Steve, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Emotionally compelling drama
Film: Steve
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Youssef Kerkour, Emily Watson
Director: Tim Mielants
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 93 m

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An emotionally poignant character driven drama set in 1990s, adapted from the book Shy by Max Porter, Steve follows headteacher Steve (Cillian Murphy) as he battles the looming closure of the institution and struggles with his own mental health issues. Parallel to this Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a volatile student is shown wrestling with his past and uncertain future.

The narrative focuses on 24 hrs in the life of Steve. The focus here is on Steve and not on Shy like in the book. He is the head of a boarding school for troubled young men called Stanton Wood. Steve loves his job, is devoted and has great compassion for the inmates there. But it is clearly taking a heavy toll on him. He is stressed out and beleaguered to the point of exhaustion.

The residential reform school for delinquent teenagers also has a headmaster's assistant (Tracey Ullman), the therapist-counselor (Emily Watson), and a new teacher (Little Simz)— who together with Steve must somehow maintain order in a chaotic setup.

Steve is very very tired - that’s how he describes himself when someone asks him. He wants to do good but finds roadblocks at every turn. We see Steve descend into frustrated alcohol and substance abuse. This is also the day when a documentary/news crew has come to chronicle life at Stanton Wood for a social media segment. It also happens to be a day when the pompous local MP (Roger Allam) decides to visit. On that day Steve also receives news from the hospital trust that the school buildings will be sold and the school itself will be closed without consulting the staff.

The students respond to their presence with bizarre behaviour bordering on dark humor. Shy, who Steve is particularly fond of, has run out of chances with his mother and has nowhere to turn to when Stanton Wood gets shut down in 6 months.

Mielants narrative draws you in and makes you feel their pain. We might not get much information about the other students but the battles raging within Steve and Shy are enough to make you feel strongly for them. This drama makes emotion its trump card. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, in another collaboration with this Belgian director after “Small Things Like These”, shines with an emotively beckoning performance that subtly draws you into it’s soaking embrace.

Both Cillian Murphy and Jay Lycurgo are outstanding in conveying the trauma that Steve and Shy experience. They brilliantly capture the emotional seesaw that they experience in one chaotic day.

This is a deeply moving film that showcases the deteriorating mental health of it’s main characters. We become privy to a deeply moving portrait because of authentic heartfelt performances and fairly good character writing. The audience is sure to be affected by this strong display of emotion.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Play Dirty, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Busy, Entertaining Action-Comedy
Film: Play Dirty
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lakeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff
Director: Shane Black
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 125 m
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Parker, the career thief from Donald E. Westlake’s popular Parker novels, has been played by various actors over time. The likes of Lee Marvin, Jim Brown, Robert Duvall, Mel Gibson, and Jason Statham come to mind but in this adaptation it’s Mark Wahlberg who gets to reprise the famous… or is it infamous character. And he is a decent fit for this Shane Black directorial which plays like a buddy comedy and is busy with action-comedy antics that will gladden your hearts.

Black frames the narrative as a non-stop incident prone, adrenaline-fueled chaotic run that works in heists, shootouts, daring-do, betrayal, murder, vehicle chases and spectacular crashes.

To start with, Parker(Wahlberg) and his crew, Philly Webb (Thomas Jane), Zen (Rosa Salazar), and others, pull off a successful heist and are on the verge of escape when a bystander chances his luck and makes a grab for the heist loot. After a chase that involves random shooting, cars and horses, Parker is able to get back the loot - only to be double crossed by his partner Zen who kills everyone in Parker’s team. Parker manages to escape by the skin of his teeth and is obviously looking for revenge when he visits Philly’s widow (Gretchen Mol) …but then he gets waylaid by the chance of a bigger booty. And that’s where Lakeith Stanfield makes his entry as Parker’s buddy Grofield, a thespian who commits crimes to fund his struggling theatre, and literally steals the show.

There are many more players involved as the heist gets bigger, difficult and more dangerous. The Outfit, a criminal organization run by Parker’s nemesis Lozini (Tony Shalhoub), Keegan-Michael Key and Claire Lovering as Ed and Brenda McKay, as Parker’s partners who get comic as they join in with disguises, Nat Wolff as Kincaid, one of Lozini’s henchman, Peta Wilson, Chukwudi Iwuji, and more, all get involved in staccato rush to pull off a heist that gets more and more daring as the movie plays on.

Wahlberg plays Parker with easy grace but it’s Stanfield who makes the movie interesting with his larger than life antics. Stanfield’s laid back persona helps him easily shift from action-comedy to absurdist humor and back again. Rosa Salazar as Zen does well to stick it when she pulls off the double cross but after that she has nothing much to make an impression with. The screenplay co-written by Black, Charles Mondry, and Anthony Bagarozzi focuses on setting up helter-skelter action beats and comedy so motivations are up in the air. The vengeance bit is left for last and it’s not satisfyingly done either.

Shane Black’s playful approach with funny banter and non-stop action sets up multiple set-pieces that keep the adrenaline rush going. The huge body count doesn’t register though. Alan Silvestri’s score keeps us buzzzing throughout. This is Black’s first directorial after 2018’s flop “The Predator,” so it’s been quite a long wait. “Play Dirty” finds Black playing safe with a familiar concoction that provides the fun without much distinction. Even so, Play Dirty manages to stay exciting and keep you grinning throughout.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Dangerous Animals, Picks and Piques, Hollywood Film Review, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
This survival thriller hooks you like no other
Film: Dangerous Animals
Cast: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke, Rob Carlton, Ali Basoka, Michael Goldman
Director: Sean Byrne
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 98 min

Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals is a shark attack movie with a double bite. The opening pre-credits interlude itself sets the stage for some attention grabbing series of sequences. Here sharks are only the second biggest threat to Zephyr (Hassie Harrison). The sharks just do what you’ve seen in countless movies but it’s one particular man who emerges more dangerous than them.

Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney), seems like a good-natured captain of the boat that takes tourists into the ocean for cage diving experiences. It’s only when they are in the water that his true nature surfaces. He overpowers the tourists, feeds them to the sharks as live bait while videotaping the whole despicable act. Zephyr a tough surfer, is his latest victim. But she has no intention of becoming shark dinner. As soon as she goes missing her boyfriend, Moses (Josh Heuston), starts looking for her.

The tension increments as the cat and mouse games between Zephyr and Tucker get played out. Zephyr is not an easy prey. She attempts to outwit Tucker, fights back by using her brain to survive. The protagonist’s fighting spirit and never say die attitude is what helps her escape from being chained to a bed and a locked room.

Nick Lepard’s screenplay is sharp and smart, making every moment in the narrative count. For most of this film’s run time, it is Tucker vs. Zephyr, with sharks circling around. Bryne’s direction does the rest. The narrative is lean and tight with not many characters distracting from the main battle. The action is crunchy and has visceral power. Michael Yezerski’s score keeps you attentive and involved.

Courtney as Tucker is suitably demented. His Jekyll and Hyde personality makes for a fascinating turnaround when it counts most. He’s a cold-blooded psychopath, but also quite pathetic. Courtney and Harrison’s performances keep you glued to the tableau that unfolds. Bryne shows himself to be a master at old-fashioned thrills. This movie really makes you sit up and take notice of his exceptional genre skills. Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Strangers: Chapter 2, Picks and Piques, Hollywood Film Review, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Hollow recompense
Film: The Strangers: Chapter 2 Two Towers
Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Richard Brake, Rachel Shenton, Brooke Lena Johnson, Froy Gutierrez, Florian Clare, Janis Ahern, Pablo Sandstrom
Director: Renny Harlin
Rating: * *
Runtime: 98 min.

Renny Harlin’s second instalment of his intended three chapter universe of The Strangers is quite a let down. “Two Towers” merely exist as a stepping stone for the third chapter and there’s neither logic or sense going in.

This middle chapter has nothing new to depict. The masked figures are there but their appearance is drawn on past memory. We get a segment of flashbacks telling us what happened previously. Maya has survived the attack from the first film, and begins to wonder if everyone around her might be one of the masked figures who killed her fiancé and tried to kill her. Even the Sheriff (Richard Brake), acts shady and is made out to be a suspect here.

Maya (Madelaine Petsch) is in a state of perpetual flight. Her shift from a dark cabin to a sterile hospital room is not without its demons either. Her ordeal doesn’t seem to have an end. So Maya ends up stalked by the strangers again. And its an ongoing never ending nightmare where she escapes repeatedly and finds herself at the mercy of Strangers and a giant CGI wild boar.

The film opens with statistics about random violence and then goes on to contradict that by giving the menacing strangers a sociopathic back story that hints at being somewhat connected to Maya. Harlin is obviously trying to juice up the narrative by throwing in red herrings along the route.

Harlin orchestrates a brisk tempo and has a visual style that is brighter, less mean and leaner than that of the original film. The atmosphere doesn’t drum up anxiety or fear in the audience. Maya’s nightmare unfolds across the hostile environments of the hospital, the Oregon woods, and the confines of an ambulance. It’s all presented in a harried style mimicking a sort of frenzy but it fails to connect emotionally. Harlin’ shots vary between impressive and mediocre and the inconsistencies in this telling make it a hard to watch movie.

Madelaine Petsch’s sincere effort is in vain here. There’s not much dialogue to lend sense, instead the focus is on Maya/Petsch’s ability to communicate her fears while she goes from victim to active survivor. The performance comes across as hollow because there’s nothing in the narrative to hold on to.



The film is impressively mounted, Renny Harlin’s direction is reminiscent of his big budget action films but it’s not enough to grab your attention and hold you in thrall.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Film: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Cast: Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lucy Thomas, Billy Magnussen
Director: Kogonada
Rating: * *
Runtime: 109 min.

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is about how memory of past issues, grief, and loss guide us to shape our future. The film is meant as a soul trip leading to romance. But writer Seth Reiss’ fanciful expectations fail to find a match in Kogonada’s helming. It’s an interesting experiment even though it fails to fulfill engineered expectations.

The concept has some merit. Imagine two commitment phobic singles meeting at a wedding and going on a weird GPS engineered road trip that helps them come to terms with their personal demons? That’s exactly what happens here.

David ( Colin Farrell), is forced to rent a vehicle to get to his friend’s wedding, from two chatty agents (Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) working in an agency that has two identical cars with strange GPS. David drives away in one of the cars… and Sarah (Margot Robbie) coincidentally takes the second. They are both going to the same wedding.

Sarah and David meet at the venue called “La Strada” and carry on a minor flirtation while discussing who would hurt the other one first in case of a romantic involvement. Next we know Sarah’s car has broken down and she gets a lift in David’s car. The vehicle’s bizarre GPS with a sensual voice helps them come to terms with their fears and foibles while serving as a matchmaker of sorts between the solo travelers.



The GPS directs them through doors (indicating unresolved issues) en route, providing Sarah and David opportunity to come to terms with defining moments of their past. Premature births, parental abandonment, missed connections, young heartbreaks, and other issues that have led them to becoming commitment phobic flit through. Sarah and David thus get a chance to smooth out their lives and become unafraid to commit to new relationships.

David and Sarah tell each other about themselves -their past and present, foibles et al, but it’s not interesting at all. Their issues feel minor so the audience begins to feel cheated. The magical intervention feels totally unnecessary.

This movie is about falling in love and has “Let My Love Open the Door” on the soundtrack. It’s too in your face so the effect is lost. Everything we see feels distant and lacking in emotion. The plotting feels entirely implausible and artificial because at no point in the film do Sarah and David question their current circumstances.

The script is fanciful, the direction feels mediocre, and the editing rather inconsistent. What should have been a magical, mysterious, mystical experience becomes a self-conscious, idiosyncratic, boring fantasy that fails to touch you in any way.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Surfer, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Sketchy thrills, disaffecting psychobabble
Film: The Surfer
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Justin Rosniak, Alexander Bertrand, Rahel Romahn, Nicholas Cassim, Finn Little, Charlotte Maggi
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Rating: * 1/2
Runtime: 100 min.

In this film Nicholas Cage tackles a similar role to ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ which he did in 1988 and it’s not a pretty sight. The director Finnegan and Martin, the scriptwriter, have admitted in an interview that this film is partially inspired by the classic 1968 film The Swimmer, an adaptation of a John Cheever short story. But this film inspired or not, doesn’t achieve any great heights.

Cage plays a man who grew up in a small town on the Australian coastline and since has been living in the U.S. for several decades. The opening scene has him return home to Australia with his son (Finn Little) and attempt to venture out to the coastline to surf the waves and also negotiate to repurchase his family home. The moment they arrive at the beach trouble erupts with the Bay Boys, a group of self-styled surf punk bullies who prevent his attempts to surf the waves claiming “Don’t live here, don’t surf here.” His attempts to convince local bigwig Scally (Julian McMahon) that he is actually from there, fall on deaf ears. From thereon the picture just goes berserk in outlandish fashion. His life spirals out of control in bizarre and grotesque ways and his mind begins to unravel under the hot, unrelenting Australian sun. The extremes match those experienced by the lead character in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ but validating or justifying it becomes difficult.

The blazing heat, tormented by various Bay Boys, persecuted by locals, and stripped of his money, possessions, and dignity, eating scraps from the waste bin, and drinking brown water from a bathroom tap, he becomes a vulnerable pawn for the bullies. There’s worse to come and it’s better left unsaid. He could have just left but the writers and the director want us to believe that this man in a near feral state still wants to confront his oppressors. Sketchy, campy and extreme the masculine angst bit has nowhere to go.

Thomas Martin’s screenplay touches on financial desperation and toxic masculinity but there’s no meaningful uptake from it. The humiliations heaped on the lead character feel manufactured and lacks purpose. The conclusion also falls flat. Cage is often cast as a lonesome man in films of late, and it is getting quite tiresome. The cinematography by DP Radek Ladczuk, is stylish and manages to convey the desperate situation quite well though.

Director Lorcan Finnegan who has had a bizarre track record with films like “Vivarium” and “Nocebo” continues in that vein but it’s not sustainable. This is a terrible attempt at psychological thriller as the writing lacks depth and the helming lacks focus. The attempt at creating claustrophobia is also quite hollow. The frequent zooms into the surfer’s eyes, sudden flash backs and forwards, zooms, jump cuts etc fail to create an atmosphere to reckon with. Cage’s performance is as over-the-top as the script expects of him and though competent, it’s not something worth cheering about.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

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#Maalik * 1/2 : A hinterland based copy of the #MalayalamFilm #Malik, this gangster drama retread feels too fake to curry favor. There’s too much posturing, the treatment feels formulaic, repetitive, unrealistic, cliched, the script is uninspired, the dialogue downright silly, the ultra-violence is off-putting and #RajkumarRao’s performance is just about ok. There’s nothing to gain from watching this flawed attempt to broaden a reputed actor’s skill-set.

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