And the reviews just keep rolling- check out part 2 of my 2019 summer movie recap!
TOY STORY 4
I love the Toy Story movies, possibly more than any other franchise on the planet. When I was a young child, I watched the original 1995 classic until the VHS tape was completely worn down (yes, that was indeed a thing that happened). I probably watched 1999's Toy Story 2 a billion times as well, but by that point, well, it was significantly more difficult to wear down DVDs. For nearly a decade, my brother and I waited patiently for a sequel- we knew the Toy Story narrative was not finished, and there just had to be a series-ending third installment. When Toy Story 3 arrived in 2010, it hit like a ton of bricks. It ended the trilogy in style, reducing audience members to blubbering messes with its harrowing, humorous, and downright heartbreaking story. It's maybe the first film that ever made me cry where I actually knew why I was crying.
The point of this long preface is simple: for the longest time, I believed that there was absolutely no reason for Toy Story 4 to be made. I maintained this steadfast belief for nearly nine years, essentially from the moment the credits rolled on the third chapter to the second I sat down in the theater for chapter four. It couldn't get more perfect than Toy Story 3. To deliver another feature on the level of that perfect trilogy was, in my mind, an impossible feat destined for folly.
Miraculously, Toy Story 4 is another near-perfect movie. I didn't think director Josh Cooley and the team at Pixar could pull it off, but they did. And they did it so well that it almost feels effortless. A titanic achievement in animation from a studio that just keeps getting better and better, a whip-smart, frenetically paced (in a good way) action movie, and an emotional conclusion to Woody's arc- Toy Story 4 pulls off such a delicate, beautiful juggling act that it's almost shocking.
If the third chapter was a farewell to Andy, this follow-up focuses its attention solely on Woody (Tom Hanks), the lovable cowboy doll who has finally reached a crossroads in his life. He's always relied on the love and happiness of a child to survive, but what if he no longer needs that anymore? What if he'd be more content roaming the wilderness with Bo Peep (Annie Potts)? Toy Story 4 proposes big questions for its main protagonist, couching them inside a kinetic adventure that puts every other kids' movie to shame. Yes, it's a G-rated movie, but when there's a sentient spork (voiced by Tony Hale) and an homage to Kubrick's The Shining, there's plenty of fun for adults too.
Speaking of Forky, Toy Story 4's secret weapon may be the franchise's continually impressive ability to create new characters and thread them intricately into the thematic fabric of the film. From abandoned doll Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) to Canadian stuntman Duke Caboom, this new chapter presents an impressive array of new players; you'll feel as much for them as you do for Woody and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen).
And, of course, you'll shed plenty of tears when the time comes. Hell, I was crying as soon as I heard "You Got a Friend in Me," so maybe I'm not the most reliable source when it comes to this stuff. But have faith that, once again, the Toy Story franchise will hit you right in the tear ducts. It's a beautiful send-off for a classic character, and I couldn't have adored it more. I'd call it a perfect end to a perfect series, but after this beautiful, empathetic surprise, I wouldn't object to a Buzz-centric Toy Story 5 in another nine years.
THE FINAL GRADE: A+ (10/10)
ROCKETMAN
Rocketman, for better and for worse, will always be discussed in conjunction with Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody, the music biopic that took the industry by storm in late 2018. The projects are primarily linked by director Dexter Fletcher, who did pick-ups on Bohemian after Singer's dismissal before turning to this portrait of rock superstar Elton John. But beyond surface level similarities, the mere proximity of the two films' release dates ensured that every single critic and audience member would deem Fletcher's cinematic depiction of the British rocker to be either better or worse than the Queen biopic that hit screens merely six months before.
Typically, this would be an unenviable position for a movie to be in. After all, we're talking about comparisons to a film that grossed an obscene amount of money at the worldwide box office, winning Oscars and introducing Queen to a whole new generation. But considering that Singer's film was also justifiably maligned by critics, it gave Rocketman an opportunity to emerge as the thinking man's rock movie. After all, this is an R-rated straight-up musical that embraces Elton's status as a queer icon, striving for authenticity where Bohemian aimed for artifice.
For the genre it's occupying, I think it's fair to say that Rocketman is fairly innovative and- with significant caveats- moderately enjoyable. With Taron Egerton giving everything he's got as the iconic star (including singing his famous lineup of songs), Fletcher stages some dazzling and eye-popping numbers, which are more than enough to overcome some of the film's more glaring flaws. Still, this is a music biopic, and its embrace of the cliched framework of the genre is frustrating to say the least. And, at 121 minutes, Rocketman simply wears out its welcome by the time things are said and done, squeezing in just a few too many songs and over-emphasizing Elton's alcohol and drug-fueled escapades. It gets by on bravado alone, but it's easy to imagine an even more satisfying version of this story.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.6/10)
THE DEAD DON'T DIE
The Dead Don't Die is the work of a director with a clear and unambiguous vision, but that doesn't mean it has any real reason to exist. Jim Jarmusch's dry-as-a-bone zombie comedy takes aim at human ambivalence in the face of environmental cataclysm, lampooning/paying tribute to George Romero's classics by emphasizing their social impulse and connecting it directly to our twenty-first century crises. With an all-star cast as the delivery system for his humorously intense message, Jarmusch's cynicism becomes the film's defining quality, creating an all-encompassing atmosphere of dread that comes into direct conflict with the deadpan humor and reverential treatment of the genre. This is a film that ends with a character lamenting that we live in "a f*cked up world," after delivering a monologue that sums up every stray bit of social commentary that Jarmusch has scattered throughout the story. You can say a lot of things about this one, but it earns its pessimism.
But even if its righteous hatred for the human race's inaction is palpable and earned, The Dead Don't Die is one of those movies that thinks it's a whole lot more clever than it actually is. Using the zombie movie as a vessel to comment on American consumerism is not a new idea (see: 1978's Dawn of the Dead), and despite the "Make America White Again" hats and Jarmusch's other bits of direct commentary, the film feels both egregiously obvious and strangely conflicted at every turn. Having the subtlety of a sledgehammer isn't always a bad thing, but The Dead Don't Die constantly over-extends itself in its attempt to say something, anything of value. The same can be said of the film's strain of meta, self-aware humor (strains that further complicate its political impulse), which quickly goes from cutesy and amusing to intensely grating. Adam Driver's read the script! Bill Murray gets angry 'cause he's done so much for Jarmusch's career! The theme song plays over and over and characters refer to it as the theme song! Tilda Swinton is an alien!
After a while, it's impossible not to be annoyed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C- (4.5/10)
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, everyone in the Marvel Universe could use a little vacation, right? That's the driving idea behind Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Far From Home, a strange film that finds itself in the unfortunate position of serving as a sequel to both 2017's Homecoming and April's Endgame. So even if the relationship drama between Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) is the ultimate focus, there are still reminders of Tony Stark's galaxy-saving sacrifice at every turn. But for a few short weeks, Peter is going to try to forget about all of that and enjoy his class trip to Europe. In the last few months alone, he's gone to space, fought Thanos, turned to dust, and been resurrected by Bruce Banner. Dude needs a vacation more than anyone else.
When Far From Home is operating firmly in a hangout mode, it's a blast. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers know how to write snappy, punchy dialogue for these characters, and it's fun to watch Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon (another scene-stealing appearance as Peter's friend Ned) trade witty remarks as they travel around Europe. Peter Parker's personal life has always been just as entertaining as his friendly neighborhood exploits, and this film is no exception. I could have watched a whole film of Peter and his films chilling on their vacation, eating pizza in Italy and trying to sneak drinks on the plane as they recover from the Blip (after all, some of the snapped kids are *technically* 21).
But this is a Marvel movie, and the plot always has this ugly need to get in the way of a good time. In Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal's Quentin Beck (also known as Mysterio) throws a wrench into Peter's plans, as the potentially untrustworthy character calls on Spider-Man and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in desperate need of help. Inevitably, this sends Peter on a new heroic quest, one that leaves him wondering if he's capable of being "the next Iron Man." This thread produces some fascinating moments of introspection for young Mr. Parker, but it's hard to escape the feeling that Marvel is treading water with this installment. Didn't we already answer some of these questions in Homecoming? Did we really need another scene of Peter almost accidentally killing someone and then questioning his sense of responsibility?
With the additional disservice of a few sluggish action scenes dragging everything down, Far From Home ultimately feels like a superfluous sequel, albeit one with its fair share of charms.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.7/10)
MIDSOMMAR
Considering just how much I loved Ari Aster's Hereditary, which placed at #1 on my final Top 25 of 2018 list, it has to be something of an understatement to say that I was excited for Midsommar. After debuting out of nowhere to create a horror masterpiece on his first attempt, Aster had me sold for whatever he chose to do next. Lucky for us, his next project sounded just as tantalizing as his freshman debut: a tragic break-up drama masquerading as Wicker Man-esque cult horror film, with a cast led by rising stars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and Will Poulter. Equipped with this perfect concoction of strange and unsettling ingredients (plus the sun-drenched images of Pawel Pogorzelski), it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Aster would deliver another near-masterpiece.
I don't want to make it seem like Midsommar is a disappointment by any means, but I certainly left the theater more moderately amused than flat-out terrified or stunned. Which, to be quite honest, may in fact be by Aster's design: this is a consistently dark and nasty comedy, but it's a comedy nonetheless. If you can survive the horrific, literally stomach-churning opening scene (a moment that serves as definitive proof that there's no such thing as too much cruelty in the Aster-verse), you'll quickly be treated to a funny, strange journey, where one-liners and quips clash with the sheer absurdity of it all. Yes, this is a movie where two people plunge to horrific, gruesome deaths, but it is frequently, unmistakably hilarious. If the image of an elderly Swedish woman pushing Jack Reynor's ass into another woman during a particularly bizarre sex scene doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.
Midsommar is also, somewhat disappointingly, a film devoid of many scares or much suspense, another choice that is no doubt purposeful on Aster's part. When Dani (Pugh), Christian (Reynor), Mark (Poulter), and Josh (William Jackson Harper) travel to this remote village at the urging of Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) for a once-in-a-generation festival, viewers are practically primed to feel an immense sense of dread, especially if they have any knowledge of Aster's previous work. But the horrors of the film are telegraphed so blatantly to the point that they're lacking punch, a natural progression of Aster's obsession with predestination in the context of narrative genre cinema. Perhaps this relative lack of conventional suspense is deliberate, an indication that the filmmaker is more interested in questions of fate and destiny than audience affect. Whether that is, by and large, an effective direction remains an unanswered question.
Regardless, this is a long, consistently entertaining journey, though by the time Aster reaches his ultimate point, I found it hard to respond with anything but an admiring shrug. Dani is a fascinating character and Pugh is a phenomenal actress, but the story's long-awaited and foreshadowed conclusion feels like an abrupt and somewhat odd endpoint for the sprawling, rambling web of terror and humor that comprises Aster's genre-bending saga. Maybe the director's cut or a few extra viewings will clarify some of my issues (the ending has clearly provoked an emotional response from a number of audience members, and I wonder if this is just a blind spot for me), but after one trip to the flowery hills of the Swedish countryside, I couldn't muster much enthusiasm. It's definitely something though- good luck finding another mainstream movie this summer that goes to as many uncomfortable places as this one does.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
STUBER
Did we need another mismatched buddy cop movie doubling as an analysis of contemporary masculinity? No, probably not. But Stuber works regardless of its well-worn generic territory, uniting Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani as a hard-boiled cop and a down-on-his-luck Uber driver, respectively. From the get-go, it's clear that director Michael Dowse has very little interest in reinventing the wheel, even if a superhero-like cop traveling around in a rideshare vehicle is a novel idea. This is a straight-forward movie with a few unique wrinkles (similar to the Uber aspect, I don't think we've ever seen a cinematic cop recovering from Lasik surgery before), and if you go in with those expectations, it's likely to be a pleasant enough journey. It undoubtedly rips off a few jokes from Hot Fuzz, and the violence absolutely gets too slapstick-y at times, culminating in a ridiculous showdown that almost pushes things too far. But all's well that ends well, and Stuber ties up its plot in a satisfying, nice little bow, giving its amiable, dopey characters the endings they deserve. While it's absolutely nothing but July popcorn movie filler, its refusal to strive for loftier ambitions is downright refreshing.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
CRAWL
A horror film about the total annihilation of a deteriorating suburban family is far from an original idea (hello, Hereditary). But when you throw some hungry, blood-thirsty alligators into the mix, now you've got yourself a fresh little package. Crawl follows University of Florida swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario) as she tries to save her father (Barry Pepper) from an impending hurricane, only to discover that some crazy gators have joined the action in the basement of their family home. In the hands of director Alexandre Aja, this concept becomes the foundation for a mostly tense, sometimes wickedly violent genre outing, one that strives for absolute concision with its tight 87 minute runtime. Unfortunately, even though the lean-and-mean style is Crawl's core appeal, Aja's economical film eventually slips into tedium, lacking the pulse-pounding intensity to keep the momentum going beyond the next jump scare. Worst of all, the film is self-serious to a debilitating extent, only dipping into absurd humor when "See Ya Later, Alligator" plays over the end credits. Yes, Crawl satisfies the desire for gory extravagance, but for a film that solely aims to deliver only one kind of cinematic pleasure, I couldn't help but leave the theater a little disappointed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
That's all for now, folks. Come back soon for a full review of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood!
TOY STORY 4
I love the Toy Story movies, possibly more than any other franchise on the planet. When I was a young child, I watched the original 1995 classic until the VHS tape was completely worn down (yes, that was indeed a thing that happened). I probably watched 1999's Toy Story 2 a billion times as well, but by that point, well, it was significantly more difficult to wear down DVDs. For nearly a decade, my brother and I waited patiently for a sequel- we knew the Toy Story narrative was not finished, and there just had to be a series-ending third installment. When Toy Story 3 arrived in 2010, it hit like a ton of bricks. It ended the trilogy in style, reducing audience members to blubbering messes with its harrowing, humorous, and downright heartbreaking story. It's maybe the first film that ever made me cry where I actually knew why I was crying.
The point of this long preface is simple: for the longest time, I believed that there was absolutely no reason for Toy Story 4 to be made. I maintained this steadfast belief for nearly nine years, essentially from the moment the credits rolled on the third chapter to the second I sat down in the theater for chapter four. It couldn't get more perfect than Toy Story 3. To deliver another feature on the level of that perfect trilogy was, in my mind, an impossible feat destined for folly.
Miraculously, Toy Story 4 is another near-perfect movie. I didn't think director Josh Cooley and the team at Pixar could pull it off, but they did. And they did it so well that it almost feels effortless. A titanic achievement in animation from a studio that just keeps getting better and better, a whip-smart, frenetically paced (in a good way) action movie, and an emotional conclusion to Woody's arc- Toy Story 4 pulls off such a delicate, beautiful juggling act that it's almost shocking.
If the third chapter was a farewell to Andy, this follow-up focuses its attention solely on Woody (Tom Hanks), the lovable cowboy doll who has finally reached a crossroads in his life. He's always relied on the love and happiness of a child to survive, but what if he no longer needs that anymore? What if he'd be more content roaming the wilderness with Bo Peep (Annie Potts)? Toy Story 4 proposes big questions for its main protagonist, couching them inside a kinetic adventure that puts every other kids' movie to shame. Yes, it's a G-rated movie, but when there's a sentient spork (voiced by Tony Hale) and an homage to Kubrick's The Shining, there's plenty of fun for adults too.
Speaking of Forky, Toy Story 4's secret weapon may be the franchise's continually impressive ability to create new characters and thread them intricately into the thematic fabric of the film. From abandoned doll Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) to Canadian stuntman Duke Caboom, this new chapter presents an impressive array of new players; you'll feel as much for them as you do for Woody and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen).
And, of course, you'll shed plenty of tears when the time comes. Hell, I was crying as soon as I heard "You Got a Friend in Me," so maybe I'm not the most reliable source when it comes to this stuff. But have faith that, once again, the Toy Story franchise will hit you right in the tear ducts. It's a beautiful send-off for a classic character, and I couldn't have adored it more. I'd call it a perfect end to a perfect series, but after this beautiful, empathetic surprise, I wouldn't object to a Buzz-centric Toy Story 5 in another nine years.
THE FINAL GRADE: A+ (10/10)
ROCKETMAN
Rocketman, for better and for worse, will always be discussed in conjunction with Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody, the music biopic that took the industry by storm in late 2018. The projects are primarily linked by director Dexter Fletcher, who did pick-ups on Bohemian after Singer's dismissal before turning to this portrait of rock superstar Elton John. But beyond surface level similarities, the mere proximity of the two films' release dates ensured that every single critic and audience member would deem Fletcher's cinematic depiction of the British rocker to be either better or worse than the Queen biopic that hit screens merely six months before.
Typically, this would be an unenviable position for a movie to be in. After all, we're talking about comparisons to a film that grossed an obscene amount of money at the worldwide box office, winning Oscars and introducing Queen to a whole new generation. But considering that Singer's film was also justifiably maligned by critics, it gave Rocketman an opportunity to emerge as the thinking man's rock movie. After all, this is an R-rated straight-up musical that embraces Elton's status as a queer icon, striving for authenticity where Bohemian aimed for artifice.
For the genre it's occupying, I think it's fair to say that Rocketman is fairly innovative and- with significant caveats- moderately enjoyable. With Taron Egerton giving everything he's got as the iconic star (including singing his famous lineup of songs), Fletcher stages some dazzling and eye-popping numbers, which are more than enough to overcome some of the film's more glaring flaws. Still, this is a music biopic, and its embrace of the cliched framework of the genre is frustrating to say the least. And, at 121 minutes, Rocketman simply wears out its welcome by the time things are said and done, squeezing in just a few too many songs and over-emphasizing Elton's alcohol and drug-fueled escapades. It gets by on bravado alone, but it's easy to imagine an even more satisfying version of this story.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.6/10)
THE DEAD DON'T DIE
The Dead Don't Die is the work of a director with a clear and unambiguous vision, but that doesn't mean it has any real reason to exist. Jim Jarmusch's dry-as-a-bone zombie comedy takes aim at human ambivalence in the face of environmental cataclysm, lampooning/paying tribute to George Romero's classics by emphasizing their social impulse and connecting it directly to our twenty-first century crises. With an all-star cast as the delivery system for his humorously intense message, Jarmusch's cynicism becomes the film's defining quality, creating an all-encompassing atmosphere of dread that comes into direct conflict with the deadpan humor and reverential treatment of the genre. This is a film that ends with a character lamenting that we live in "a f*cked up world," after delivering a monologue that sums up every stray bit of social commentary that Jarmusch has scattered throughout the story. You can say a lot of things about this one, but it earns its pessimism.
But even if its righteous hatred for the human race's inaction is palpable and earned, The Dead Don't Die is one of those movies that thinks it's a whole lot more clever than it actually is. Using the zombie movie as a vessel to comment on American consumerism is not a new idea (see: 1978's Dawn of the Dead), and despite the "Make America White Again" hats and Jarmusch's other bits of direct commentary, the film feels both egregiously obvious and strangely conflicted at every turn. Having the subtlety of a sledgehammer isn't always a bad thing, but The Dead Don't Die constantly over-extends itself in its attempt to say something, anything of value. The same can be said of the film's strain of meta, self-aware humor (strains that further complicate its political impulse), which quickly goes from cutesy and amusing to intensely grating. Adam Driver's read the script! Bill Murray gets angry 'cause he's done so much for Jarmusch's career! The theme song plays over and over and characters refer to it as the theme song! Tilda Swinton is an alien!
After a while, it's impossible not to be annoyed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C- (4.5/10)
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
After the events of Avengers: Endgame, everyone in the Marvel Universe could use a little vacation, right? That's the driving idea behind Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Far From Home, a strange film that finds itself in the unfortunate position of serving as a sequel to both 2017's Homecoming and April's Endgame. So even if the relationship drama between Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and MJ (Zendaya) is the ultimate focus, there are still reminders of Tony Stark's galaxy-saving sacrifice at every turn. But for a few short weeks, Peter is going to try to forget about all of that and enjoy his class trip to Europe. In the last few months alone, he's gone to space, fought Thanos, turned to dust, and been resurrected by Bruce Banner. Dude needs a vacation more than anyone else.
When Far From Home is operating firmly in a hangout mode, it's a blast. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers know how to write snappy, punchy dialogue for these characters, and it's fun to watch Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon (another scene-stealing appearance as Peter's friend Ned) trade witty remarks as they travel around Europe. Peter Parker's personal life has always been just as entertaining as his friendly neighborhood exploits, and this film is no exception. I could have watched a whole film of Peter and his films chilling on their vacation, eating pizza in Italy and trying to sneak drinks on the plane as they recover from the Blip (after all, some of the snapped kids are *technically* 21).
But this is a Marvel movie, and the plot always has this ugly need to get in the way of a good time. In Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal's Quentin Beck (also known as Mysterio) throws a wrench into Peter's plans, as the potentially untrustworthy character calls on Spider-Man and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) in desperate need of help. Inevitably, this sends Peter on a new heroic quest, one that leaves him wondering if he's capable of being "the next Iron Man." This thread produces some fascinating moments of introspection for young Mr. Parker, but it's hard to escape the feeling that Marvel is treading water with this installment. Didn't we already answer some of these questions in Homecoming? Did we really need another scene of Peter almost accidentally killing someone and then questioning his sense of responsibility?
With the additional disservice of a few sluggish action scenes dragging everything down, Far From Home ultimately feels like a superfluous sequel, albeit one with its fair share of charms.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.7/10)
MIDSOMMAR
Considering just how much I loved Ari Aster's Hereditary, which placed at #1 on my final Top 25 of 2018 list, it has to be something of an understatement to say that I was excited for Midsommar. After debuting out of nowhere to create a horror masterpiece on his first attempt, Aster had me sold for whatever he chose to do next. Lucky for us, his next project sounded just as tantalizing as his freshman debut: a tragic break-up drama masquerading as Wicker Man-esque cult horror film, with a cast led by rising stars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and Will Poulter. Equipped with this perfect concoction of strange and unsettling ingredients (plus the sun-drenched images of Pawel Pogorzelski), it seemed like a forgone conclusion that Aster would deliver another near-masterpiece.
I don't want to make it seem like Midsommar is a disappointment by any means, but I certainly left the theater more moderately amused than flat-out terrified or stunned. Which, to be quite honest, may in fact be by Aster's design: this is a consistently dark and nasty comedy, but it's a comedy nonetheless. If you can survive the horrific, literally stomach-churning opening scene (a moment that serves as definitive proof that there's no such thing as too much cruelty in the Aster-verse), you'll quickly be treated to a funny, strange journey, where one-liners and quips clash with the sheer absurdity of it all. Yes, this is a movie where two people plunge to horrific, gruesome deaths, but it is frequently, unmistakably hilarious. If the image of an elderly Swedish woman pushing Jack Reynor's ass into another woman during a particularly bizarre sex scene doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.
Midsommar is also, somewhat disappointingly, a film devoid of many scares or much suspense, another choice that is no doubt purposeful on Aster's part. When Dani (Pugh), Christian (Reynor), Mark (Poulter), and Josh (William Jackson Harper) travel to this remote village at the urging of Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) for a once-in-a-generation festival, viewers are practically primed to feel an immense sense of dread, especially if they have any knowledge of Aster's previous work. But the horrors of the film are telegraphed so blatantly to the point that they're lacking punch, a natural progression of Aster's obsession with predestination in the context of narrative genre cinema. Perhaps this relative lack of conventional suspense is deliberate, an indication that the filmmaker is more interested in questions of fate and destiny than audience affect. Whether that is, by and large, an effective direction remains an unanswered question.
Regardless, this is a long, consistently entertaining journey, though by the time Aster reaches his ultimate point, I found it hard to respond with anything but an admiring shrug. Dani is a fascinating character and Pugh is a phenomenal actress, but the story's long-awaited and foreshadowed conclusion feels like an abrupt and somewhat odd endpoint for the sprawling, rambling web of terror and humor that comprises Aster's genre-bending saga. Maybe the director's cut or a few extra viewings will clarify some of my issues (the ending has clearly provoked an emotional response from a number of audience members, and I wonder if this is just a blind spot for me), but after one trip to the flowery hills of the Swedish countryside, I couldn't muster much enthusiasm. It's definitely something though- good luck finding another mainstream movie this summer that goes to as many uncomfortable places as this one does.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.2/10)
STUBER
Did we need another mismatched buddy cop movie doubling as an analysis of contemporary masculinity? No, probably not. But Stuber works regardless of its well-worn generic territory, uniting Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani as a hard-boiled cop and a down-on-his-luck Uber driver, respectively. From the get-go, it's clear that director Michael Dowse has very little interest in reinventing the wheel, even if a superhero-like cop traveling around in a rideshare vehicle is a novel idea. This is a straight-forward movie with a few unique wrinkles (similar to the Uber aspect, I don't think we've ever seen a cinematic cop recovering from Lasik surgery before), and if you go in with those expectations, it's likely to be a pleasant enough journey. It undoubtedly rips off a few jokes from Hot Fuzz, and the violence absolutely gets too slapstick-y at times, culminating in a ridiculous showdown that almost pushes things too far. But all's well that ends well, and Stuber ties up its plot in a satisfying, nice little bow, giving its amiable, dopey characters the endings they deserve. While it's absolutely nothing but July popcorn movie filler, its refusal to strive for loftier ambitions is downright refreshing.
THE FINAL GRADE: B- (6.5/10)
CRAWL
A horror film about the total annihilation of a deteriorating suburban family is far from an original idea (hello, Hereditary). But when you throw some hungry, blood-thirsty alligators into the mix, now you've got yourself a fresh little package. Crawl follows University of Florida swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario) as she tries to save her father (Barry Pepper) from an impending hurricane, only to discover that some crazy gators have joined the action in the basement of their family home. In the hands of director Alexandre Aja, this concept becomes the foundation for a mostly tense, sometimes wickedly violent genre outing, one that strives for absolute concision with its tight 87 minute runtime. Unfortunately, even though the lean-and-mean style is Crawl's core appeal, Aja's economical film eventually slips into tedium, lacking the pulse-pounding intensity to keep the momentum going beyond the next jump scare. Worst of all, the film is self-serious to a debilitating extent, only dipping into absurd humor when "See Ya Later, Alligator" plays over the end credits. Yes, Crawl satisfies the desire for gory extravagance, but for a film that solely aims to deliver only one kind of cinematic pleasure, I couldn't help but leave the theater a little disappointed.
THE FINAL GRADE: C+ (5.9/10)
That's all for now, folks. Come back soon for a full review of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood!
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