The Weekend Warrior April 28, 2023
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET, BIG GEORGE FOREMAN, SISU, 32 SOUNDS, and More
Another week with another late review column, but what can I say? Paying work talks, reviewing stuff for free… just comes whenever it comes. This week sees a number of wide releases, of which I’ve seen three, plus there’s a great doc being released that is this week’s “Chosen One.”
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET (Lionsgate)
It’s been so long since I read Judy Blume’s 1970 bestseller I don’t really remember enough about the plot or characters to know if this adaptation by Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”) is at all faithful. Then again, I loved Craig’s previous movie, and I had no doubt that if any filmmaker was gonna do Blume justice, it would be her. (As with her previous film, the movie is produced by James L. Brooks, no slouch when it comes to dramedies either.)
We meet Abby Ryder Fortson’s 12-year-old Margaret Simon, as she’s returning home from summer camp to learn that her family is moving from New York City to New Jersey, and as might be expected, she’s quite mortified. Once they arrive in their new suburban home, Margaret meets a new friend in Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham) who inducts her into her super secret club where they talk about boys, growing boobs, and menstruation. Granted, if you haven’t read Judy Blume, you might not be expecting it, but you also might decide right away that this movie isn’t for you.
Margaret is a bundle of nerves, constantly speaking to God in place of a journal, worried about when she will finally see some of the maturity of her classmates, and Fortson is quite a find, as she has a great personality, as well as being able to handle the drama and doubt that is constantly plaguing Margaret.
It might be a little harder getting used to Rachel McAdams in Mom Jeans, but her and Bennie Safdie make terrific parental figures for Margaret, and Kathy Bates is also great as Matilda’s Jewish grandmother. Craig always makes sure that each of those characters have their own journeys as well, so it’s not just a movie full of giggling girls the entire movie. (Don’t worry, it’s not that, but if you liked Pixar’s Turning Red, you’ll appreciate this movie in a similar vein.)
As with Blume’s novels, the movie deals with a lot of things from Margaret being torn between her parents’ religions, as well as more coming-of-age fare, and it’s impressive how well Craig is able to blend these elements together in a cohesive way. I’ve seen actual movies made in 1970 that aren’t as 1970 as Craig manages to make Are You There God? With everything from TV dinners to Tab and Fresca, the production design and set decoration in creating an authentic setting was definitely appreciated.
Sure, there may be times when the movie devolves into an “Afterschool Special,” but if you’re already a Judy Blume fan, you’ll probably be a fan of those, too, so it’s all good. Are You There God? does a great job in delivering a coming-of-age movie that isn’t just for teen girls.
Rating: 7.5/10
BIG GEORGE FOREMAN (Sony/Affirm Films)
It’s hard to get excited by yet another biopic, this one about a boxer who I remember quite fondly from his television appearances (both in talk shows and commercials), but there’s also a lot about him that I didn’t know beyond his most famous matches.
It begins with Foreman as an angry young man from a big family living in poverty, who eventually joins the Job Corps to do something with his life. There, he meets two people who will have a large impact on his life, John Magaro as Desmond and Forest Whitaker’s Doc Broadus. The latter convinces George to use his large size and anger to become a boxer, and within a year, he is winning the Gold medal at the Olympics, and he’s an instant sensation who proves to be undefeatable. Eventually, Foreman gets to fight and beat Frazier to become World Champion, a short run that will lead to his famed “Rumble in the Jungle” with Muhammad Ali, as played by Sullivan Jones.
Directed by George Tillman, Jr (The Hate U Give), this is a fairly straightforward biopic, a genre that generally tends to annoy my fellow critics, though Foreman has such a fascinating story to well, and it very well could be considered a miracle that he was able to recapture the belt after walking away from boxing. It’s hard to believe that the 35-year-old Khris Davis plays him for the majority of the film at different ages because he looks so different throughout the movie, and it’s a sign of a good actor more than it is about any makeup used to turn him into the older Foreman. Jones also has some great scenes as Foreman’s enemy-turned-friend Ali, although many of their most famous face-offs were filmed, so they had a ton of reference.
Otherwise, George Foreman goes through a lot of the normal travails of these kinds of movies with infidelities and divorce, and it’s almost an hour before the movie really gets into the faith aspects of the film as Foreman experiences a near-death experience and turns his back on boxing. He becomes a pastor and decides to use his money to build a youth center and gym in his native Houston. But there are still problems, including another biopic staple, him losing his money by trusting his friend Desmond, who was set up earlier to have a drinking problem. (If you’ve seen enough of these, the foreshadowing makes it obvious this would happen.)
Eventually, Foreman decides to go back to boxing in order to help save the youth center, which leads to him winning back the Heavyweight belt at the age of 45, which is unheard of. The boxing scenes are quite well done if not on par with the recent Creed III or a classic like Raging Bull. Thankfully, it never hits you over the head with the spirituality and faith stuff as other movies of this ilk.
Anyone who tells you that Big George Foreman is not a good movie should probably be questioned about having ulterior movies or biases against the genre. It may not be perfect and the definition of a staid biopic, but Foreman’s story is incredible to watch unfold due to the fantastic job done by Tillman and Davis in telling that story.
Rating: 7/10
SISU (Lionsgate)
Jalmari Helander’s third movie released here is this action revenge thriller starring his regular actor, Jorma Tommila, as Aatami, an ex-soldier living in the remote Laplands area of Finland where he finds a huge cache of gold. While trying to bring the gold to cash in, he encounters a band of ruthless Nazis who want to kill him and take his gold. They don’t realize that Aatami is virtually unkillable but is quite ruthless in his own respect.
Helander’s previous movies, Rare Exports and Big Game, were both enjoyable genre fare, but SISU is really next level, the kind of action movie that offers moments that leaves your jaw open wide and other moments where you just want to stand up and cheer. It’s definitely a movie that needs to be seen in theaters with other people, which is not something I was able to do.
I don’t have a ton to say about the movie other than Tommila being so great in a role that doesn’t require remembering a ton of lines - he barely speaks – but Helander’s brilliant ability to create jaw-dropping set pieces makes this an action movie that’s every bit on par with the recent “John Wick” movies but clearly done with a fraction of the budget.
Rating: 8/10
Look for my interview with Jalmari Helander over at Above the Line sometime soon.
PONNIYIN SELFAN: PART TWO
This week’s Telugu-language offering is the second part of the historic epic from director Mani Ratnam, once again starring Jayam Ravi as Arulmozhi Varman, following his journey to become Rajaraja I, the greatest ruler of the historic Chola empire of south India. I haven’t seen the first movie or this one, but presumably, there’s an audience that will help get this into the top 10 despite only being released into 400 to 500 theaters.
Although I’m not sure SISU will be able to get into the top 10, it’s very likely, and the rest of the Top 10 should look something like this: (Note: I published these numbers on Twitter on Thursday evening, and they haven’t been changed by any Thursday previews reporting, although clearly, Big George Foreman is not doing great with only $250k in previews..)
1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) - $37.5 million -37%
2. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate) - $14.7 million N/A
3. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros.) - $11.5 million -53%
4. Big George Foreman (Sony) - $8.3 million N/A
5. Ponniyin Selvan: Part II - $4.5 million N/A
6. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) - $4 million -30%
7. Air (Amazon) - $3.7 million -32%
8. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) - $3.6 million -35%
9. Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (MGM) - $3.4 million -47%
10. SISU (Liongsate) - $2 million N/A
This week’s “Chosen One” is…
32 SOUNDS (Abramorama)
Sam Green’s documentary premiered at Sundance 2022 but was originally planned as a live performance there but ended going virtual. I had a chance to see a live performance at BAM last year, and it’s now getting a theatrical release as a straight doc, but with screenings at a few places (like New York’s Film Forum) which will include special “theatrical headphone” screenings one a day.
I have such an interesting history with this movie, because when I saw it last year, I didn’t know it would get a theatrical release, so I was hoping to at least give it an “Honorable Mention” (in my top 25 list, which I never got a chance to write).
Some could say that I’m an “easy lay” for this movie with my own sound engineering background (which I’ve recently returned to after 15 years), but there’s a lot more to Green’s film than the science of sound and hearing. He approaches it from quite a few angles with a number of sounds (32 to be exact) with accompanying stories with the individuals who create those sounds.
The sounds are intermixed with some fascinating humanitaran stories from that of Annea Lockwood, an experimental composer who has taken to capturing river sounds. Other interesting subjects include Edgar Choueiri, a professor who specialized in binaural sound, Lebanese musician Mazen Kerbaj, Foley artist Joanna Fang, and Christine Sun Kim, a hearing-impaired sound artist. Green finds a great narrative way to tie together these stories with others, so that the exploration of sound never gets dull.
The score by JD Samson (of Le Tigre fame) does a perfect job staying out of the way of the various sounds but also perfectly filling in the need for music when the film isn’t using Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” or the disco classic, “I Feel Love” to great effect.
Just like when I saw 32 Sounds live, the theatrical doc version of it is just as effective, because it finds such a compelling way into its subject matter. While I usually don’t give review ratings to docs in this column, I will say right now that 32 Sounds is the first movie this year that is getting a 10 out of 10.
My interview with Green will eventually run on Below the Line when my editor gets to it. In the meantime, you should definitely try to check out the movie if it plays in an area near you, whether it’s one of the theaters with the live headphones or just a standard theatrical viewing. You can find out where it’s playing here, as it will slowly roll out over the coming weeks.
POLITE SOCIETY (Focus Features)
A movie that premiered at Sundance, which I watched virtually, is Nida Manzoor’s high-concept British action-comedy, starring Ritu Arya as Ria Khan, an impressionable teen who wants to be a stuntwoman, but when her older sister Lena seems to be getting married off to a handsome young man, she turns her attention to stopping said wedding.
I haven’t seen Manzoor’s We Are Lady Parts, though I’ve heard good things about it, but Manzoor is clearly an Edgar Wright fan by the way she creates a sense of heightened comedy throughout. The thing is that this is not a very good script or story, and it’s not particularly funny, as hard as it tries. I guess the biggest thing that bugged me is that it would be nice to see a movie by a Pakistani filmmaker that doesn’t involve arranged marriage, which just enforces unnecessary stereotypes.
Otherwise, this is very high concept, and Arya is so obnoxious that she’s not quite as lovable as intended, and her “I am the fury!” catchphrase quickly grows old. Her closest friends aren’t much better, and there’s only so much one can get out of them plotting ways to take down Lena’s betrothed.
Everything about Polite Society is so constantly over-the-top that it’s hard to really get into anything about it, and it’s a shame that Nida Manzoor’s debut just doesn’t deliver in the way one hopes from the premise.
Rating: 6/10
R.M.N. (IFC Films)
I’ve had many opportunities to see the new movie from Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days), but for some reason, I just haven’t had a chance to get around to it, but this one involves a man named Matthias, who quits his job in Germany after Christmas to return to his Transylvanian village, mainly wanting to get more involved in his son Rudi’s education. At the same, he hopes to reconnect with his elderly father, Otto, and see his former lover, Csilla who manages a small factory.
THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS (Sideshow/Janus Films)
The Broken Circle Breakdown directors Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch return with this drama about an 11-year-old city boy named Pietro sent to the mountain village of Grana with his mother, where he meets a local herder boy named Bruno. Years later, after the death of PIetro’s father, he returns to Grana to rebuild a collapsed house with Bruno.
FOUR QUARTETS (Kino Lorber)
Ralph Fiennes stars in this adaptation of T.S. Eliot, brought from stage to screen by his daughter Sophie Fiennes (Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami). It will play at the IFC Center beginning Friday with Sophie Fiennes on hand for a couple QnAs.
BORN TO FLY (Well Go USA)
Opening in an unknown number of theaters is Liu Xiaoshi Chinese air force drama staring Wang Yibo as a test pilot testing a top-secret aircraft that forces him to examine his own physical and psychological limits.
YOUNG IP MAN (Well Go USA)
Also from Well Go, this one streaming on Hi-YAH! (whatever that is) this Friday is this action movie in which an escaped convict holds all the students at a school hostage until a young Ip Man (Zhao Wenhao) confronts the kidnappers. Directed by Ip Man: Kung Fu Master director Li Liming, this will be on digital, blu-ray and DVD starting May 16.
PETER PAN AND WENDY (Disney+)
David Lowery directs this new take on the classic fairy tale, this one debuting on Disney+ on Friday with Alexander Molony playing Pan and Ever Anderson (the daughter of Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson) as Wendy. I haven’t watched this yet but I get the impression it’s very much an origin story about Peter first arriving in Neverland, and though I wasn’t a huge fan of Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon, I’m eager to see what he does returning to the Disney fold.
CLOCK (Hulu/20th Digital Studio)
Streaming on Hulu is this movie from Alexis Jacknow, starring Dianna Agron as Ella, a woman trying to fix her broken biological clock.
I only have a little time to get to some repertory stuff, but not enough for all the New York venues, so I’ll stick with the ones in downtown New York.
“10th Annual Old School Kung Fu Fest - Swordfighting Heroes Edition,” presented by Metrograph and Subway Cinema continues this weekend with The Grand Passion and Legend of the Sacred Stone on Friday, King Hu’s The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) on Saturday, followed by Hou Hsiao Hsien’s The Assassin (2015). King Hu’s classic A Touch of Zen* (1971) will screen on Sunday, followed by The Night Orchid (1983). (*To be frank, I’m not really a fan and I find King Hu to be a bit overrated, but to each their own.)
This weekend also begins the series “Titus Kaphar Selects,” including a mix of things like Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, John Singleton’s Boyz in the Hood (1991), and much more. I have no idea who Titus Kaphar is but this looks like a pretty decent series.
For one week only, Film Forum is running a new 4k digital restoration Lucian Pintilie’s The Oak (1992) for one week only, joining Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980) which continues. This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is Disney’s animated Lilo & Stitch (2002).
One of my top 3 movies of all time, Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) will have a single late-night screening on Friday and Saturday night. They’re also showing a new 4k restoration of Parker Posey’s Party Girl from 1995, but sadly, the two screenings where Posey will be on Thursday night are both sold out.
This week’s movies include 1997’s Affliction in 35mm, as well as Blake Edwards’ S.O.B. (1971) and Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train (1989)
A few things I wasn’t able to get to…
SNAG (Paramount Global Content Distribution)
THE ARTIFICE GIRL (XYZ Films)
BROADWAY (Dark Star Pictures)
THE END OF SEX (Blue Fox Entertainment)
Next week, James Gunn’s GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOLUME 3, but I’ll have my review of it… in a couple hours! Also, Sony is releasing the rom-com LOVE AGAIN.
i love "32 sounds." i also love this: "My interview with Green will eventually run on Below the Line when my editor gets to it."