THE WEEKEND WARRIOR - THE REVIEWS! For Nov. 8, 2024

HERETIC, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, WEEKEND IN TAIPEI, ELEVATION, BIRD, THE PIANO LESSON, MEANWHILE ON EARTH, SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE

And I keep going back to finish this week’s column semi-piece meal, and I finally was able to finish up some reviews, and yeah, I’m definitely going to have to figure out a better way of doing this, even though this week was a bit of an anomaly.

We’ll begin first with the four movies receiving a wide or moderate release…

HERETIC (A24)

Hugh Grant stars in this new religious thriller from filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, best known as the writers of A Quiet Place, but who also have been directing more films in recent years, including last year’s 65 and their earlier Halloween horror movie, Haunt. 

We meet two young Mormon missionaries, played by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher, as they’re talking about innocuous things like Magnum condoms before they’re sent to the home of Hugh Grant’s Mr. Reed, a loaner who has asked for more info about the Mormon religion. The two young women are nervous, because they’re not allowed to be in the man’s home without the presence of another woman, like his wife, who keeps claiming to be in the other room. In fact, Mr. Reed has called upon the missionaries with the sole purpose of challenging their faith and belief in God. This amounts to a terrifying night where the young women are unsure what Reed wants with them, and they just want to get out of there. (The only other character of any merit is the girl’s pastor, played by Topher Grace, who most may not even recognize.)

This is a clever and quite amusing thriller, but it’s one with a comedic edge, mostly with the way that Grant epitomizes the character of Mr. Reed and the reactions by the young women to his creepy behavior and grilling about their religion. It’s a pretty fantastic script from Beck and Woods that makes an analogy between religion and board games, but it’s also fairly innocuous until Mr. Reed’s intentions become more devious.

The movie does lose a bit as it goes along, since much of the last act takes place in the basement of the house and tension builds, as you’re not sure if either of the women might escape. I can’t say much more about that last bit, since it mostly involves spoilers, but the fantastic work by this trio of actors, particularly the two women whose work I wasn’t too familiar with – Ms. East was really funny in Spielberg’s The Fabelmans actually – makes Hertic quite an entertaining and very different genre film. I especially the appreciated how the two actresses made their characters from so different from one another while still fitting into the role of Mormons going house-to-house.

Heretic is definitely one of Beck and Woods’ better efforts as filmmakers, since it combines its unique premise with an original screenplay and three actors delivering such fine performances. It won’t be for everyone, but I know a lot of friends who will love this.

Rating: 7.5/10

You can read my interview with Ms. Thatcher and Ms. East over at Cinema Daily US, and my interview with the filmmakers can also be read here.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (Lionsgate)

As if it isn’t obvious that we’re into the Christmas season, we have three Christmas movies this week and another one next week. I’ve already reviewed next week’s Red One, which you can read here, and honestly, as a Jew, I was a little dubious that *ANY* movie could get me into the Christmas Spirit. This one is based on a 1972 children’s book of the same name by Barbara Robinson, and it’s directed by Dallas Jenkins, the creator of the biblical drama series The Chosen, which I have yet to see, even though various episodes have debuted in theaters.

I went into The Best Christmas Pageant Ever not having seen the trailer, not having read the book or really knowing much about the movie either, so I was pleasantly surprised when we’re introduced to the troublemaking Herdman kids, six children who steal, set fires, and don’t seem to have parents, as they bully and torment Beth Bradley (Molly Belle Wright), her brother Charlie, and the other kids at their school. When Beth’s mother Grace (Judy Greer) inherits the job of running their church’s annual XMas pageant, a monkey wrench gets thrown into the works when the Herdman kids decide to check out their church due to its “free snacks.” The eldest girl in the family, Imogene (Beatrice Schneider), immediately takes charge and insists on the coveted role of Mary, casting her brothers and the nightmarish youngest sister Gladys (Kynlee Heiman) in other key roles.

This is kind of an interesting movie to be released opposite Heretic, and yet, even with Jenkins at the helm and the faith-based Kingdom Story Company involved with the production, it’s not the type of Christian movie that hits you over the head with its religion, despite being about a nativity sharing the story of Jesus. It’s really more of an entertaining family comedy, since the problems the troubles that the Herdman kids cause for their small community, especially the unfettered Gladys, is something I could appreciate.

It’s actually quite a fun concept to see these horrible kids getting involved with church, learning about the bible and such, but it’s also rather empathetic to their own situation, since they’re living in poverty with no real parental figures keeping them in line, rather than fully making them the butt of the film’s humor. I also enjoyed that Greer had a much larger role in the story than I was expecting since I thought this would be more akin to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies – to be fair, I’ve only seen those trailers 

I was a little nervous as we neared the end, and I couldn’t figure out which character was played by Lauren Graham – remember that I haven’t seen the trailer which features her! – but she’s sort of the narrator of the film and makes a small appearance at the end.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is quite funny but also kind of sweet and even gets emotional, but still leaves you with a beaming smile on your face. If it can put this cranky old Jew into the Christmas spirit, I imagine it will go over well with Goyim kiddies as well.

Rating: 7.5/10

WEEKEND IN TAIPEI (Ketchup Entertainment)

Thirty years ago, I saw a really funny dark comedy called Swimming with Sharks, starring Kevin Spacey, but I hadn’t really thought much about it until I saw director George Huang’s name on this action movie co-written and co-produced by Luc Besson. It stars Luke Evans as ex-DEA Agent John Lawlor, who 15 years earlier had a tryst with a criminal driver named Joey, played by Lun-Mei Gwei from Yi'nan Diao’s Black Coal, Thin Ice and The Wild Goose Lake, two excellent crime-dramas from Taiwan. She ended up having a son Raymond from that encounter, and in present day, she’s married to the wealthy Mr. Kwang, played by “Fast and Furious” star Sung Kang, who is at the heart of a criminal trial after someone snitched on him. 

Besides being the return of Huang – the son of Taiwanese immigrants himself– for his first film as a director in over 20 years, Weekend in Taipei is a pretty straight ahead action movie from Besson that takes full advantage of its Taipei setting, mixing action with a bit of romance for a movie that isn’t breaking much new ground while offering the type of cool car chases, gun fights, hand-to-hand action, and explosions that Besson fans have gotten used

Oddly, neither Evans (also a “Fast and Furious” vet) nor Sung Kang really do any of the fast-paced driving, leaving most of that to Joey, who we see speeding along in a bright red Ferrari through the streets of Taipei earlier in the film.

It’s kind of interesting seeing chronic nice guy Sung Kang playing a villain who even beats on his adopted teen stepson when he believes the boy is responsible for his criminal trial, Raymond being a young ecological activist who blames his stepfather for killing dolphins. Joey wants nothing more to protect her son, and when Lawlor returns to Taipei, they reconnect and she can introduce him to the son he never knew he had. 

Sure, there are certainly some sappy aspects to the storytelling, and one wonders why Lawlor is still working a case against Kwang after 15 years – is he just *that* bad at doing his job? But often, the action wins out, and I did think Evans had suitable romantic chemistry with his female lead.

If you’re a fan of Besson’s vast array of international action movies, Weekend in Taipei offers more than just being a scenic travelogue of the country in its title, but it’s also not exactly reinventing any wheels as much as it’s just moving those wheels to a new country.

Rating: 6.5/10

ELEVATION (Vertical)

Thirteen years ago, director George Nolfi made a sci-fi thriller called The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Anthony Mackie, which I remember liking. Now, Nolfi reunites with Mackie for their third movie together after 2020’s The Banker for a return to science-fiction and action, this one set in a futuristic world where savage unkillable creatures dubbed “Reapers” have driven humanity above “the line” to a higher altitude where they can’t be reached. Mackie’s Will lives with his son Harper at a Colorado refuge high up in the mountains, but when his ailing son needs new filters for his oxygen machine, Will is forced to travel into the danger zone with colleagues Nina (Morena Baccarin) and Katie (Maddie Hasson), all of them armed with military weapons.

There might be some potential at the crux of this futuristic sci-fi film, but this year, we’ve seen so many movies about parents trying to protect their kids, stuck in an untenable and deadly situation, that Elevation does not benefit from coming out after so many other equally weak offerings, including Hold Your Breath and Don’t Let Go. It also has an equally generic title which won’t have much meaning before

I generally have been a fan of Mackie for quite some time, but this one just doesn’t stand up to 2020’s Synchronic, mainly because the dialogue and character work just aren’t as great as other things we’ve seen from him. The film’s pacing has problems as we watch this great action sequence of our heroes tackling one or more of the Reapers, and then things quickly die down with scenes of exposition about their situation and how to possibly beat the monsters.

The movie makes such a big deal about the Reapers being unkillable but then Nina figures that out pretty quickly, so that’s also kind of weird, but in general, the creature design isn’t great when you compare it to other similar films like A Quiet Place, which this is clearly ripping off quite flagrantly.

Elevation falters due to the weak character and creature work that have made other similar movies far more enjoyable, making it more than a bit of a let-down overall.

Rating: 5.5/10

I’ll probably have to go with this next movie as this week’s “Chosen One”... 

BIRD (Mubi)

Andrea Arnold is back doing narrative features (after a brief foray into cinema verité doc with Cow a few years back) with her new coming-of-age drama that will immediately remind many of her great earlier film, Fish Tank, this one starring newcomer Nykiya Adams as 12-year-old Bailey, a troubled Irish teen with a father nicknamed “Bug” (Barry Keoghan, literally covered in tattoos) who is a bit of party animal and her troubled brother (Jason Buda), who has gotten his girlfriend pregnant. When she meets the oddball foreigner known only as “Bird” (played by Franz Rogowski from last year’s Passages), Bailey has found a kindred spirit with whom she can escape from all of her family issues, but there are other things holding her back.

Although Arnold has had a few misses over the past few years, Bird is a return to form, maybe because it’s another coming-of-age film set in a world of council flats and poverty and people just trying to get through their everyday lives. Ms. Adams is a terrific find by Arnold, just a great tough take-no-bullshit kid, very tomboyish, but also more mature than the men around her, including her older brother and father Berry Keoghan’s character is also one that I enjoyed quite a bit more than some of his other roles, since “Bug” is quite entertaining, especially his desire to groom a toad to provide him with halluciogenic drugs that he can sell.

There are aspects to Bird that reminded me of the terrific Kneecap earlier in the year, but that was definitely way more “bro-ish” than what Arnold brings to the table, which I wouldn’t necessarily call a “feminine touch,” as much as one that feels real. As much as Arnold has firmly grounded Bird in reality with authentic people and situations, the character of “Bird” brings a fantasy element to the story that’s taken quite especially in the third act, and Rogowski brings a playfulness to the character that counters the darkness in his enigmatic backstory.

Andrea Arnold’s Bird reminds us quite definitively what a fantastic filmmaker she always has been, and how she’s able to get to the core of humans who might come from a different part of the world and social status than many of those who will watch her movies. Bird was a pleasant surprise that far exceeds its low-budget indie spirit.

Rating: 8.5/10

THE PIANO LESSON (Netflix) 

Hitting theaters on Friday ahead of its streaming debut on Netflix on November 22 is the directorial debut by Malcolm Washington, another one of Denzel’s sons, adapting the play by August Wilson with his brother, John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson reprising their recent roles from Broadway.

Taking place in 1936 Pittsburgh, the general plot involves an ornately-decorated upright piano, a familiar heirloom that is fought over by two siblings – one who wants to sell it for money, the other not wanting to sell it due to its sentimental value. JD Washington plays Boy Willie, who visits his family with the main purpose to take the piano and sell it in order to buy some farming land in Mississippi. His sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) is having none of it, living with their uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson) and her daughter Maretha. She also still blames Boy Willie for the death of her husband, and their house is seemingly haunted by the ghost of their former plantation master who fell down a well.

Maybe because the source material is a play it takes some time to fully introduce the characters, their history, and relations. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the two previous August Wilson adaptations I’ve seen (Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), he’s a master storyteller who is really in touch with relaying the American Black experience. Although much of the film takes place in the same house and set, there are other moments that are far more cinematic, such as the flashbacks as Doaker tells the history of the piano. There’s also a horror element to the ghosts plaguing Berniece and her family, but that’s done in a subtle way that isn’t necessarily scary as much as it just adds another layer.

The movie really starts getting good when it shifts its focus to Berniece and her relationship with a local pastor Avery (Corey Hawkins), and she’s soon receiving attention from Boy Willie’s best friend Lymon (Ray Fisher), both cases leading to awkward moments. Needless to say, Deadwyler is fantastic in this role with a performance that really stands out, even if she’s not quite as active in the first half of the film. JD Washington and Jackson are fine, but I feel like I’ve seen them delivering stronger performances despite having lots of time to rehearse this on stage.

The Piano Lesson does a good job feeding my ongoing general interest in the work of August Wilson, and it’s a fine directorial debut by the younger Washington with a great score by Alexandre Desplat and interesting soundtrack that doesn’t necessarily stick to the era in which the story takes place. It’s drama driven by words and performances that only sometimes feels like a filmed stageplay, though mileage may vary on a story being told since it seems so very specific.

Rating: 7.5/10

MEANWHILE ON EARTH (Metrograph Pictures)

Oddly, this live action feature film debut from French animator and filmmaker Jérémy Clapin (I Lost My Body) is NOT opening at the Metrograph this weekend, but it is opening in roughly 125 theaters across the country, including many Alamo Drafthouses.

The movie stars Megan Northam as 23-year-old Elsa, whose older brother Franck disappeared mysteriously during a space mission, something that’s really weighed on her ever since. She has been working at an assisted living facility, but she’s soon contacted by an unknown entity claiming it can bring Franck back to earth. But first, Elsa has to find humans that these alien beings can possess so they can walk the earth unrecognized.

I definitely didn’t like this as much as I did I Lost My Body, and it’s obvious that Clapin is able to do much more in the animated realm, but that doesn’t make Meanwhile on Earth a bad movie perse as much as it’s just a little strange and erratic. Even though it could be viewed as science fiction, it also offers a few straight-up horror elements, but I wasn’t a fan of a rapey plot device, even if the potential rapist does get his due in a less gory version of a sequence straight out of Terrifier 3. 

Meanwhile on Earth is quite a strange bird. It certainly could have been stronger overall, but Clapin offers enough interesting and original ideas, and Northam is quite a discovery as its leading lady, so this should appeal to those who enjoy their dramas being a bit off the beaten path.

Rating: 6.5/10

I also had a chance to interview filmmaker Jérémy Clapin, which you can watch on Cinema Daily US. 

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)

Cillian Murphy’s first movie since winning the Oscar for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is this drama based on Claire Keegan’s novel, adapted by award-winning playwright Enda Walsh (Hunger) and directed by Tim Mielants (“Peaky Blinders”). The film has such a strong pedigree, including Emily Watson as the nun heading a local convent where young women are being abused. Murphy plays Bill Furlong, a coal worker and father who discovers the secrets of the convent in 1985, before learning how he’s connected to them from his own past.  

If you saw Peter Mullen’s excellent Magdalene Sisters, then you might know a little about the abuse young women suffered at the hands of nuns. In fact, Sinead O’Connor was one of the victims of this system, something we learned from the excellent doc, Nothing Compares, from a fear years back. Mullen’s movie also did a far better job conveying the story about how these nuns were treating local women left in their care.

Murphy gives a terrific performance as does Watson in any of their few scenes together, but it never actively states what is happening to these young woman, and that’s a major problem, since it leaves it all up to your imagination. Granted, it’s a beautifully shot film with a gorgeous score, but much of the film involves Murphy continually discovering a young woman named Sarah (Zara Devlin) hiding in his coal shed without every telling us what’s been happening to her that forces her to run away.

Ultimately, I found much of this to be quite dull, and I also wasn’t really sure what was going much of the time, at least until the end where it states quite clearly that it’s about the Magdalene Sisters. Why wasn’t this something that was explained earlier in the film and why did it have to be so vague?

It’s more than little odd that this is coming out the same week as Andrea Arnold’s far superior Irish drama, Bird, but I don’t have a lot more to say about this. I found it to be overly quizzical and  mostly forgettable, offering solid performances by Murphy and Watson, but little else.

Rating: 6/10

100 YARDS (Well Go USA)

From China comes this action-drama from filmmakers Haofeng and Junfeng Xu involving two bitter rivals fighting for the stewardship of a wushu academy. This sounds right up my alley but with so many other movies to review this week, I might have to review this once I have time to actually watch it.

Other movies out this week include:

AMERICAN MELTDOWN (Quiver Distribution)
CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT (IFC FIlms)
MEET ME NEXT CHRISTMAS (Netflix)
STOCKHOLM BLOODBATH (Brainstorm Media)

Whew! I got through another Weekend Warrior, so let’s see if we can keep it going next week with Red One, starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, which as mentioned earlier, I’ve already reviewed.