can deny that Fede Alvarez cannot orchestrate thrills when he wants to. He takes his time gradually building suspense and developing characters which are mostly mundane other than a brother and sister pair which the less said about them the better for going into seeing this film. Previous Alien movies have received the criticism that they show smart people doing very dumb things on screen. Well Romulus is no exception here but that is necessary for a lot of thrillers to propel the plot and provide the wallop when an audience needs to jump in fear.

Alien: Romulus also continues on the franchises recurring theme of motherhood which was much more blatant in some entries than others. Even the first film named the computer running the ship ‘MUTHUR’ and so does Romulus. The motherhood theme and vaginal imagery run rampant this time around, especially in the latter part. There is also a synthetic android character (and another one that if any more is said would be a spoiler), but the main new android is sympathetic but still meant to symbolize the dangers of technology, especially AI.

In the end Alien: Romulus adds up to being a lot of the same but undeniably effective. It is good for those that crave familiarity and homages to the Alien franchise. They make sure to reference all of the previous six movies in some form and she of the homages are really intellectual and clever while some just feel like obligatory fan service. As stated before, Alien: Romulus is very low on originality and some of those references become plot points so they do assist the film as a whole. But they also prevent the film from taking any risks or veering into bold new territory for this series. That being said the thrills are genuinely frightening, the graphic violence and gory visuals are often unsettling. It builds with creepy atmosphere and stomps on your thought with intensity. Seven years ago I gave a negative review for Alien: Covenant mostly because it was the first Alien movie to not feel like it had an original voice or bring anything new to the series and instead felt like a remake of the original. The same thing could be said here but when Alien: Romulus goes for the kill, it hits the bullseye every time. This succeeds where Covenant failed and is worthy of its ticket price for indisputable creeps and thrills.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesPG-13 2h 25m

• Director
  • Wes Ball
• Stars
  • Owen Teague
  • Freya Allan
  • Kevin Durand

by Jason KoenigsbergThe Apes have returned for the first time as part of the Disney company since they bought 20th Century Fox which owned the Planet of the Apes franchise. Fox was the apes home since the original classic in 1968 all the way up to the previous film War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) which concluded the prequel trilogy in superb fashion. But obviously Disney decided they could make more money from this beloved franchise and the Apes continue their reign over earth with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. This movie was meant to make money and create a revenue stream with more Planet of the Apes movies and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The writing, directing are competent and the performances are engaging. There are splendid moments that make Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes worth visiting.

The movie opens up with text to catch the audience up on the recent trilogy of apes movies with a shot of Caesar, the main character of those films, at his funeral before cutting to a wide shot in broad daylight with the words “many generations later”. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes its time setting up the new characters and by the end we will care about them and their relationships. Unlike some movies in this long running franchise, this entry might be the best example as a stand alone Planet of the Apes movie other than perhaps the 1968 original and the 2011 prequel/reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That includes the 2001 Tim Burton one-off Apes movie that most people forget, or try to forget about. The filmmakers world build and establish a unique story within the world audiences are familiar with from all of the previous movies in this franchise. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has some clever references to the first film with the scarecrows, Nova, the mention of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but thankfully they are subtle and this film does not rely on those homages to tell the story or cater to the viewers and make them feel smart. So many legacy sequels like this patronize to their audiences. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is focused on tellings its story, creating new characters, and giving us some spectacular motion capture special effects. The ape actors are effortlessly blended in with their CGI visages.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does not neglect or deviate from what some of the best movies in this franchise focus on, a social commentary about mankind and our current political situation. Instead of dealing with racism and our treatment of other less fortunate groups, Kingdom chooses to make a statement about hero worship and religion. Timely, considering the situation in the Middle-East and how both American political parties are stating that the founding fathers and political leaders from the past would champion their cause and not the other factions. The villainous gorilla tribe and their self-appointed ‘king’ exploit Caesar’s name as their cause of violence and destruction of other apes. A clear allegory for Jesus or Muhammad as people exploit their names to justify horrific acts. Using great iconic names out of context to obtain power is wisely condemned by the filmmakers but is a fraction of why people should see this movie. Despite the fact that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is unnecessary other than to keep this franchise going for years to come it is a very entertaining and engaging special effects blockbuster. It goes on a little too long and could have been edited tighter, just like many other movies in recent years. The benefits clearly outweigh the tradeoffs and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is worth the price of admission.

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Civil WarR 1h 49m

• Director
  • Alex Garland
• Writer
  • Alex Garland
• Stars
  • Kirsten Dunst
  • Wagner Moura
  • Cailee Spaeny

by Jason KoenigsbergAlex Garland’s Civil War is his most provocative, political, and harrowing film as a director thus far. His best previous directorial efforts are science fiction films like Ex Machina (2015) and Annihilation (2018) that both have a sense of urgency and realism. They feel as if they could happen now, or at least in the very near future. Civil War has the same realism minus the scientific advancements and replaces those with American political divisions that if left unattended and allowed to grow could result into what we see onscreen. The first shot is an out of focus image and then someone walks into the frame and it is revealed to be the side profile of the President of the United States played by Nick Offerman. He walks into focus but remains viewed from the side. He starts practicing his speech filled with hyberole, obviously meant to remind the audience of a certain recent former and possible future president. Right away the visual style is clear that this is going to be a very in your face type of pseudo-documentary style war picture. The audience sees a lot of images of cameras, camera lenses, screens, mirrors, and reflections This visual motif continues throughout the picture and the director and cinematographer make good use of it. The events that unfold during Civil War are told through the eyes and camera lenses of wartime photojournalists. They are the conduit that the audience follows into the dangerous and often deadly frontlines. The story may focus on the journalists but the emphasis from the filmmakers is on war and how it destroys the humanity and decency in us all.

Civil War is reminiscent of previous war films about reporters trying to capture important moments in volatile warlike conditions such as Roland Joffe’s The Killing Fields (1984) or Oliver Stone’s Salvador (1986). The main difference being this is a fictitious war in a dystopian future United States and those were based on historical events, but this Civil War feels just as real as anything in those movies. The format is similar to those films as we follow reporters who get caught up in the conflict. Moments of peaceful conversation are followed by sudden bursts of gunshots and violence. Between last years Best Picture winner Oppenheimer and now Civil War, the world really needs another Oliver Stone type filmmaker to tackle controversial subjects with the same raw and relentless sensibilities he used on his best films back in the 80’s and 90’s.

This movie purposefully and carefully alludes to Donald Trump without ever being overbearing, blatant, or obvious. The mention of Charlottesville and the President serving a third term are meant to evoke thoughts of Trump without beating the audience over the head so it is commendable that Civil War is never patronizing which is not common in most movies today. The performances are all very good and compliment each other, the four main characters work well as a team. They could all be cliches but the actors make them so endearing that it does not matter. We have the leader who is a well known photojournalist played by Kirsten Dunst. She is hardened and numb to the violence yet haunted by her memories of the horrors she has witnessed while on the job. Her happy go lucky male companion played by Wagner Moura is doing his best Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ impersonation. He sells his part well enough. Stephen McKinley Henderson is their older and wiser veteran in the group who provides the most compassion and patience for the youngest person on their journey, an early twenty-something photographer played by Cailee Spaeny who says Kirsten Dunst’s character is her hero and she wants to follow in her footsteps so she is allowed to tag-a-long with their crew as they travel deadly war ravaged terrain. Kirsten Dunst and Stephen McKinley Henderson are very early potential Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor nominees. The fact that Kirsten Dunst plays the lead and is a female makes little to no difference in the movie. It is 2024 so that is nothing new but it is commendable that the movie does not make a big deal about her gender and treats her the same as it would a male protagonist other than making her protege female. Dunst does a superb job and is believable as she always is. At times all of these characters are portrayed as adrenaline junkies and maybe war photojournalists are in real life as well. It certainly takes a special person with a lot of courage to step onto the front lines as these characters do armed with a Nikon and not an assault rifle.

Something else that stood out in Civil War that may get overlooked is the set design. The war torn and desolate America that serves as the setting as the audience follows these reporters on their quest to get to Washington DC and confront the President looks realistic. They look like parts of America that are already rundown like images we see on the news of dying cities such as Flint, Michigan or Gary, Indiana. The only difference is Alex Garland added a little extra decay and destruction from bombs and bullet holes in a few of the taller buildings in the background.

Civil War tries to be apolitical and for the most part it succeeds. It wants to be one of those movies where what the audience brings to it could pat them on the back regardless of whether they stand on the right or left politically. There are subtle, depending on how you look at it, jabs at middle America, in particular white Americans from the mid-west especially the scene with Jesse Plemons that has been in every trailer when he asks “what kind of American are you?” There is a reason that certain actors were cast and race had a big role. To some people they might look at them as Americans and others might not. There is a scene involving a mass grave of dead bodies and if you look close you will notice the ones we get a better look at are African-American or at the very least not caucasian. At first when Civil War ends the audience may feel dissatisfied and wish Alex Garland gave us a more conventional ending and actually took a side to let the viewer know that we should work together as Americans to stop the forces of evil and greedy politicians that are tearing us apart. But once the ending settles and the viewer has time to reflect they will realize that type of ending would go against everything Alex Garland is trying to say about the United States, war, and humanity. The lack of closure may be frustrating but it brings home the message Civil War is really saying. That factions will bring about the worst in all of us. Both sides can get caught up in killing and trying to win that they can both become soulless. Dividing people based on our differences is what leads us to war and even worse, what Thomas Hobbes warned about, a state of nature. Civil War is a movie that needs to be seen so that the viewer can reflect on themselves, the type of country they want to live in, and the type of country they want to leave for their progeny.

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Pan and Slam’s Jason Koenigsberg joins Frank Morano on 77WABC to recap the 2024 Academy Awards.

https://wabcradio.com/episode/jason-koenigsberg-03-11-24/

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Best Picture:

The Holdovers

The Iron Claw

Oppenheimer*

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Best Director:

Jonathan Glazer-The Zone of Interest

Cord Jefferson-American Fiction

Yorgos Lanthimos-Poor Things

Christopher Nolan-Oppenheimer*

Alexander Payne-The Holdovers

Best Actor:

Zac Efron-The Iron Claw

Michael Fassbender-The Killer

Paul Giamatti-The Holdovers*

Cillian Murphy-Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright-American Fiction

Best Actress:

Vanessa Kirby-Napoleon

Julianne Moore-May December

Natalie Portman-May December

Margot Robbie-Barbie

Emma Stone-Poor Things*

Best Supporting Actor:

Sterling K. Brown-American Fiction

Robert Downey Jr.-Oppenheimer*

Charles Melton-May December

Mark Ruffalo-Poor Things

Jeremy Allen White-The Iron Claw

Best Supporting Actress:

Penelope Cruz-Ferrari*

America Ferrera-Barbie

Jodie Foster-Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph-The Holdovers

Maura Tierney-The Iron Claw

Best Screenplay-Drama:

Ferrari

The Iron Claw

The Killer

Oppenheimer

The Zone of Interest*

Best Screenplay-Comedy:

American Fiction

Barbie

The Holdovers

May December

Poor Things*

Best Visual Effects:

Oppenheimer*

Best Sound:

The Zone of Interest*

Best Music Score:

American Fiction*

Best Editing:

Oppenheimer*

Best Cinematography:

Poor Things*

Best Set Design:

The Zone of Interest*

Best Soundtrack:

The Iron Claw*

Best Costumes:

Poor Things*

Best Make-up:

Poor Things*

Best Scene in a Movie:

The Zone of Interest-Descending the stairs into darkness*

Legends Award: Paul Verhoeven

Special Achievement Award: Clancy Brown

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by Jason F. KoenigsbergLast year I stated that 2022 felt like a return to normalcy in many ways with that state of motion pictures. It was a big step up in terms of quality and the theater going experience was more potent than the mostly forgettable and sometimes abysmal 2020 and 2021 movie offerings. But I take that back. Just one year later a lot more progress was made and 2023 felt like an incredible time for cinema with a lot of great titles worth seeing in the theater. ‘Barbenheimer’ became a focal point making motion pictures and going to cinemas relevant again for the first time in the post-pandemic world. Was it a one off or will there be more pop culture moments that compel the masses to purchase tickets and see a movie outside the comfort of their homes? Only time will tell but more people went to see Barbie and Oppenheimer than any other movies in the past three years. The best news about that was both films turned out to be terrific works of art. The audiences were the winners this year. But beyond the two biggest blockbusters that partially saved brick and mortar theaters there were many other unique and exquisite offerings this year. Most of them went above and beyond and surpassed my expectations to the point where there was nothing I would have done as a critic to change or improve them. A friend of mine even commented that I was giving four stars out a lot more than I ever had before. Well the past few months were a special time for cinema lovers and I was fortunate to experience some outstanding pictures in the theater and wish others would partake in the excitement as well. Without any further ado, here are the best movies of 2023…

The Top 10 Movies of 2023

1. Oppenheimer
2. Poor Things
3. The Zone of Interest
4. The Holdovers
5. The Iron Claw
6. American Fiction
7. May December
8. Barbie
9. The Killer
10. Ferrari

I also greatly valued Napoleon, Creed III, M3GAN, Air, Scream IV, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Nyad, and Thanksgiving. In the past three years people also commented that certain movies probably would not have been on my top 10 list had they not come out during the pandemic or in the post-pandemic world of cinema. They were probably right for some of those titles. However this year if some of these movies came out in 2019 or prior exactly as they are I would have seriously considered these titles to be on my end of the year lists. 2023 was the most exhilarating year at the movies since COVID decimated the industry, which let’s face it, was already suffering to begin with.

The Best: OppenheimerThis seems to be the cliche answer for best movie of 2023 but there is a reason for it. Oppenheimer is really that good, a monumental picture. A smart, sophisticated blockbuster that lived up to the hype. Everything about this movie is amazing from the acting, the direction, the editing, the music score, the use of sound effects, the visuals. This is three hour picture moves at a brisk pace and is riveting the entire time. A complex movie about a difficult man’s life that deserves to be in the discussion for not only the best movie of the esteemed Christopher Nolan’s career, but also one of the best movies of the relatively new century.

Just Missed the Top 10: NapoleonBiopics have been a very popular and overused genre in the movies even before the pandemic. The best movie this year was a biography about the man who invented the atomic bomb. Three of the other titles on my top ten could be considered a biopic. The most obvious one being Michael Mann’s Ferrari which subverts the biopic genre the same way his Ali (2001) biopic did for the boxing legend by both telling stories of specific turbulent moments in their extraordinary lives. Ridley Scott’s Napoleon is a sprawling picture spanning decades in the French leaders life, however it is far from what audience might expect from the director and actor who made Gladiator. In fact, someone I know said their son’s favorite movie is Gladiator and asked if they would like Napoleon. That turned out to be a loaded question since this movie is almost like the anti-Gladiator. It subverts expectations for a historical epic and lampoons the cliches that most biopics are loaded with adding sarcastic humor throughout. I am sure many moviegoers walked out of Napoleon unsatisfied because of how it inserts humor in the least likely places a movie like this would usually have. There is no denying Ridley Scott made exactly the Napoleon movie he wanted to make and knew that people who were expecting Gladiator would walk out disappointed. I however applaud Ridley Scott for his bravery and commend the outstanding performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, it was a close call but Napoleon just missed my top ten.

The Best Performance of the Year: Emma Stone in Poor ThingsMale or female, hands down Emma Stone delivered the best performance of the year and of her career in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things. Despite that, she has practically no chance of winning the Best Actress Academy Award this year for two reasons: one she already has a Best Actress Oscar on her shelf for La La Land (2016), and two, the controversial subject matter and frank sexuality she boldly displays in this film probably turn off as many Oscar voters as they impress. The fact she was nominated and that Poor Things received recognition in multiple Oscar categories is a victory in itself. This is brave performance with zero inhibitions. She evolves on the screen making a ridiculous concept seem believable and the audience is truly invested in her character. In the year that the Barbie movie took over the world and became a box office and cultural phenomenon, Poor Things emerged as the artsy independent answer to Barbie with similar themes and messages done in an avant-garde style. Poor Things felt like if Barbie was written and directed by David Lynch. The movie had a lot of impressive elements but the lead performance from Emma Stone anchored it and made it one of the very best movies of 2023.

The Most Overrated and The Biggest Disappointment: Killers of the Flower MoonHard to believe that Killers of the Flower Moon, a Martin Scorsese directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio AND Robert DeNiro would be the biggest disappointment for me in 2023. Apparently I am in the minority since that movie has earned accolades as well as cascades of critical praise across the board so it also qualifies for me as the most overrated film of 2023. Believe me, I wanted to like it, I expected to love it as I do most Scorsese pictures but the three and a half hour runtime wore me down. Having read the book, a gripping true crime mystery novel the way the narrative unfolded, Scorsese’s take on the material was as unconventional as it could be. Leaving no mystery at all, telling us character motivations right away where the book kept certain aspects secret. I was left with nothing to do but shrug my shoulders at this overlong beautifully shot and well acted film. Like Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, I have no doubt that Martin Scorsese directed Killers of the Flower Moon exactly how he wanted, it was just not the movie I expected nor the movie I wanted, nor did I feel any emotional gravitas during the film or after the end credits finally arrived.

The Most Underrated: The Iron ClawOne of the best movies about professional wrestling based on the tragic true story of the Von Erich family. Words cannot explain how The Iron Claw went this entire awards season without any fanfare or nominations in some major categories especially the acting for the performances by Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Maura Tierney. But it is also very well directed, written, and edited without ever feeling manipulative when it easily could have. The reviews were mostly positive but audiences and award shows ignored this film. The Iron Claw has become a buried treasure of the cinematic offerings for 2023 and hopefully it will be discovered and find a wider audience when it comes to streaming. Until then I feel like I am one of the only ones championing this sports and family based drama.

The Most Pleasant Surprise: BarbieAs a critic I know that I am supposed to enter every movie with an open mind. But critics are human and bias is a natural demon in journalism. The idea of a movie based on Barbie dolls was unappealing to say the least no matter what names were attached to what I assumed would be an expensive commercial for a children’s toy and campaign for woke-ness. To my surprise I sat through most of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie with a smile on my face and laughed more during Barbie than almost any other movie this year, (Barbie’s bizarro sister movie Poor Things has the distinction of being the movie I laughed loudest and the most in 2023). This movie hits all the right notes whether it is tackling feminism, the patriarchy, male inadequacies, female roles in society, or motherhood. Barbie has a thoughtful clever response to all of those topics in a timely manner and never feels patronizing.

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By Jason F. KoenigsbergLuckily I did not see some of the movies that were considered the worst of 2023, in fact I even liked some that were reviled by critics and audiences (The Exorcist: Believer is not as bad as everyone says), but I sure did see some big stinkers that I never want to revisit again and would advise anyone seeking them out to avoid like the plague.

Worst Movies of 2023:

1. Cocaine Bear

This is the movie that aggravated me the most out of everything I saw in 2023. Not necessarily a bad movie because of how it was shot, acted, or directed. No, what made Cocaine Bear the most irritating movie of 2023 was how it thought it was dark, funny, and edgy when it was one of the most carefully choreographed feeling movies of the year. This movie is the textbook definition of when a movie tries too hard. It was painful to watch how it tried so hard to be funny and it never was. In doing so, the movie was never scary when it could have been because it was trying too hard to be clever and subversive and wink at the audience on cue. The result was a mess and one of the most predictable movies in years. The audience knows exactly who will live and who will die practically from the moment they first appear on screen. Cocaine Bear made me want to go back and re-watch low-brow R-rated creature features like Lake Placid and Deep Blue Sea both from the summer of 1999, an epic year for movies. But Cocaine Bear gave me a whole new appreciation for those big budget B-movies that were stupid but a lot more fun, genuinely funny, and less by the numbers predictable. This was the most contrived movie of the year.

2. 65

Was this movies actual title 65 or 65 Million? I am not sure but that indication of bad marketing and a generic title reflects on how pathetic this Adam Driver vs. dinosaurs movie actually was. Generic is probably the best adjective to describe everything about this movie. There is very little action and the action that is on screen has zero suspense. Something tells me there were problems during production or at the very least post production which could help explain why the special effects were so subpar. Instead of seeing a story with some mythology about human origins on this planet we are just left to shrug our shoulders at the end asking what was the point of what we just witnessed.

3. The Flash

This movie is the cinematic equivalent of children walking around a room dressed up like superheroes and banging pots and pans. Several times while watching The Flash I thought of Steve Carell’s character Brick Tamland from Anchorman shouting “loud noises!” because that was all I felt I was watching this overly long and excruciating movie. This did not even feel like a real movie, instead it felt like a lame excuse to parade around famous people in cameos, force nostalgia pandering to people with fond movie memories of the 80’s and 90’s, and throw around the overused multi-verse concept which is an extremely tiring trope. In between those cameos and nostalgic references there was nothing but loud, bombastic sounds and images. For those ardent comic book movie lovers this will be a tough one to defend. For those that hate comic book movies, The Flash has everything that is bad about the genre crammed into one barely watchable experience I would rather forget.

4. Knock at the Cabin

Not a terrible movie, and not even one of the worst from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Knock at the Cabin starts off promising and with all of the attributes that could have made for a good horror film in the vein of something involving isolated characters in a rustic setting. But instead turned into a heavy handed movie with characters whispering silly dialogue to each other. Not much happens and the audience will probably barely be invested enough to care. The one silver lining to Knock at the Cabin is a very good performance from wrestler turned actor Dave Bautista. He has been showing up and doing a great job in movies for almost a decade now and he shows his dramatic chops here with possibly his most nuanced performance. I just wish the movie was more worthy of the talent he displayed.

5. Renfield

Renfield is a quintessential movie that started off with a great idea but did not have enough material to sustain its feature length runtime. Honestly, the first fifteen minutes or so I was laughing a lot and really thought I was in for something clever. Then the laughs stopped and they never came back. I recall critics complaining about movies based on Saturday Night Live characters that crossed over to features that were funny in a short sketch but not for a whole movie. That is exactly what this felt like. Renfield would have worked great as a short film, or maybe as a TV series and each week these characters have to team up and fight a new villain or solve a new problem. However as they were presented in this movie Renfield did not work. Talented actors were wasted and a great premise that started off strong could not maintain enough laughs or even substance to warrant a recommendation or even a reason to exist.

Worst Movies of 2023

1. Cocaine Bear
2. 65
3. The Flash
4. Knock at the Cabin
5. Renfield

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The Zone of InterestPG-13 1h 45m

• Director
  • Jonathan Glazer
• Writers
  • Martin Amis
  • Jonathan Glazer
• Stars
  • Sandra Hüller
  • Christian Friedel
  • Freya Kreutzkam

by Jason KoenigsbergApathy can be a villainous demon. Throughout history evil has triumphed because of apathetic people willing to look the other way when something terrible is happening that does not directly affect them. Jonathan Glazer’s newest film The Zone of Interest is not about apathy as one might think. It is instead an intimate look at monsters capable of inhumane cruelty and responsible for the most despicable acts of the twentieth century. But these monsters are shown living mundane lives. The movie opens up with plain title cards and after the title of the movie is shown the director holds on a black screen while music plays, inaudible whispering sounds are heard and then eventually after a few minutes the audience hears birds chirping. After that the first shot of the movie is revealed and it is a beautiful one. A family is sitting in the foreground on lush green grass and in the background there is a lake and mountains with bright green trees on the other side of the lake and people are swimming in this picturesque landscape. This man in Auschwitz commandant Rudolph Hoss and his wife Hedwig. The Zone of Interest is about this husband and wife as they strive to build a dream life for their family in a house directly next to the death camp.

That is the plot but The Zone of Interest is not about the story as much as it is about the atmosphere. The gorgeous, vibrant cinematography of nature shows their idyllic life as a family living next to Auschwitz. This seemingly normal family is fully aware of the death that takes place on the other side of the wall that borders their ideal house and garden and are just fine. The movie does not show inside the camp because it does not have to. It works better leaving the violence and death out of sight the same as it is for the family the audience is following. Everyone who is going to watch The Zone of Interest is aware of what happened and it is even more effective and harrowing not seeing the horrors of the camp up close like in so many other movies that have already tackled that topic. Instead credit needs to be given to the sound design on this film. Throughout the whole movie they make great use of hearing a train pulling into the station as its smokestack moves in the background, the train whistle, men shouting commands, children crying, and gunshots being fired. The wider shots that show the Hoss family enjoying their backyard while black smoke rises out of chimneys is just as powerful as the sound design. This movie is a masterclass on subtle visual and audio filmmaking.

The way director Jonathan Glazer sets up his shots adds a level of voyeurism to this family living their lives next to unspeakable acts. There are no closeups of the family. All of the shots place the camera at a standard length, about ten feet or so away from the main characters. Enough so that the viewer can see the whole room, or the backyard and garden leaving just enough space on the screen for the barbed wire on top of the fence that is the boundary of the camp. The only time the viewer can make out a characters face is if they walk close to where the camera is positioned. This is Jonathan Glazer’s fourth feature film in the past quarter century so he certainly takes his time making movies in between directing music videos for artists like Radiohead, Blur, and Jamiroquai. He has earned praise and comparisons to the great Stanley Kubrick and not just because he takes a long time between movies but his use of color, using the full frame to tell a story, and use of sound effects and music are all very Kubrickian. The Zone of Interest is probably his most similar to Kubrick in terms of its look. The haunting image of smoke and fire coming out of a chimney in the background as the pretty house and garden sit in the foreground seems like something Kubrick would have shot. The Zone of Interest is directed by a British man with German actors and a mostly European crew. It is in German with subtitles to add authenticity but honestly, the dialogue is superfluous. This movie works because of its strong imagery and great use of sound. The subtitles could be off and The Zone of Interest might have the same effect on non-German speaking viewers.

Early on the audience realizes these characters are monsters even though we see them do fairly innocuous, boring, everyday actions that all families do. They have marital problems like all couples do, the husband needs to travel for work and his wife does not want to leave their home. They go fishing and swimming with their children. They celebrate birthdays, they garden, they are just like anyone else except they live directly next to a death camp. A death camp that slaughters innocent families just like them only the victims they slaughter are Jewish. The final shot is an incredibly powerful one as we watch a character descending stairs and it keeps getting darker and darker the further down he goes. At one point he retches and almost vomits. The film is telling us that these characters are evil and maybe got sick at their actions but only for a moment. Then they swallowed their sickness and chose to continue down the stairs into the darkness ignoring what little compassion and humanity they had left.

The Zone of Interest provides a fresh perspective on the Holocaust, a subject that has been told numerous times on film and leaves out all of the typical scenes of families being torn apart, pushed onto trains, and beaten or raped. Watch Schindler’s List (1993) to see that or any of the other Holocaust movies that have shown the lack of conscience mankind can have when they dehumanize a group of people. The Zone of Interest also works as a metaphor of class structure today. It is an indictment of the rich and how they can lose track of people that are different and less fortunate than they are. People that can be clumped into being categorized as “the other” or less human and less civilized. These people are very wealthy and make money off the backs of a lower class based on their race/religion. Humanity can be easily corrupted in certain circumstances. The Hoss family has Jewish servants doing work in their house and garden. They never make eye contact with them and treat the help as if they do not exist. These Jews are lower than the family dog that follows them around the house. The Zone of Interest is a haunting movie and probably the kind that needs to be seen more than once. A movie that will stick with the viewer and the star rating it has could easily go up or possibly down depending one how much it stays and resonates with each individual.

I had to google what the title meant. It refers to the area around the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is never mentioned in the movie. Here is the trailer. The Zone of Interest is an easy film to recommend but perhaps not an easy one to watch.

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American FictionR 1h 57m

• Director
  • Cord Jefferson
• Stars
  • Jeffrey Wright
  • Tracee Ellis Ross
  • John Ortiz

by Jason KoenigsbergAmerican Fiction is a scorching satire. A very funny look at African-American stereotypes in a post-woke America. It is also very much a movie of this moment, one that feels particularly relevant right now and could not have been made a few years ago and might serve as a time capsule of how we look at race in this relatively new decade even though these literary and movie stereotypes are decades old. The opening shot is of Jeffrey Wright, his face front and center on the screen with a white background behind him. As he is speaking the camera pans over to reveal he is teaching a college class and one of the students is taking issue with a word he wrote on the whiteboard. She is offended that he wrote the N-word even though it is paramount to the literature they are reading. He tries to explain that he is the one who should be hurt by the word but the white female student does not back down and feels that word has no place in academia and then she storms out of the classroom. In that opening scene writer/director Cord Jefferson really hits the nail on the head of how race relations look in 2023 America. Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, a frustrated novelist and college professor who is fed up with the way publishing companies and movie studios profit from black stereotypes and only wanting stories from black authors that deal with poverty, gang violence, drugs, and urban decay. His life involves none of that as he comes from an educated and successful family of doctors from Boston. Hence why he is having trouble getting his latest book published. So instead the plot unfolds with Monk writing a novel under a pseudonym that is nothing but the negative stereotypes he loathes and audiences, mainly white audiences, love. Of course, his joke of a book with negative black tropes turns out to be a massive success and he is propelled into the heart of the hypocrisy he claims to disdain.

American Fiction is also a terrific family story and a comedy of monumental proportions. People often use the term light-hearted comedy, well this movie is a heavy-hearted comedy because it manages to find and sustain humor while dealing with themes of death, divorce, suicide, alcoholism, racism, dementia, and homosexuality. At its core American Fiction is one of the best movies of recent years to tackle family dysfunction. Certain family members deal with guilt and others never receive the acceptance that they desired. This works because of the performances. The movie is centered by an outstanding leading turn from the always reliable and often underrated Jeffrey Wright but the supporting cast share the weight and all the actors carry their scenes well. The audience will buy into American Fiction because of the performances that create characters we want to spent time with and get to know. They will enjoy every minute they spend time on the screen and make American Fiction come to life the way the best movies about families gently tug at our emotions. Sterling K. Brown in particular as his brother and John Ortiz as his agent are two of the most memorable roles that get a chance to shine in their scenes but all of the other actors deserve credit for creating this family and making them so believable. Also commendable is the jazzy piano based score by Laura Karpman which eloquently compliment the visuals without ever overpowering the dialogue or cinematography.

A lot of this movie is about family drama that audiences can relate to but it is just as much about how much people perpetuate negative stereotypes. People try to fight stereotypes in the wrong ways like the offended student who expressed her anger with a word but the negative stereotypes still permeate without the use of troublesome words. It is what sells and American Fiction is about the expectations race puts on people. Monk cannot just write a book about family or anything unless it deals with race because he is black. This is a privilege white authors are not burdened with but one that they probably never thought much about. Monk’s agent explains to him “white people think they want the truth, but they don’t, they just want to be absolved”, and he is accurate. Think about how many Oscar bait movies with African-American leads are usually categorized as ‘white guilt’ movies. They want movies and books about the black experience that pander to them and make them feel good about themselves. He also explained to Monk while using Johnny Walker Red, Black, and Blue Label scotch that most people just want easy to digest crap like the red, but Monk is talented enough he can make money off the pandering crap like the red and still publish the blue that not as many people will buy, appreciate, or understand. The ending of American Fiction is the only part that left a little bit to be desired but it is intentional. The director leaves the audience not knowing how much of what they saw during the final scenes of the film are real with different multiple endings. It is noble that he does not give the viewer a satisfying conclusion when there are no satisfying conclusions to racial stereotypes and family dysfunction in real life. Instead the ending felt like an unlikely homage to the end of Get Shorty (1995). Regardless, American Fiction is a rare movie that touches on almost every emotion as you watch it and care for these characters. It is sometimes sad, sometimes very funny, and always poignant.

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The HoldoversR 2h 13m

• Director
  • Alexander Payne
• Writer
  • David Hemingson
• Stars
  • Paul Giamatti
  • Da’Vine Joy Randolph
  • Dominic Sessa

By Jason KoenigsbergBack in 2004 hard working character actor Paul GIamatti was the lead role in director Alexander Payne’s critically acclaimed awards darling Sideways, one of the best movies of its era. It won Payne a Writing Oscar yet to everyone’s dismay Paul Giamatti was overlooked for a Best Actor Academy Award nomination. This did little to hurt his career, if anything him being ‘robbed’ may have boosted his profile and he has continued to turn in great lead and supporting performances ever since. Now, two decades later the director and actor reunite this time for The Holdovers. A movie about lonely, sad misfits who are forced to be together over the holidays and form an unlikely bond as a makeshift family. This type of story has been told ad nauseam but with Alexander Payne at the helm, and this talented cast turning in superb performances The Holdovers is a very special picture that manages to surprise us and make us empathetic for these characters. Audiences will laugh out loud with the dialogue and their situations, and The Holdovers will probably become a holiday movie staple. It is easily one of the best movies of 2023 and the duo of Payne and Giamatti deserve awards attention once again.

The Holdovers opens up with old fashioned logos for Focus Features and Miramax. The first shot is a boys choir singing and receiving advice from their instructor in front of a Christmas tree. The opening credits style and the cinematography throughout The Holdovers gives the movie a vintage and nostalgic feel. It takes place during the 1970 holiday season at a Christian Boys boarding school in New England. The camerawork and soft lit photography really transport the audience where you can feel the snow crunching on the ground as the characters walk around campus and later Boston during a chilly winter over fifty years ago with the costumes, sets, and automobiles. This feels like it could have been made in 1970.

The story involves Paul Giamatti as an old school curmudgeon. He is a hard nosed teacher at a prestigious prep school with high demands for his students and verges on abusing his power as their teacher with being a very strict grader on exams and essays. Giamatti of course rises to the occasion and is perfect as the Ebenezer Scrooge figure in this narrative. He is chosen to stay and watch the students who cannot go home for the holidays. This is done mostly as punishment for not playing politics and passing a powerful donors son keeping that boy from getting into an Ivy League school. While there he is forced to stay with the cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who chose to stay since she recently lost her son in Vietnam and this will be her first Christmas without him. She is not ready to move on and see her family. They both stay as well as five students. Four of the five students get permission from their parents to leave the isolated campus for an opportunity to go skiing until the new semester begins in January. One boy, played by newcomer Dominic Sessa, could not get in touch with his parents since they are on their Honeymoon in St. Kitts. We already saw a phone conversation that they did not want him to go with them so he was rightfully angered by that. Now he has to be further punished by being forced to be the only student ‘holdover’ at the school during the entire winter break.

Of course the troubled teenager and grumpy professor form a bond. He teaches the student life lessons, learns unexpected life lessons from the boy, and they both learn from and aid the grieving chef during a difficult time after the loss of her son. This may all sound like The Holdovers is nothing but a bunch of cliches that we have seen thousands of times. On the surface it is, but the script is so wrought with humor and heartache and the performances are so top notch that everything that could feel redundant about The Holdovers instead feels exciting, hilarious, and refreshing. Alexander Payne’s best movies are humanistic comedies, often referred to as ‘dramedies’ because the dramatic moments hit just as hard as the comical ones. The Holdovers he once again perfectly balances the humor and the deep emotional tragic parts effortlessly that with all of the right elements in place, the audience is transported and forgets about the cliches and are invested in these characters. During the course of the movie the viewer will start to love these characters despite their flaws, we want to see them succeed and find happiness.

The Holdovers is a great intellectual comedy dealing with sad people touched by tragic events that haunt their lives. It is about how the Vietnam war destroyed the holiday season for a lot of American families. It is about how the selfishness of our parents forces us to put on a tough exterior shell and lie, and about how other people’s lies have altered our future and set us on a different path in life. The viewer will empathize with these characters loneliness and heartbreak. These main characters all feel rejected and alone and for their own personal reasons are afraid to reach out and accept new friends, new romances, or new experiences. Even the hardest people deep down inside do not want to be alone during the holidays. Everyone longs for someone to be with and The Holdovers will make you want to hug your loved ones a little bit tighter and be thankful you have them and are not stuck at an isolated prep school during the holiday season.

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Poor ThingsR 2h 21m

• Director
  • Yorgos Lanthimos
• Stars
  • Emma Stone
  • Mark Ruffalo
  • Willem Dafoe

by Jason KoenigsbergIf you are sick and tired of seeing the same type of safe movies over and over again and desire something different, disturbing, edgy, and guaranteed to make you laugh uncontrollably at situations that might make others uncomfortable, then Poor Things is the cure. This is by far the most original movie to come around in a long time. Director Yorgos Lanthimos is no stranger to making films that are playfully comedic in rather inappropriate ways and challenging the standards of what audiences consider normal. Poor Things is him at the top of his game and the best film of his career thus far. At first it seems like a riff on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with the creator being a hideous deformed monster and his creation being a beautiful young woman along with some elements of The Island of Dr. Moreau. It is all of that but then Poor Things turns into so much more.

The mad scientist is played by Willem Dafoe under heavy makeup and his creation is played by Emma Stone. The movie opens up with stitches on a white blanket that likely foreshadow events that will unfold in the movie. Then the first shot where the camera moves in on the back of a woman in a navy blue gown against a dark blue sky. The camera moves closer to her and focuses on the back of her neck right before she jumps off a bridge and into a body of water. We later learn this woman was a pregnant Emma Stone and the scientist found her and saved her to use as an experiment where in a very comical scene describing how he created her, he did “the only logical thing possible, put the infant brain in the adult body”. If that sentence which accurately describes the set up to Poor Things outrages you, then this movie is probably one that you should skip. Once again, most people like consuming the same movies over and over again. Many movies are derivative and it it tough to be profound and original. Poor Things is for those that want something truly unique from a visionary artist. Yorgos Lanthimos uses similar camera angles and lenses that he has used in his previous works like a fish eye lens to make it look as if the audience is peeking in and watching something that we should not be seeing. He plays with voyeurism in a different way from other directors and a lot of the images are depraved and the movie acknowledges that it is pushing boundaries with its dialogue. The imagery throughout is surreal and reminiscent of Terry Gilliam and James Ivory pictures both with glorious black and white cinematography and vibrant color photography that looks more like watercolors and pastel portraits than anything that can be found in reality. Poor Things creates a stylish dream world.

It’s visually stunning but one of the main reasons to see Poor Things is because of the performances. Emma Stone gives the best and by far most uninhibited performance of her career. This is the second time working with Yorgos Lanthimos after 2018’s The Favourite and it is astounding that she is choosing to take such bold and brazen roles even after winning a Best Actress Academy Award for La La Land (2016). Most actresses careers are the opposite of hers. Emma Stone’s performance evolves as her characters brain develops and it is a marvel to witness. Mark Ruffalo is hilarious as an off kilter lawyer who becomes obsessed with Emma Stone’s character and Willem Dafoe is the doctor who created her shows the most restraint but delivers his dialogue as a scientist discussing his experiment would. All three of these performances never veer into crazy or unhinged territory despite how over the top the movie seems to go. The actors are in control and grounded in the strange reality they inhabit. By doing so they help make Poor Things one of the funniest unconventional movies in years. It plays like a gothic horror comedy.

Poor Things is more than just a dark comedy. It has deep philosophical notions dealing with Hobbes and Locke, dialogue about human nature and whether people are naturally good or evil. It also deals heavily with females and their roles in society but not in a patronizing, heavy handed way like most movies do. Poor Things is a great feminist allegory. It deals with men controlling women and their desire to keep them unintellectual, keeping them down to serve men. A funny scene involving a character taking books out of Emma Stone’s hands as she reads them and throwing them off a cruise ship resonates for more than just an offbeat laugh. She is surrounded by men who in various ways try to entrap her and control her treating her as property. The movie is most critical with its correlation of evil with Christianity. Crosses in Poor Things symbolize the ultimate evil with the most malicious character to Emma Stones. Its condemnation of religion and going against societal structure of marriage and women’s roles where they are defined as property of a man.

This is a brilliant freak show fairy tale about a woman learning the rules to the world she lives in and using science as a way to improve her life and not rely on the archaic ideas of what society, history, and religion say that a woman should be. Emma Stone grows and becomes empowered with her sexuality which Poor Things does not hold back from showing. Poor Things is one of the best movies of 2023 and the most original movie I have seen in a long time making me think back to how I felt sitting in the movie theater in 1999 and watching Being John Malkovich for the first time. A cinematic memory I know I will cherish for a long time.

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The Iron Claw
R 2h 12m

• Director
  • Sean Durkin
• Stars
  • Zac Efron
  • Jeremy Allen White
  • Harris Dickinson

by Jason KoenigsbergProfessional Wrestling is a very theatrical form of entertainment it is surprising that more great motion pictures have not been made about the sport. Perhaps that is because it is very low on the totem pole in terms of quality sports or high art due to its status as a lowly form of entertainment akin to daytime talk shows and reality TV. But make no mistake, these wrestlers are athletes who need to be in great shape and put their bodies through more than most football, baseball, and basketball players do on a daily basis. Just because the outcome is rigged should not lessen the skills of some of these wrestlers, and the best ones, the ones that have become household names, are exceptional athletes and artists with a strong dedication to their craft and master storytellers. The Iron Claw tells the tragic true story of the Von Erich family. A family of brothers who were driven hard by their father to succeed in the squared circle and the toll that this family will go through. Knowing the outcome before seeing the film does not hinder the emotional impact of Sean Durkin’s touching drama. The Iron Claw is the best movie about professional wrestling since The Wrestler (2008) and is one of the best movies of the year.

The film opens up with a far away shot of a wrestling ring in black and white, the lights above the ring slowly go on and the shot eventually fades into the face of a sweaty man, his head moving back and forth and then it flashes the title. The face we see is Fritz Von Erich, played by Holt McCallany, the patriarch of the Von Erich clan. It shows him as a father with his young boys in the first scene shot entirely in black and white as he explains to his wife how they will succeed by living the part of a successful wrestler after he buys a new Cadillac when they cannot even afford a house and have a mobile trailer hitched to the back of their new car. Flash forward about twenty years and we see one of his sons Kevin, played by Zac Efron, has become a wrestling champion in his home territory of Texas. Back before Vince McMahon’s federation had a monopoly on professional wrestling, it was a regional sport with big stars in different territories. The Iron Claw does not focus on the history of wrestling or even on how the family climbed the ladder and became one of the most famous families in the wrestling business. This movie transcends wrestling which is why it could be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their background or opinion of the so called fake sport. This movie works best as a family drama that could have been about a group of brothers driven in any sport or profession. One of the best aspects about The Iron Claw is how it focuses on the family and not the wrestling.

It avoided the usual cliches of these types of true stories where a family is pushed by an aggressive and driven father. There are no scenes of an angry dad rampaging through the house instilling fear or terrorizing his family. Ironically for a movie about pro wrestling, the quietest scenes are the most powerful. A scene with the mother painting and her husband asks her if she made dinner, a shot of a wrestler walking through the curtain followed by a shot of the door of the family home wide open and then it cuts to the mother inside watching her sons match on television. There are other moments where the framing of the characters tells an entire story with visuals making the dialogue superfluous. Early on there is a fantastic yet eerie sequence with still shots of the Von Erich household where they show a family portrait, a crucifix, a gun collection behind a glass case, and a trophy collection right after that. Those images basically summarize the families life as well as the movie itself. Plus a scene where the father sits at a table as the family eats breakfast and he is brutally honest telling his children that he has favorites and ranks them right to their faces but reminds them that rankings can change. There are a lot of moments like that which stick out.

The Iron Claw at its most basic is the story of four brothers fighting for their fathers love, but their mother is no saint either. There are scenes where neither parent wants to take responsibility for the tragic acts that unfold. Neither parent shows emotion and are both very tough to please, they view crying as a sign of weakness. The mother, played by Maura Tierney, is an enabler and at times seems like she conveniently puts blinders on. She does not seem interested in being a mother yet eventually in some scenes does show compassion by her standards and assertiveness to her dominating husband at least in her own way.

Praise has to be given to the actors. The performances in The Iron Claw are some of the best all year especially Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich who at times seems the most cursed and unfortunate of the brothers, as well as Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich who would be known to wrestling fans all around the world in the late 80’s and early 90’s as the Texas Tornado, and Maura Tierney who has been working hard as an actress for decades and this is probably her best role. All of those deserve serious consideration this awards season. The final shot is a bright moment that reminded me of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986). These characters go through so much pain and turmoil over the running time that when it ends with the brightest shot in the picture the viewer is guaranteed to walk out smiling and emotionally moved in some manner. If not then they may have checked their soul at the ticket booth. The worst part about The Iron Claw is the poor actor who plays Ric Flair. Seriously, he looks like him and moves like him in the ring, the white wig helps. But there are a ton of better impressions out there of the Nature Boy. It’s like screwing up an impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger. There are so many great ones out there. A minor quibble of an otherwise outstanding picture.

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Maverick Director of ‘The French Connection and ‘The Exorcist’ was 87. by Jason F. Koenigsberg William Friedkin, a master of intensity and gritty realism in motion pictures has passed away. […]

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Oppenheimer R 3 hrs by Jason Koenigsberg Only one director since the start of the 21st century has emerged as brand name unto himself. Like Hitchcock and Spielberg before him, […]

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In this new episode after a long hiatus Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola return to debate the newest Indiana Jones adventure Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. They will […]

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Movie Review: Asteroid City PG-13 1h 45m By Jason Koenigsberg Wes Anderson has built up a resume and a reputation for being one of cinemas most poignant humorist filmmakers with […]

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Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny PG-13 2h 34m BY JASON KOENIGSBERG Forty-two years after he first hit the big screen and fifteen years after we last […]

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Best Picture:The Banshees of Inisherin*

Barbarian

The Fabelmans

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Director:Zach Cregger-Barbarian

Rian Johnson-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Martin McDonagh-The Banshees of Inisherin

S.S. Rajamouli-RRR

Steven Spielberg-The Fabelmans*

Best Actor:Austin Butler-Elvis

Daniel Craig-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Colin Farrell-The Banshees of Inisherin*

Daniel Radcliffe-Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Sebastian Stan-Fresh

Best Actress:Georgina Campbell-Barbarian*

Mia Goth-Pearl

Lea Seydoux-Crimes of the Future

Anya Taylor-Joy-The Menu

Michelle Yeoh-Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actor:Paul Dano-The Fabelmans

Brendan Gleeson-The Banshees of Inisherin*

James Hong-Everything Everywhere All At Once

Barry Keoghan-The Banshees of Inisherin

Ke Huy Quan-Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Supporting Actress:Kerry Condon-The Banshees of Inisherin

Jamie Lee Curtis-Everything Everywhere All At Once

Stephanie Hsu-Everything Everywhere All At Once

Janelle Monae-Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*

Michelle Williams-The Fabelmans

Best Screenplay:The Banshees of Inisherin*

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans

*Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*

Nope

Legends Award: Brian De Palma Special Achievement Award: Michael Mann

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Jason Koenigsberg of panandslam.com discusses the 95th Academy Awards with Frank Morano of 77WABC. Listen to find out who will win and who should win and who could upset at the big show.

https://wabcradio.com/episode/jason-koenigsberg-film-critic-with-panandslam-com-03-10-2023/

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by Jason F. Koenigsberghttps://d3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net/staging/2023-0-2/305672605-22050-1-b2067a7825f9f.m4a2022 was a major upgrade in motion pictures output after the pandemic desolated movie quality in 2020 and 2021.

Movie theater experience is still lacking, most likely irreparably damaged from the pandemic and 2022 was a true introduction to the new normal. Only $100 plus blockbusters at around the 3-hour mark will dominate multiplexes. Arthouse and independent movies will be relegated to limited runs and quick streaming turnaround, you better just hope that you have the right streaming service for the movie you want to see.

So, what stood out in 2022, movies about human experiences around the world. Some of the best films this year were about pre-independence Ireland, pre-independence India, a bunch of rich people vacationing in Greece during the 2020 lockdown, the outskirts of modern-day Hollywood, and ancient Scandinavia. Those setting alone offered visions and plots that allowed the viewer to be transported into different experiences of not only settings but also cultures. Cultures of poverty, cultures of wealth beyond what most audience can ever imagine. Poverty in Detroit slums through a female outsiders POV, the Asian-American experience in a most exciting all over the place unique fantasy, and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic juxtaposed with the COVID19 pandemic and parallels between the two eras.

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’In the end one of the greatest directors of all time continued to impress and show us that not only is one of the best to ever make a movie and generate empathy from audiences but after nearly half a century of directing movies, he is one of the most consistent. Plus, one of the biggest movie stars of the past 40 years illustrated that he is indeed one of the biggest movie stars of multiple generations with a sequel to the film that put him on the map and made him a household name. Here are the best films of 2022...

The best movies of 2022:1. The Banshees of Inisherin 2. The Fabelmans 3. Barbarian 4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 5. Everything Everywhere All at Once 6. RRR 7. Top Gun: Maverick 8. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 9. Nope 10. Crimes of the Future 11. The Bob’s Burgers Movie 12. Fresh 13. The Northman 14. X 15. Pearl

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Movie Review: Avatar: The Way of Water* 3h 12m * Director + James Cameron * Stars + Sam Worthington + Zoe Saldana + Sigourney Weaver

by Jason KoenigsbergAfter thirteen years James Cameron finally brings audiences back to his groundbreaking vision of Pandora with Avatar: The Way of Water. The opening shot is dark lit blue clouds for a few seconds and then, bam! Cameron blasts the audience with a screen filled with floating islands, vibrant colors, and the unmistakable exotic jungle locales of the first movie. We are transported back to Pandora and, for better or worse, stay there for the next three and a quarter hours. Let us not skip around the bush, the big question you may have is does Avatar: The Way of Water need to be three hours plus and the answer succinctly, is no, it certainly does not. Most of the runtime is dedicated to action and showing off special effects, not character development or intricate story details. However, if you have even the slightest desire to see Avatar 2, then by all means, get out of the house and go see it in 3D on the biggest screen possible. Like the first movie, no matter how big and amazing your HDTV and home theater system is, it will not do this movie justice. Give James Cameron credit, the man knows what to do with $300 million and it shows on the big screen. These state of the art special effects are the best in the business and the movie looks amazing. Every corner of every frame is filled with the best possible CGI and MoCap effects, that alone makes Avatar: The Way of Water worth the price of admission.

But what about the movie itself? Sure the first movie had bright images and groundbreaking special effects for 2009, but it was basically Ferngully (1992) on steroids. Avatar: The Way of Water is a commendable expansion of the world James Cameron created and he expands it even further with more world building. Cameron has a reputation for being the self-proclaimed ‘King of the World’ but beyond that he sort of is the King of Sequels. His films Aliens (1986) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) are two of the best sequels ever made. His second of multiple upcoming Avatar sequels is good, but not nearly on the same level as those two movies. Avatar: The Way of Water succeeds at transporting you the same way the original film did but the first film was just that, original. Sure the story was a duplicate of several other screenplays involving oppressed indigenous people but the way it was presented was fresh and new. Back in 2009 Avatar put the special back in special effects and gave audiences something we had never seen before. Avatar: The Way of Water is just more of the same.

It follows the same formula as the first movie. Marines are coming back to get revenge and take over Pandora but this time it is not just to secure valuable resources like the poorly named ‘unobtainium’ from the first movie. No, this time the Marines are here to take over because our Earth is dying and humans are going to need to populate another planet. Stephen Lang is back mostly in Avatar form and he is out to find Jake Sully and get revenge on him for the events of the previous movie. Jake Sully and Neytiri are still together and very much in love and as we catch up with them we find that they are parents of four children. They are chased out of their home and flee to protect their tribe since the Marines will not stop until they find and kill Sully and his clan. The family leaves the forest and goes to a tropical island region of the planet. The Bora Bora of Pandora is the best way to describe it and this is where the majority of the action takes place. At least two of the three hours are spent here and it is beautiful to say the least. We are introduced to a different tribe of Na’vi with more aquatic skills. Broader tales for swimming and different skin tones and tattoos. There is less hunting and climbing and the main characters and their children need to adapt to survive. Obviously this creates their own set of problems and being accepted by the nautical Na’vi is a major struggle of the second act but we get to meet some outstanding new fish and whale types of creatures.

Speaking of Jake Sully, Sam Worthington got a lot of flack for being an uncharismatic lead in the first movie and his career since starring as the lead actor in the biggest movie of all time does support that argument, however in Avatar: The Way of Water he is pretty useless, just bringing death and pain to those around him wherever he goes. His character is easily the most annoying and difficult to empathize with even though he is the one we followed in the previous film.

Avatar: The Way of Water had a chance to really be bold and kill off a major character early on about an hour into the runtime but it chickened out, only to have a surprise death later on that resonated more because of its shock value than the fact that the audience cared about the character. The movie should get credit for killing off the character that it does near the end even though we have learned with the Avatar movies, just because a character dies does not mean that they are really dead. Sigourney Weaver is back in this movie as well after dying in the first one, but seeing her in any movie is never a bad thing.

The predominant themes this time around are about the strengths of family and the struggles of being a parent. The first one was about forbidden love from different cultures but now they have evolved beyond that and are protecting and raising their children. As with the previous film this movie is all about the importance of protecting our environment so we can live longer on a planet and not waste their resources. The first movie was a metaphor for imperialism, Avatar: The Way of Water makes clear allegories about the Vietnam war as we see Avatar Marines burn down villages and needlessly kill animals in their search to find Jake Sully and his family. There are blatant lines about how wasteful the military is and it is an obvious criticism of our industrial military complex. It also continues to the environmental themes from the first movie about taking care of our planet and respecting nature since we may not have it forever if we misuse the and waste the resources our planet provides us.

Avatar: The Way of Water is predictable but amazing to look at. It is an expansion of the first film, not a complete Xerox and the visual effects alone are worth recommending because this is the kind of movie that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. James Cameron once again proves that he is the David Lean of his generation and continues his reputation of consistently delivering a worthy sequel and consistently delivering astonishing cinematic spectacles the way few other filmmakers can.

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Listen to Jason Koenigsberg reflect on the state of motion pictures 20 years ago and how they brought us to where we are today in his first episode of the official Pan and Slam Podcast.

https://d3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net/staging/2022-11-4/301014412-44100-2-da1af2aff00b7.m4ahttps://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e1ro3sd

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Movie Review: The Fabelmans Director Writers Stars by Jason Koenigsberg For nearly half a century Steven Spielberg has been directing motion pictures that the world has embraced. People will call […]

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Movie Review: Halloween Ends By Jason Koenigsberg David Gordon Green’s re-imagining of the beloved horror franchise Halloween finally gets closure with his third film in the sequel trilogy he started […]

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Movie Review: Avatar (2009) rerelease by Jason F. Koenigsberg It has been thirteen years since the world witnessed the 3D motion capture record breaking spectacle that became an international phenomenon […]

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Movie Review: Nope R 2h 10m Director Jordan Peele Writer Jordan Peele Stars Daniel Kaluuya Keke Palmer Brandon Perea by Jason Koenigsberg Academy Award winner Jordan Peele is back with his […]

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Movie Review: Top Gun: Maverick PG-13 2h 11m Director Joseph Kosinski Stars Tom Cruise Jennifer Connelly Miles Teller by Jason Koenigsberg Thirty-six years after Top Gun premiered and shot Tom Cruise […]

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Movie Review: The Bob’s Burgers Movie PG-13 1h 42m Directors Loren Bouchard Bernard Derriman Writers Loren Bouchard(screenplay by) Nora Smith(screenplay by) Jim Dauterive Stars H. Jon Benjamin(voice) Kristen Schaal(voice) Dan Mintz(voice) […]

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by Jason Frank Koenigsberg For someone like me who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s I would not say that Bruce Willis was a key figure of my childhood, […]

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Best Picture: Benedetta Drive My Car Dune The French Dispatch The Last Duel Best Director: Wes Anderson-The French Dispatch Scott Cooper-Antlers Ryusuke Hamaguchi-Drive My Car Ridley Scott-The Last Duel Paul […]

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by Jason F. Koenigsberg In the end it was a pretty bad year for motion pictures. Once all the smoke has cleared and the world slowly starts to leave a […]

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Jason Koenigsberg of Panandslam.com joins Frank Morano on 77WABC to discuss The Oscars. Listen here to find out what will win, what should win, and what could upset at the […]

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For the final episode of season 2 Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola go deep into the jungles of Africa to rediscover Congo. Based on a novel by Michael Crichton, Jason […]

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In honor of this movies 20th anniversary Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola look back at Broken Lizard’s feature film debut Super Troopers. A modest success at the box office, Super […]

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In honor of its 35th anniversary Jason and Rich take a look at Mannequin. A surprise hit that has maintained a cult following and one of the biggest movies for […]

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Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominated the blockbuster landscape, Wesley Snipes starred as Blade which became an unlikely hit during the late summer of 1998. It was the first box […]

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Jim Carrey’s star making role which shot him to the top of the A-list as the biggest comedy star for the next decade was not well received by critics. In […]

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This week Jason and Rich continue with another film from the historically loaded year in cinema of 1999 as they analyze and dissect the controversial classic Fight Club. This film […]

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With the NFL playoffs winding down now is the perfect time to check out one of the most high profile football movies. Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola discuss Oliver Stone’s hard hitting Any Given Sunday. Despite its star studded cast it is deemed rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. Listen to Jason and Rich determine once and for all if Any Given Sunday is worth viewing prior to the Super Bowl to satisfy your sports movie needs or if the critics were right about this one and it is another Reel Big Mistake.

https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episode/e1dkqbq

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Norm MacDonald was a big star on Saturday Night Live in the mid 90’s and his first leading role in a motion picture Dirty Work did not launch his career to movie stardom as it bombed at the box office and received a thrashing from the critics. A few months ago Norm MacDonald passed away and two weeks ago its director Bob Saget, mostly known as a comic actor from the ABC sitcom Full House died suddenly as well. With both of their untimely deaths still fresh in our minds Jason and Rich sit down to talk about a movie they both remember fondly from their youth. Listen to find out if Dirty Work is as funny as they recall or if the critics were right and it is a Reel Big Mistake.

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It’s been cold outside and this week Jason and Rich go back to the 1980’s for the Cold War comedy Spies Like Us starring Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. The critics were not particularly fond of it but Jason and Rich will discuss this movie and determine once and for all if it is indeed a Reel Big Mistake.

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Movie Review: Nightmare Alley R 2h 30m

• Director
  • Guillermo del Toro
• Stars
  • Bradley Cooper
  • Cate Blanchett
  • Toni Collette

By Jason Koenigsberg Guillermo del Toro’s follow up to his Academy Award winning The Shape of Water (2017) has finally arrived and sadly it was not worth the four year wait. This is one of the visionary directors most disappointing efforts in a very long time. He chose to remake a 1947 film that he obviously had a great affinity for as a child and the themes clearly resonated with him and influenced a lot of the pictures he has written and directed. Unfortunately, Nightmare Alley suffers from the same trend many other films of 2021 suffer from, it feels way too long, and in this case it is unnecessarily long. The opening shot is a man dragging a body while he smokes a cigarette and the shot reveals the man is Bradley Cooper as he dumps the body under the floorboards and sets the room on fire. Eventually the audience finds out who the body is but not until much later.

Nightmare Alley is not without its merits one of the biggest being the lead performance from Bradley Cooper. He carries most of the film and the talented supporting cast does what they can with the material. This is the biggest cast Guillermo del Toro has ever assembled. I guess that is what happens after you win the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. Everyone wants to work with you and Bradley Cooper is joined by Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Guillermo del Toro mainstay Ron Perlman who, to the best of my knowledge, has been in every one of his English language pictures other than Mimic (1997). Cooper plays a drifter who after disposing of a body and burning down a building wanders into a carnival in a rural town in the Depression era just before the US joins World War II. He befriends a few of the sideshow attractions, gets the hang of grifting people as part of the carny culture, falls in love with Rooney Mara’s character and eventually they flee the low budget circus and start grifting people on their own including a doctor played by Cate Blanchett and a wealthy businessman played by Richard Jenkins.

Another impressive aspect of Nightmare Alley is the cinematography which looks very similar to Guillermo del Toro’s previous films. It contains beautiful colors that stand out on a primarily dark palette. Where Nightmare Alley fails the most are the dialogue scenes that drive the narrative. Ironic considering the talented actors on screen. Usually his movies deal with monsters and humans that end up being more evil than the monsters. This time the humans are so bland and the dialogue so banal that there are no characters that stand as the epitome of righteousness or are particularly vile. Everything about Nightmare Alley wreaks of mediocrity. Although the exception to that would be Bradley Cooper who really gets to show off his acting chops. The final scene and in particular the final shot of Bradley Cooper turns out to be very emotionally revealing. However that is not enough to make up for a good solid two and a half hours that could have been better spent at home watching one of Guillermo del Toro’s superior works.

Skip Nightmare Alley and if you want to see a memorable movie about a circus sideshow check out Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932).

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In honor of Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest film Licorice Pizza now in theaters Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola kick off 2022 by giving their analysis and discussion of one of P. T. Anderson’s critically praised films The Master starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, and Amy Adams. Jason has seen it before and disagreed with the critical consensus. Rich has never seen it so listen to find out if they feel the critics were right or if the critics are the ones who made the Reel Big Mistake.

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Licorice Pizza 2021 R 2h 13m

• Director
  • Paul Thomas Anderson
• Writer
  • Paul Thomas Anderson
• Stars
  • Alana Haim
  • Cooper Hoffman
  • Sean Penn

by Jason Koenigsberg Licorice Pizza is the third time writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson has reminisced and semi-romanticized the San Fernando Valley during the 1970s. His previous two efforts in dealing with that time period were his breakout hit Boogie Nights (1997) about a John Holmes-type actor becoming a star in the adult film industry, and Inherent Vice (2014) about a Philip Marlowe-type detective trying to solve an unusual missing person case. This time with Licorice Pizza he has crafted his most personal film about the time period and setting. Licorice Pizza is reflecting on what it feels like to have your first love. This is his ‘coming-of-age’ picture and it feels more autobiographical than any of his previous films. This may be his most personal film but not necessarily one of his best.

The first shot shows teenage boys looking into a mirror and combing their hair. Suddenly a toilet explodes and one of the doors comes loose with water spraying everywhere as the boys run out of the frame. We then meet the two main characters. The boy is played by Cooper Hoffman, son of the late-great Philip Seymour Hoffman who was a frequent collaborator with Paul Thomas Anderson, starring in five of his feature films before his untimely passing, and Alana Haim who plays the slightly older female love interest. The former continues a trend started earlier this year with Michael Gandolfini (son of James) starring in The Many Saints of Newark. The concept involving sons of late actors stepping in and playing younger versions of their fathers to a certain degree does not quite work out as well as it should have in either situation. Both the young Hoffman and Haim are newcomers and very normal, unglamorous, and plain. They look like they could be your neighbors, or at least your neighbors kids. This was obviously the intention Paul Thomas Anderson was going for by casting them but what both of these new potential future stars lack is charisma to carry the weight of an entire two and a quarter hour picture. The two meet meet after the bathroom explosion at the boys high school during picture day and she is working with the photographers hired to take the students yearbook photos. He confidently asks her out, she acknowledges their age difference yet still miraculously agree to show up and all of the following events in the film unfold after this.

Licorice Pizza contains some long tracking shots that are expertly done. Nothing as elaborate as the long opening shot from Boogie Nights, or some of the spectacular one take shots in his previous film Phantom Thread (2017) but they are impressive nonetheless. A lot of moments in this film contain the two main characters running. Either running towards each other, or running away together. Even the final image before the credits roll is a moment of these two characters running. This recurring motif is essentially meant to be a metaphor for life moving by too fast, especially moving fast when you are young, in love, and having fun. The films pace sometimes moves fast skipping weeks or months ahead at a time. Yet at other times the pace seems aimless, as if the movie and time stops and there is not a care in the world. Paul Thomas Anderson is too talented of a writer and director for this to not be intentional but it makes Licorice Pizza feel uneven.

This movie is filmed literally and realistically but it works best when you suspend disbelief and look at it as a metaphor and a fantasy about an older man reflecting on his first love during a time that no longer exists. Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, and Tom Waits have been featured in some trailers and all have small and rather inconsequential roles that could have been played by anyone. It was nice to see Maya Rudolph in a small role but Licorice Pizza is solely about the story of the two youths and the trials and tribulations of their relationship. With so many other options to stream at home, this is not necessary viewing for anyone other than the directors most ardent fans.

Two final notes, I have no idea what the title is supposed to mean or represent other than possibly an ironic riddle. There is no licorice and there is no pizza. Like the seemingly irrelevant title A Clockwork Orange which on the surface has no connection to anything in that novel or film. Also, I did very much enjoy John C. Reilly’s small cameo as Herman Munster at a convention. You may not recognize his face but you cannot miss his voice and he played pivotal roles in Anderson’s first three films and this is the first time he has starred in a P.T. Anderson picture since Magnolia back in 1999.

Skip Licorice Pizza and check out Boogie Nights which captures the 70’s era better than this film does and remains one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s most deeply engaging and best films of his career.

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For the tenth episode of season 2 before going on a hiatus for the holidays Jason Koenigsberg and Rich Tola are going to discuss the 2008 Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly comedy Step Brothers. Released during a busy summer and a week after The Dark Knight premiered (yikes) Step Brothers ended up making over $100 million but the critics were not very kind. Listen to Jason and Rich decide once and for all if this movie deserves its harsh reviews or did the critics make the Reel Big Mistake?

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Movie Review: House of Gucci

2021 R 2h 38m

• Director
  • Ridley Scott
• Stars
  • Lady Gaga
  • Adam Driver
  • Al Pacino

by Jason Koenigsberg

Octogenarian filmmaker Ridley Scott continues his output of making smart blockbuster movies for adults, a real rarity to find in cinemas, with his second feature film of 2021 House of Gucci. This movie is an detour from the auteur who gave us Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), and American Gangster (2007). Every so often he dabbles in feminist views as he did in his other 2021 movie The Last Duel, and has made films with comedic sensibilities like The Martian from 2015 but nothing quite as uneven and intentionally campy as House of Gucci. At least it is good to know that at age 84 Ridley Scott is still willing to experiment and try different things.

The opening shot is of a hand holding a cigarette. The camera pans up to reveal it is Adam Driver who will be one of the main characters of the film and one of the most important members of Gucci family fashion empire.The first scene introduces his character in a flash forward which ends up being one of the final moments in the picture. The first scenes right away create an accurate feel of 1978 Italy and subsequent scenes do the same for the early 1980s Italy, Switzerland, and Manhattan. The production value is top notch as is the case with all Ridley Scott films. Nobody can deny House of Gucci has outstanding costumes, set design, and cinematography. The audience is transported from the get-go. Then we meet the characters all played by some of the most talented actors of the past two generations led by pop star Lady Gaga who turns in her second tremendous leading role in a feature film. She really carries a lot of this picture and that is especially noteworthy considering her husband is the immensely skilled Adam Driver and they both share scenes with Academy Award winners Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Jared Leto who is unrecognizable thanks to his accent and a ton of latex. The obviously phony Italian accents are one of the first clues that this may not be the serious Oscar bait drama audiences are expecting. Lady Gaga and the rest of the cast seem to be going over the top with the stereotypes to an almost tongue-in-cheek manner making one think that this might be Ridley Scotts intention to go that route with a social commentary about the superficiality of the fashion world. Any inkling that House of Gucci was intended to be camp is answered during the moment when Lady Gaga and Adam Driver make love in a trailer. This is one of the silliest sex scenes since Elizabeth Berkley splashed around the pool in Showgirls (1995).

House of Gucci clearly has a lot of campy elements but it never goes full camp. After a series of ridiculous moments the film starts to sober up and does have a lot to say about class structure and the extreme lengths people will go to climb the social ladder. There are funny moments throughout but once the characters are established some of the campy moments disappear in favor of furthering the plot. Lady Gaga is the standout performance as a Lady MacBeth type woman that is the mastermind of all of the events that unfold in the plot. We have seen this role many times before with a female being the puppet master for all of the males surrounding her as she pulls the strings. Lady Gaga does it more than adequately rising to the occasion. She never falters even though House of Gucci has drastic tonal shifts. Eventually the Gucci family is threatened to fall into mediocrity and sadly this is the point where House of Gucci descends into mediocrity. In the latter section of of the two and a half hour plus runtime it seems like the in-joke is over and everyone stopped having fun. The camp value decreases but the film never reaches the dramatic heights it could have. The result is a mixed bag but that is probably exactly what Ridley Scott intended House of Gucci to be all along.

This is a tough call but skip House of Gucci despite its strengths and go out of your way to see Ridley Scott’s other superior 2021 movie The Last Duel.

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