Arts and Entertainment Archives

Culture Representation: Taking place mostly in outer space, the sci-fi drama film “Slingshot” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans) who are connected in some way to a space mission.

Culture Clash: A captain and two other astronauts have disagreements with each other during a claustrophobic and disorienting mission to find methane in outer space.

Culture Audience: “Slingshot” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and don’t mind watching a dull outer-space movie that is poorly conceived.

Emily Beecham and Casey Affleck in “Slingshot” (Photo courtesy of Bleecker Street)

The sci-fi drama “Slingshot” starts off with a flimsy concept (a claustrophobic outer-space mission seeking methane to save Earth) and flounders in the middle of the movie. The story’s divisive ending seems like a rushed and lazy cop-out among plot twists. There are any number of ways that “Slingshot” could have ended. The ending that was chosen for this disappointing dud of a movie comes across as the cinematic equivalent of throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks. It still leaves an unpleasant mess.

Directed by Mikael Håfström and written by R. Scott Adams and Nathan C. Parker, “Slingshot” takes place almost entirely on a spaceship that’s floating in outer space. (The movie was actually filmed in Hungary.) “Slingshot” also has a very small number of people in the cast. Three astronauts on the ship get most of the focus, while the lover of one of the space travelers is mostly seen in flashback memories. Everyone else who’s in the movie either has a short amount of screen time to speak and/or is a background extra.

“Slingshot” begins on December 23 in an unnamed year. On the spacecraft Odyssey 1, three astronauts are tasked with a mission called Titan, to find an overabundance of methane that could save Earth. (No reason is given for this nonsensical plot that methane can save Earth.) The Slingshot in the movie refers to a breathtaking display of orbital mechanics.

The movie is shown from the perspective of an American astronaut named John (played by Casey Affleck), who is on the spacecraft with a stern leader named Captain Franks (played by Laurence Fishburne) and a rebellious French astronaut named Nash (played by Tomer Capone), who all occasionally check in by satellite with their supervisor Sam Napier (played by David Morrissey), who has a British accent. The movie’s story has a non-linear timeline which reveals that John has been going through hibernation training to prepare for the mission. The beginning of the movie shows him emerging from a hibernation session, where he is told that the side effects can include confusion, nausea and dizziness.

Most of “Slingshot” consists of John on the spacecraft (1) getting into conflicts with Captain Franks or Nash and (2) having flashbacks to his romantic relationship with Zoe Morgan (played by Emily Beecham), one of the Odyssey’s designers. The movie intends to make the time as disorienting to viewers as it is to John, but it’s really all just muddled screenwriting.

After a while, everything drags with repetition until the last 20 minute of the film crams in several plot twists that have some plot holes. None of the acting is particularly special; the visual effects are competently basic. “Slingshot” doesn’t have much to say about what created the situation where Earth is desperate for methane. The movie is called “Slingshot,” but it ends up missing the mark in too many ways.

Bleecker Street released “Slingshot” in U.S. cinemas on August 30, 2024.

Review: ‘Usher: Rendezvous in Paris,’ starring Usher

September 16, 2024

by Carla Hay

“Usher: Rendezvous in Paris”

Directed by Anthony Mandler

Culture Representation: Taking place at La Seine Musicale in Paris during the autumn of 2023, the concert documentary film “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” has a racially diverse group of people (black, white, Asian, and Latin) who are on stage and in the audience.

Culture Clash: American superstar Usher performs in Paris during Paris Fashion Week.

Culture Audience: “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Usher and people who like high-energy concert documentaries and don’t mind seeing dance moves and song performances that have adult sexual themes.

“Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” delivers exactly what you think it should for a high-energy, sexually suggestive concert documentary of Usher performing in Paris. It’s a competently made film but iit has no surprises and isn’t extraordinary. This is a movie made for Usher’s fans who want familiarity, include the expected set list of his greatest hits.

Directed by Anthony Mandler, the documentary was filmed during Paris Fashion Week (September 25 to October 3) in 2023, when Usher (the Atlanta native whose full name is Usher Raymond) did a concert stint at La Seine Musicale. The concert, which is divided into six chapters, has filmed interludes of Usher walking around in a fedora on the streets of Paris (sometimes with smoke effects on the streets), with voiceover narration of Usher saying poetry-like ramblings about a mystery woman who’s on his mind.

These interludes come across as both a little bit pretentious and a little corny, but fortunately, these interludes are short and don’t take away from the main attraction: seeing Usher perform in concert. About 85% of the audience consists of women, most of whom seem to be in adoring awe.

Usher knows he’s a sex symbol and plays it up to the hilt, including simulating sexual foreplay and doing a lot of grinding with several of his female backup dancers. One dancer, clad in a G-string and dominatrix gear, outright simulates S&M sex with Usher. During “Bad Girl,” the female dancers perform on stripper poles and twerk. It would probably be more offensive to some if most of the audience consisted of children, but the concert audience in this movie are mostly women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Some viewers might notice that Usher’s female dancers, not his male dancers, are the once who have to prance and strut around on stage, often scantily clad. But it’s all very calculated: If Usher had his male dancers be too much eye candy the audience, that would take attention away from him, the star of the show. One of the concert highlights is when Usher and his backup dancers glide and twirl around on roller skates, which is a lot harder than it looks.

Usher’s vocals are in fine form, as he belts out his hits like a seasoned pro. He’s also not afraid to work up a sweat. The set list includes several hits spanning his entire career so far, including “Caught Up,” “My Boo,” You Remind Me,” “You Make Me Wanna…,” “You Got It Bad,” “Nice and Slow,” “Let It Burn,” “Confessions” and “OMG.” Predictably, Usher saves his biggest hit (“Yeah!”) for near the end of the set. Unpredictably, he ends the set by performing David Guetta’s “Without You.” Simply put: “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” is the concert equivalent of sexy comfort food for people who know exactly what they’re getting.

AMC Theatres Distribution and Trafalgar Releasing released “Usher: Rendezvous in Paris” in U.S. cinemas for a limited engagement from September 12 to September 15, 2024.

2024 Primetime Emmy Awards: ‘Shogun’ is the top winner

September 15, 2024

by Carla Hay

With 18 prizes, including Outstanding Drama Series, FX’s “Shōgun” was the top winner at the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which were presented at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. “Shōgun” went into the ceremony with the most nominations (25) and was expected to win the most Emmys. Eugene Levy and his son Dan Levy (the Emmy-winning former stars of “Schitt’s Creek”) hosted the ceremony, which ABC televised live in the United States.

The Primetime Emmy Awards show is presented by the Television Academy, which votes for the nominees and the winners. The 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards (the technical categories for the Primetime Emmy Awards) were presented at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on September 7 and September 8, 2024

Other prizes for “Shōgun” included Outstanding Lead Actor in Drama Series (for Hiroyuki Sanada); Outstanding Lead Actress in Drama Series (for Anna Sawai); and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (for Frederick E.O. Toye).

FX on Hulu’s “The Bear” had the second-highest number of Emmy victories, by winning 11 out of the show’s 23 nominations. Among the prizes for “The Bear” were Outstanding Lead Actor in Comedy Series (for Jeremy Allen White); Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series (for Ebon Moss-Bachrach); Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama Series (for Liza Colón-Zayas); and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (for Christopher Storer).

“The Bear” lost out to Max’s “Hacks” in the categories of Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (for Jean Smart); and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (for Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky).

For limited and anthology series, Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” was the top winner, with six prizes, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (for Richard Gadd); Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (for Jessica Gunning); and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (for Gadd).

The Governors Award (a non-competitive category) went to executive producer/writer Greg Berlanti, whose TV credits include “Dawson’s Creek,” “Arrow,” “The Flash and “Found.”

In addition, the ceremony had a few skits featuring cast member reunions of popular TV series. These on-stage reunions included “Happy Days” (Ron Howard and Henry Winkler) and “The West Wing” (Martin Sheen, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff and Allison Janney).

Presenters at the show were Christine Baranski, Kathy Bates, Meredith Baxter, Candice Bergen, Gael Garcia Bernal Matt Bomer, Zach Braff, Connie Britton, Nicola Coughlan, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Colin Farrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Lily Gladstone, Selena Gomez, Dulé Hill, Ron Howard, Brendan Hunt, Joshua Jackson, Allison Janney, Don Johnson, Mindy Kaling, Jimmy Kimmel, Padma Lakshmi, Greta Lee, John Leguizamo, George Lopez, Diego Luna, Jane Lynch, Steve Martin, Nava Mau, Reba McEntire, Janel Moloney Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Niecy Nash-Betts, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Mekhi Phifer, Melissa Peterman, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sam Richardson, Maya Rudolph, Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, Martin Short, Jean Smart, Jimmy Smits, Antony Starr, Gina Torres, Dick Van Dyke, Susan Kelechi Watson, Damon Wayans, Kristen Wiig, Henry Winkler, Bowen Yang and Steven Yeun.

Jelly Roll performed for the “In Memoriam” segment that paid tribute to notable people in the TV industry who passed away since the previous Primetime Emmys ceremony.

Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment were executive producers of the 76th Emmy Awards.

Alan Cumming at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Jeremy Allen White, Liza Colón-Zayas and Ebon Moss-Bachrach at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

John Oliver at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Jon Stewart at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Elizabeth Debicki at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Billy Crudup at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Frederick E.O.Toye at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Jessica Gunning and Richard Gadding at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Jodie Foster at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Lamorne Morris at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Jean Smart at the 76th annual Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Kirkland/Disney)

Here is the complete list of nominees and winners for the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards:

*=winner

Outstanding Drama Series

The Crown (Netflix)
Fallout (Prime Video)
The Gilded Age (HBO)
The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Shōgun (FX)*
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
3 Body Problem (Netflix)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Hacks (Max)*
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
Reservation Dogs (FX)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)*
Fargo (FX)
Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Idris Elba – Hijack (Apple TV+)
Donald Glover – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Walton Goggins – Fallout (Prime Video)
Gary Oldman – Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Hiroyuki Sanada – Shōgun (FX)*
Dominic West – The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO)
Maya Erskine – Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Anna Sawai – Shōgun (FX)*
Imelda Staunton – The Crown (Netflix)
Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Matt Berry – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Larry David – Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai – Reservation Dogs (FX)
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (FX)*

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX)
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Maya Rudolph – Loot (Apple TV+)
Jean Smart – Hacks (Max)*
Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale as Maxine Simmons (Apple TV+)

Oustanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)*
Jon Hamm – Fargo (FX)
Tom Hollander – Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
Andrew Scott – Ripley (Netflix)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country (HBO)*
Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Juno Temple – Fargo (FX)
Sofía Vergara – Griselda (Netflix)
Naomi Watts – Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Outstanding Talk Series

“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)*
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)
“Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC)
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (MTV)*
“Survivor” (CBS)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
“The Voice” (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Christine Baranski – The Gilded Age (HBO)
Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown as Princess Diana (Netflix)*
Greta Lee – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Lesley Manville – The Crown (Netflix)
Karen Pittman – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Holland Taylor – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tadanobu Asano – Shōgun (FX)
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)*
Mark Duplass – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Jon Hamm – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Takehiro Hira – Shōgun (FX)
Jack Lowden – Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Jonathan Pryce – The Crown (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Carol Burnett – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
Liza Colón-Zayas – The Bear (FX)*
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (Max)
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Lionel Boyce – The Bear (FX)
Paul W. Downs – Hacks (Max)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear (FX)*
Paul Rudd – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Bowen Yang – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Dakota Fanning – Ripley (Netflix)
Lily Gladstone – Under the Bridge (Hulu)
Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer as Martha Scott (Netflix)*
Aja Naomi King – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Diane Lane – Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
Nava Mau – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Kali Reis – True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jonathan Bailey – Fellow Travelers as Tim Laughlin (Showtime)
Robert Downey Jr. – The Sympathizer (HBO)
Tom Goodman-Hill – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
John Hawkes – True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
Lamorne Morris – Fargo (FX)*
Lewis Pullman – Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
Treat Williams – Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)*
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race (CBS)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Traitors (Peacock)*
The Voice (NBC)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (“Party,” directed by Randall Einhorn)
The Bear (“Fishes,” directed by Christopher Storer)*
The Bear (“Honeydew,” directed by Ramy Youssef)
The Gentlemen (“Refined Aggression,” directed by Guy Ritchie)
Hacks (“Bulletproof,” directed by Lucia Aniello)
The Ms. Pat Show (“I’m the Pappy,” directed by Mary Lou Belli)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

The Crown (“Sleep, Dearie Sleep,” directed by Stephen Daldry)
The Morning Show (“The Overview Effect,” directed by Mimi Leder)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (“First Date,” directed by Hiro Murai)
Shōgun (“Crimson Sky,” directed by Frederick E. O. Toye)
Slow Horses (“Strange Games,” directed by Saul Metzstein)
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (“Beat L.A.,” directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield)

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Baby Reindeer (“Episode 4,” directed by Weronika Tofilska)
Fargo (“The Tragedy of the Commons,” directed by Noah Hawley)
Feud: Capote vs. The Swans: “Pilot,” directed by Gus Van Sant)
Lessons in Chemistry (“Poirot,” directed by Millicent Shelton)
Ripley (directed by Steven Zaillian)*
True Detective: Night Country (“Part 6,” directed by Issa López)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (“Career Day,” written by Quinta Brunson)
The Bear (“Fishes,” written by Christopher Storer and Joanna Calo)
Girls5eva (“Orlando,” written by Meredith Scardino and Sam Means)
Hacks (“Bulletproof,” written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky)‡
The Other Two (“Brooke Hosts a Night of Undeniable Good,” written by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider)
What We Do in the Shadows (“Pride Parade,” written by Jake Bender and Zach Dunn)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Crown (“Ritz,” written by Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare)
Fallout (“The End,” written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (“First Date,” written by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover)
Shōgun (“Anjin,” written by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks)
Shōgun (“Crimson Sky,” written by Rachel Kondo and Caillin Puente)
Slow Horses (“Negotiating with Tigers,” written by Will Smith)*

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Anthology Series or Movie

Baby Reindeer (written by Richard Gadd)*
Black Mirror (“Joan Is Awful,” written by Charlie Brooker)
Fargo (“The Tragedy of the Commons,” written by Noah Hawley)
Fellow Travelers (“You’re Wonderful,” written by Ron Nyswaner)
Ripley (written by Steven Zaillian)
True Detective: Night Country (“Part 6,” written by Issa López)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)*
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Alex Edelman: Just for Us (HBO), written by Alex Edelman*
Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees (Netflix), written by Jacqueline Novak
John Early: Now More Than Ever (HBO), written by John Early (HBO)
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool (Netflix), written by Mike Birbiglia
The Oscars (ABC), written by Jamie Abrahams, Rory Albanese, Amberia Allen, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Bryan Cook, Blaire Erskine, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Jimmy Kimmel, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Mitch Marchand, Gregory Martin, Jesse McLaren, Molly McNearney, Keaton Patti, Danny Ricker, Louis Virtel, and Troy Walker

Review: ‘Skincare,’ starring Elizabeth Banks

September 15, 2024

by Carla Hay

“Skincare”

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Culture Representation: Taking place in Los Angeles, the comedy/drama film “Skincare” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans, Latin people and Asians) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An esthetician’s life spirals out of control after she is targeted by a mysterious harasser who seems to want to put her out of business.

Culture Audience: “Skincare” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of star Elizabeth Banks and dark satires about blind ambition.

Luis Gerardo Méndez in “Skincare” (Photo courtesy of IFC Films)

“Skincare” is more of a dark comedy about ambition than a mystery thriller about harassment. Elizabeth Banks carries this uneven but interesting movie with her performance as an increasingly unhinged esthetician. “Skincare” is best appreciated if viewers don’t have expectations that it’s a horror movie.

Directed by Austin Peters, “Skincare” was co-written by Peters, Sam Freilich and Deering Regans. It might have been better off as short film, because the plot is very simple, and the middle section of the film tends to drag with repetition. The movie, which takes place and was filmed in Los Angeles, has some biting commentary on the fickleness of celebrity worship culture, but it doesn’t bite hard enough. “Skincare” loosely based on the real-life case of Los Angeles-area aesthetician Dawn DaLuise, who was accused in 2014 of a murder-for-hire plot against a rival.

“Skincare” begins by showing esthetician Hope Goldman (played by Banks) in a TV studio dressing room, as she’s about to get ready for a interview that will be recorded for a talk show called “The Brett & Kylie Show,” hosted by sleazy Brett Wright (played by Nathan Fillion) and perky Kylie Curson (played by Julie Chang). Hope is doing her own makeup, which is the first sign that she’s probably an image-obsessed control freak. It’s likely she refused to have the show’s makeup artist do Hope’s makeup because Hope wants to prove she’s the best skincare expert.

Hope is the owner of Hope Goldman Skincare, which has some celebrity clients, including a starlet named Jessica (played by Ella Balinska), whom Hope considers to be one of her most important customers. Hope is doing this TV interview mainly to promote a new Hope Goldman Skincare product line that’s she launching in the near future. Hope brags that her high-end products are made in Italy. In the interview, she says: “I took everything I learned from 20 years in this business and bottled it.”

Hope (who is a bachelorette with no children) might appear to be successful and living out her dreams, but behind the scenes, her life is kind of a mess. She’s overdue on her rent at the small boutique-styled space that she uses for her skincare business. And her new skincare product business has been costing her money that she can’t afford. As she explains to her landlord Jeff (played by John Billingsley), when he mildly scolds her for not paying her overdue rent: Hope’s chief investor has suddenly disappeared, and she’s had to pay for the expenses that the investor was supposed to cover, but she promises Jeff she will pay the rent in the coming days.

Hope has only one employee who is shown in the movie. Her name is Marine (played Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), who has various duties, including being a receptionist, administrative assistant and public relations manager. It’s one of the noticeable flaws in “Skincare” that Hope’s employee situation looks unrealistic. Anyone launching this type of skincare business on such a wide scale would have more than one employee. Marine is competent, hard-working and very loyal to Hope. Marine also seems to be the closest thing that loner Hope has to being a friend.

One day, Hope finds out that another esthetician has opened a business across the street from her business. Jeff is also the landlord for that retail space. Hope’s new rival is Angel Vergara (played by Luis Gerardo Méndez), the ambitious owner of Shimmer by Angel, which has a flashier and trendier aesthetic than Hope Goldman Skincare. At first, Hope is cordial to Angel because she thinks that they have different clientele. But their competition becomes bitter when Angel tells her not to park in the space that’s reserved for his customers, and Jessica ends up becoming Angel’s customer.

Hope complains to Jeff about Angel and asks Jeff to evict him, but Jeff’s business-minded response is that he doesn’t evict tenants who pay their rent on time. To make matters worse for Hope, someone hacked into Hope’s email database and sent an embarrassing message from her email address to her nearly 5,000 email contacts. The messages had a rambling confession saying that Hope is lonely, horny, and financially broke. Some the recipients of this message are Hope’s clients, who cancel appointments with her because they now think that she’s mentally ill.

Hope is convinced that Angel is responsible for the hacking, even though she has no proof. She is also getting harassing phone calls where the caller breathes heavily and then hangs up. Hope thinks Angel is also the cause of this phone harassment because he’s the only person she can think of who would have a motive to sabotage her business. It sets her on a path to stop the harassment by any means necessary.

The fake email message goes viral and damages Hope’s reputation. As a result, her prerecorded interview on “The Brett & Kylie Show.” And what a coincidence: “The Brett & Kylie Show” replaces Hope’s interview with an interview that the show did with Angel. A tire on Hope’s car is later slashed.

While all of this turmoil is going on, Hope meets Jordan Weaver (played by Lewis Pullman), a 26-year-old who has recently moved to Los Angeles. Jordan is having a casual fling with elderly and affluent Colleen (played by Wendie Malick), one of Hope’s customers. Colleen, who is old enough to be Jordan’s grandmother, is the one who introduces Jordan to Hope. Jordan says he’s an aspiring actor, but in the meantime, he’s a “life coach” who teaches martial arts and spiritual healing.

Jordan and Hope eventually become friendly with each other, in the way that people become close when they think they can use each other for personal benefits. Angel’s business starts to experience even more success as Hope’s business goes on a steep decline, which enrages Hope and fuels her jealous quest to get revenge before her skincare product line officially launches. There’s a shady character named Armen (played by Erik Palladino) who comes into the picture and has a pivotal role in the story.

The plot of “Skincare” goes off into some tangents that could have been explored better but are just left to dangle without any meaningful follow-up. For example, there’s a scene where Brett (who is married but tells Hope that he’s on the brink of divorce) makes sexual advances on Hope after the “Brett & Kylie Show” cancelled her interview to be televised. Brett hints that he could put her back on his TV show if she gives him what he wants sexually.

Hope handles this sexual harassment in an astute way, but there’s really no purpose to this scene except to show that Brett is corrupt, and Hope has ways to get out of this type of tricky situation. It also seems odd that the movie makes it look like “The Brett & Kylie Show” is the only possible TV show that would be interested in interviewing Hope, before her scandal happened. Brett ends up being a character who is barely in the movie, which gives the impression that perhaps there were more scenes in the film that didn’t make the final cut.

This sexual harassment scene seems to be part of the movie’s larger commentary on the shallowness of transactional “quid pro quo” relationships, particularly in a celebrity-oriented culture such as Los Angeles. A recurring “joke” in the movie is that Hope offers free samples of her skincare products as a way to ingratiate herself to people whom she thinks can do her favors later on. Hope also chases fame for herself just as much as some of the celebrities whom she wants as clients.

“Skincare” might leave some viewers confused about the intended tone of the film. The movie starts off looking like a drama but then it becomes more darkly comical as it goes along. Some of the characters seem more like caricatures the more time that they spend on screen. Thanks to Banks’ “go for broke” performance, “Skincare” blurs the lines between victims and villains, which will make some viewers more uncomfortable than others.

IFC Films released “Skincare” in U.S. cinemas on August 16, 2024.

Review: ‘Speak No Evil’ (2024), starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough and Scoot McNairy

September 14, 2024

by Carla Hay

Alix West Lefler, Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis in “Speak No Evil” (Photo by Susie Allnutt/Universal Pictures)

“Speak No Evil” (2024)

Directed by James Watkins

Culture Representation: Taking place in England (and briefly in Italy), the horror film “Speak No Evil” (a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name) features an almost all-white group of people (with one person of Middle Eastern heritage) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: While on vacation in Italy, an American family meets a British family, and later experience terror as guests in the British family’s home.

Culture Audience: “Speak No Evil” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of 2022’s “Speak No Evil” and “slow burn” psychological thrillers with action-packed endings.

Dan Hough, Aisling Franciosi and James McAvoy in “Speak No Evil” (Photo by Susie Allnutt/Universal Pictures)

The 2024 version of “Speak No Evil” (based on the 2022 Danish horror film of the same name) is a rare Hollywood remake that’s better than the original film. A major plot hole still remains, but this remake has more suspense and a more satisfying ending. The characters in this remake are also better-developed, with many more questions answered that the original “Speak No Evil” film left unanswered.

Written and directed by James Watkins, “Speak No Evil” starts off looking like it will be almost a carbon copy of the Danish version of the movie. The opening scene, just like the Danish version of “Speak No Evil,” shows a family of three driving to their remote rural farmhouse, but the home is in England, not in Holland. The family consists of Patrick “Paddy” Feld (played by James McAvoy), Ciara Feld (played by Aisling Franciosi) and an 11-year-old son named Ant (played by Dan Hough), who is mute and very introverted. Paddy and Ciara tell people that Ant is mute because Ant has congenital ankyloglossia, which is the medical term for being born with a very short or stunted tongue.

While on vacation at the same resort in Italy, this family of three eventually meet and invite another family of three to their home, where the terror ensues. The invited family in the 2024 version of “Speak No Evil” is an American clan living in London. In the 2022 version of “Speak No Evil,” the family doing the inviting is Dutch, while the invited family is Danish. The 2024 version of “Speak No Evil” does a great job of adding extra layers of insecurities to the American couple—they’re having marital problems, they’re experiencing financial uncertainty, and they don’t have a close support group of friends and family in London—all of which make it more believable that the American couple would be more vulnerable to being lured into a trap set by killers disguised as a friendly couple.

The family of three Americans are Ben Dalton (played by Scoot McNairy); his wife Louise Dalton (played by Mackenzie Davis); and their 11-year-old daughter Agnes Dalton (played by Alix West Lefler), who is unusually attached to her stuffed bunny rabbit toy named Hoppy, which she wants to take everywhere she goes. Agnes in the 2022 version of “Speak No Evil” also had the same fixation on her stuffed bunny toy (which was named Ninus), but the parents didn’t try to ease her out of this attachment, which borders on a little unhealthy on a psychological/emotional maturity level. In the 2024 version, Agnes’ psychological arrested development is addressed head-on because Ben tells Agnes that by Agnes’ 12th birthday, Hoppy will have to be in another room when Agnes sleeps.

In both “See No Evil” movies, the couples meet at the vacation resort’s swimming pool when the victim spouses are sunning themselves next to an unoccupied lounge chair and the deceptive “alpha male” of the evil couple (in this case, Paddy) asks if he can use the chair. Ben and Louise politely says yes. A vacation acquaintance then ensues between the two families, who spend the rest of their time in Italy hanging out with each other.

During a couple’s meal together at the resort, Paddy says he’s a retired medical doctor. Ciara is a homemaker. She says that they live in a rural farmhouse in England, and Paddy is much happier since he gave up his medical practice. Paddy and Ciara tell Ben and Louise that they’re welcome to visit and stay anytime at Paddy and Ciara’s place.

Ben opens up about his current career problems. Ben, Louise and Agnes had moved to London because the Chicago-based company he worked for wanted Ben to open a London office there. However, the company cancelled those plans. Ben was laid off with a severance package, but he’s having a difficult time finding another job in London.

Louise worked in public relations when she lived in the United States, but she’s also been unable to find a job in London. Ben and Louise like London, which is why they’ve decided to continue living there. In the 2022 version of “Speak No Evil,” the only mention of jobs and careers is evil husband saying that he’s a retired medical doctor.

During the two families’ time in Italy, Agnes loses Hoppy somewhere outside the resort. Ben looks for the toy, but Paddy is the one who finds Hoppy. It’s a change from the 2022 version of “Speak No Evil,” where the father of Agnes was the one who found the rabbit toy.

By having Paddy find the toy, it brings a more believable scenario in which Paddy is able to establish trust with the Dalton family. Paddy becomes a “hero” to Agnes, who readily agrees to Paddy’s offer to give her a quick ride on his motor scooter. Later on in the movie, when Hoppy goes missing multiple times, Agnes’ attachment to Hoppy (and Paddy manipulating that attachment) will confirm the obvious: Paddy is probably responsible for taking Hoppy every time this bunny toy goes missing.

The Dalton family returns to London a few months after their trip to Italy. Ben and Louise get a postcard from Paddy and Ciara. The front of the postcard is a photo of the Feld and Dalton families together during their vacation in Italy. The postcard is an invitation for Ben, Louise and Agnes to visit and stay at the farmhouse where Paddy, Ciara and Ant live. Louise is a little hesitant but Ben convinces her it’ll be a good idea to get away again for a while and explore these new friendships.

The trip to the Feld family home starts out in an amiable manner. But then, Paddy and Ciara begin to test the boundaries of Ben and Louise. Just like in both “Speak No Evil” movies, Louise is pressured into eating red meat, even though she says she’s a vegetarian. Louise is actually a pescatarian because she says she eats fish. Paddy insults her for being hypocritical for calling herself a vegetarian when she actually eats fish.

There are other boundaries crossed and inappropriateness, usually initiated by Paddy, that have to do with child rearing and public displays of affection between adults. Both movies have a scene where the predator couple invites the victim couple to a family dinner outing at a restaurant but announce on short notice that the kids aren’t going on this outing. Instead, the kids will be looked after by a disheveled man named Muhjid (played by Motaz Malhees), who is described by Paddy and Ciara as a trusted babysitter in the neighborhood.

Louise (who is more likely than Ben to notice things that are off-kilter) is very wary about letting this stranger babysit Agnes. However, Ben acts as if she’s being uptight, so Louise reluctantly agrees to let Agnes and Ant be alone with Muhjid. At the restaurant, Paddy and Ciara ramp up the discomfort level by engaging in a sex act at the table during the meal. In the 2022 version of “Speak No Evil” the predator couple didn’t go that far and were just overly touchy-feely while dancing in front of the victim couple at the restaurant. In both movies, by the end of dinner, the predator husband expects the victim husband to pay the bill.

Both movies also have a scene where the husbands do some outdoor primal screaming as a way to bond with each other when they’re alone together. Both movies have the predator mother being overbearing in telling Agnes what to do, while the victim mother verbally gets annoyed by this overstepping of parental bounds. Both movies have a scene where the kids do a dance for their parents, and the predator father gets physically abusive with the son, much to the horror of the victim parents. But the biggest thing that both “Speak No Evil” movies have in common is in showing how not speaking up or not doing anything about things that are clearly wrong can have deadly consequences.

In other ways, there are gender dynamics that affect what happen, since Louise is constantly made to feel like she’s being “paranoid” or “unreasonable” if she speaks up about something that is inappropriate, which is why women are more likely than men to be insulted as “crazy” or “hysterical.” Meanwhile, Louise thinks Ben is too trusting and too passive, but he thinks he’s being open-minded and laid-back cool. Louise tells Ben more than once that she wants to leave, but he usually talks her out of it. Paddy and Ciara also put Ben and Louise on a guilt trip over wanting to leave. Ciara and Paddy convince Louise and Ben to stay by making a “confession” that probably isn’t true.

Because the trailers for the 2024 version of “Speak No Evil” already reveal that Paddy is the chief menace of the Feld family, the only real suspense is in finding out who will live and who will die at the end of the movie. McAvoy’s performance at times veers into campiness, but it remains effectively creepy throughout the film. Davis gives a very compelling performance as the heroic counterpoint to Paddy. In the relationship between Ben and Louise, this wife is more outspoken and proactive than the husband, just like Paddy is more outspoken and more proactive than Ciara.

The Feld family secrets are revealed in a way that is much more realistic than how the Danish version of the movie reveals the secrets of the villainous couple. The biggest plot hole (which is the same in both “Speak No Evil” movies) has to do with how long this evil couple was able to keep these secrets without other people getting suspicious and investigating. A few of the action scenes at the end of the 2024 version of “Speak No Evil” are somewhat formulaic. However, the ending of the 2024 version is a vast improvement from the 2022 version and should please viewers who have the patience to watch the buildup to this tension-filled finale.

Universal Pictures released “Speak No Evil” in U.S. cinemas on September 13, 2024.

Review: ‘Speak No Evil’ (2022), starring Morten Burian, Sidsel Siem Koch, Fedja van Huêt, Karina Smulders, Liva Forsberg and Marius Damslev

September 14, 2024

by Carla Hay

Sidsel Siem Koch and Morten Burian in “Speak No Evil” (Photo courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder)

“Speak No Evil” (2022)

Directed by Christian Tafdrup

Danish, Dutch and English with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in the Netherlands (and briefly in Italy and in Denmark), the horror film “Speak No Evil” features an almost all-white group of people (with one person of Middle Eastern heritage) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: While on vacation in Italy, a Danish family of three meet a Dutch family of three, and later experience terror as guests in the Dutch family’s home.

Culture Audience: “Speak No Evil” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of psychological thrillers and don’t mind if there are some lapses in logic in the story.

“Speak No Evil” rips apart the false sense of security that people have when they think strangers are instant friends. The horror in this thriller isn’t delivered until the movie’s last third, but it packs a very bleak wallop. “Speak No Evil” has some noticeable flaws and plot holes, but the movie’s message is loud and clear: If something doesn’t feel right, don’t be passive because you’re afraid people will think you’re being rude for standing up for yourself.

Directed by Christian Tafdrup (who co-wrote the “Speak No Evil” screenplay with his brother Mads Tafdrup) had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The movie begins by showing a foreboding scene that takes place at night. A grim-looking man and woman are driving a car in an isolated wooded area into the driveway of their farmhouse. With them is a boy who’s about 11 years old. Viewers of “Speak No Evil” will eventually find out who this family is and that the area is in an unnamed part of southern Holland.

The next scene shows a seemingly idyllic and sunny scene at a swimming pool at an unnamed resort in Italy. It’s here that two married couples with children, who are all about the same age as each other, will meet and have their lives collide under tragic circumstances. One of the couples at this resort is the same couple seen in the beginning of the film , but instead of looking somber, they look very cheerful.

Patrick (played by Fedja van Huêt) and Karin (played by Karina Smulders) are visiting from Holland. They have an 11-year-old boy named Abel (played by Marius Damslev), whom they introduce as their son. Abel is mute because, as Patrick explains, Abel has congenital ankyloglossia, which is the medical term for being born with a very short or stunted tongue. Patrick says he’s a medical doctor. The movie never mentions details about any job experiences that Bjørn, Louise and Karin have had.

Patrick is the first to introduce himself to the other couple in the story. Bjørn (played by Morten Burian) and Louise (played by Sidsel Siem Koch) are visiting from Denmark and are accompanied by their daughter Agnes (played by Liva Forsberg), who’s about 11 years old. Patrick meets this family when he asks if they are using an empty lounge chair next to them because he would like to take the chair over to his family and use it. Bjørn and Louise politely tell Patrick that the chair is available for him to take.

This vacation resort is the type that has long dining tables for several people to eat at the same table. Bjørn and Louise notice that Patrick is an “alpha male” extrovert type because he leads a toast at the table. Karin is less talkative and seems to be the type of wife who will do whatever her husband tells her to do. Bjørn and Louise have the opposite dynamic in their relationship: Bjørn is much more passive and less inclined than Louise to speak up if something is wrong.

Agnes is unusually attached to a stuffed bunny rabbit toy named Ninus that she has brought with her on this trip. One day on this trip, Agnes announces with distress to Bjørn that she can’t find Ninus. Bjørn goes looking for the rabbit toy and eventually finds it left on a stone barrier overlooking a scenic area.

Bjørn, Louise, Karin and Patrick eventually strike up another conversation with each other when Bjørn returns from finding Ninus and sees that Patrick and Karin are talking to Louise and Agnes. The couples and their children eventually hang out together for the remainder of their time in Italy.

When Bjørn and Louise are back in Denmark a few months later, they get a postcard from Patrick and Karin. The postcard photo is a picture of the two families on vacation in Italy. The postcard is a welcoming invitation for Bjørn, Louise and Agnes to visit Patrick, Karin and Abel and stay with them at Patrick and Karin’s home in southern Holland. The invitation says that Abel misses Agnes and would like to see her again.

Louise has some doubts about staying at the house of people they barely know, in a country they aren’t very familiar with either. But after Bjørn and Louise discuss the matter with another married couple who are close friends, they decide to accept the invitation from Patrick and Karin. It’s a decision that Bjørn and Louise will eventually regret.

Bjørn, Louise and Agnes arrive at the remote house by starting off with good cheer because of the warm welcome they receive from Patrick and Karin. But eventually, Patrick and Karin start testing the boundaries of what Bjørn and Louise will find acceptable. First, Patrick insists that Louise eat the red meat that he prepared for a meal, even though he knows that she’s a pescatarian. Louise uncomfortably obliges. In return, Patrick mocks Louise for calling herself a vegetarian when Louise says that she eats fish.

Another moment of discomfort comes when Patrick and Karin plan a family outing at a restaurant, but Bjørn and Louise are surprised to find out that Patrick and Karin don’t want the kids to come along for this outing. Instead, Patrick and Karin surprise Bjørn and Louise by telling them that Agnes and Abel will be looked after by a “neighborhood babysitter”: a scruffy-looking man named Muhajid (played by Hichem Yacoubi), who doesn’t speak Danish, Dutch or English.

Louise is very uneasy about this arrangement because she doesn’t know anything about Muhajid and is wary of leaving her child along with this stranger. Patrick and Karin insist that the kids will be safe with Muhajid, whom they say gives cheap babysitting services. Bjørn is much more accepting of this explanation and tries to make Louise feel like she’s overreacting. Not wanting to be rude, Louise goes along with this arrangement.

Without giving away too much information, it’s enough to say that Patrick and Karin (especially Patrick) keep pushing boundaries that make Louise uncomfortable. Some of the boundary crossing is very inappropriate (such as Patrick watching Bjørn and Louise have sex without the couple’s consent) and some of the boundary crossing has blurred lines of inappopriateness, such as Karin scolding Agnes on what type of manners to have while eating.

All of the acting in “Speak No Evil” is competent, although the scenarios might frustrate some viewers who think they would act very differently from all the passiveness and indecisiveness exhibited by Bjørn and Louise. The movie doesn’t tell much about Bjørn and Louise beyond the fact that they are from Denmark. The last third of “Speak No Evil” is the most suspenseful and terrifying, but when a major secret is revealed, it’s handled a bit clumsily. The end of “Speak No Evil” is horrifyingly dark and raises questions that are never answered, which is the intention of making the ending so unsettling to viewers.

IFC Films released “Speak No Evil” in select U.S. cinemas on September 9, 2022. Shudder premiered the movie on September 13, 2022.

Review: ‘My Old Ass,’ starring Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks and Aubrey Plaza

September 13, 2024

by Carla Hay

“My Old Ass”

Directed by Megan Park

Culture Representation: Taking place in the Muskoka Lakes area of Canada’s Ontario province, the comedy/drama film “My Old Ass” features a predominantly white group of people (with a few black people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: In the summer before she goes away to college, a restless teen takes psychedelic mushrooms on her 18-year-old birthday and meets her 39-year-old self, who gives her some advice that the teen is reluctant to take.

Culture Audience: “My Old Ass” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and well-acted stories about growing pains in young adulthood.

Kerrice Brooks, Maisy Stella, and Maddie Ziegler in “My Old Ass” (Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services)

“My Old Ass” capably blends comedy, drama and fantasy in this sarcastically sweet coming-of-age story about an 18-year-old communicating with a manifestation of her 39-year-old self. Maisy Stella gives a standout performance as a teen on an identity quest. The movie isn’t for everyone but it will find appeal with open-minded people who aren’t offended by how obscene cursing, casual sex and illegal drug use are presented as part of a teenager’s life.

Written and directed by Megan Park, “My Old Ass” had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The tone of the movie is much lighter than “The Fallout,” Park’s feature-film directorial debut about teenagers dealing with the aftermath of a mass-murder shooting at their school. Park has a knack for casting very talented people in the roles that are right for them because they inhabit their roles in authentic ways. “My Old Ass” is Stella’s impressive feature-film debut after having roles in television, such as the TV series “Nashville.”

“My Old Ass” takes place during a summer in an unnamed city in the Muskoka Lakes area of Ontario, Canada, where the movie was filmed on location. Main character Elliott (played by Stella) lives on a cranberry farm owned by her parents Tom (played by Al Goulem) and Kathy (played by Maria Dizzia), who are very loving and supportive of each other and their three children. Elliott is the middle child.

Elliott’s older brother Max (played by Seth Isaac Johnson) is about 19 or 20. He has chosen to be in the family business of cranberry farming. Max and Elliott have an emotionally distant relationship because they are almost polar opposites of each other. Max is introverted and straight-laced. At one point in the movie, Max says to Elliott: “I’m everything you hate. I like farming. I like sports. I hate [the TV series] ‘Euphoria.'”

The younger brother of Max and Elliott is Spencer (played by Carter Trozzolo), who is nice but doesn’t have much of a personality. Elliott definitely likes Spencer more than she likes Max. Still, Elliott doesn’t really hang out with her brothers very much. Elliott also tells anyone who will listen that she can’t wait to move away from this cranberry farm and live her life in the big city of Toronto. In the meantime, Elliott spends a lot of time cruising on a motorboat in a lake.

In the beginning of the movie, Elliott will be leaving in 22 days for her freshman year at the University of Toronto. Also in the beginning of the movie, Elliott identifies as a lesbian, but that will change when she falls for a guy about a year or two older than she is. Elliott has a flirtation with a teenage woman named Chelsea (played by Alexandria Rivera), who’s about the same age, and the flirtation turns into a sexual fling.

Elliott’s two best friends are also free spirits: Ruthie (played by Maddie Ziegler) is tactful and a romantic at heart. Ro (played by Kerrice Brooks) is more outspoken and pragmatic. For Elliott’s 18th birthday, the three pals plan to go camping overnight in the woods and take psychedelic mushrooms that were purchased by Ro. Elliott doesn’t bother to tell her family about these camping plans, so there’s a scene of Elliott’s family waiting forlornly at their dining table with a birthday cake that Elliott never sees on her birthday.

While high on the mushrooms, Elliott is near a campfire when she suddenly sees a woman (played by Aubrey Plaza) sitting next to her. The woman says that she is Elliott at 39 years old. Elliott doesn’t believe her at first until the woman shows Elliott that she has the same torso scar that Elliott got from a childhood accident. Both of the Elliotts have some back-and-forth banter—younger Elliott thinks 39 is middle-aged, while older Elliott thinks 39 is still a young age—and trade some snide quips about what the future holds for Elliott.

The older Elliott will only reveal that she is a Ph. D. student in Toronto and is dating a woman. Younger Elliott asks Older Elliott for life advice. Older Elliott tells Younger Elliott to be nicer to her family and not take them for granted. Younger Elliott also asks older Elliott what her definition is of healthy love. Older Elliott says that healthy love is safety and freedom at the same time. After some of the jokes and semi-insults, older Elliott gets serious and gives younger Elliott a dire warning to not have sex with someone named Chad, but older Elliott won’t say why. It’s a warning that confuses and haunts younger Elliott for most of the movie.

Elliott goes home after the camping trip and thinks older Elliott was just a hallucination until she sees that older Elliott had put her phone number in younger Elliott’s phone. Not long after this psychedelic experience, Elliott is skinny dipping in a lake when has a “meet cute” experience with a guy named Chad (played by Percy Hynes White), who’s also in the lake for a swim. It turns out that Chad is an undergrad college student who is working at the farm for the summer. He has plans to eventually get a master’s degree in pharmacology.

“My Old Ass” then becomes mostly about Elliott trying to navigate and understand her growing feelings for Chad, who is intelligent, funny and kind. Elliott is confused not only because her older self told her to stay away from Chad but also because Elliott had always assumed that she would only be sexually attracted to women. Chad is clearly attracted to Elliott too, but she is very reluctant to get involved with Chad.

“My Old Ass” has a lot of familiar “will they or won’t they” scenes in movies about two people who are romantically attracted to each other, but one person is hesitant to act on these feelings. The movie has some quirky comedy, including another hallucinogenic experience involving Justin Bieber’s 2009 hit “One Less Lonely Girl.” All of the principal cast members are utterly believable in their roles and have great comedic timing in the performances.

What might surprise viewers and is perhaps somewhat disappointing is that the older Elliott isn’t in the movie as much as the trailer for “My Old Ass” would lead people to believe. In fact, there’s a great deal of the movie where younger Elliott is frantic and frustrated because older Elliott won’t return younger Elliott’s phone calls. There are also huge parts of the movie where best friends Ruthie and Ro aren’t seen at all.

“My Old Ass” has themes that are timeless, but a lot of the movie’s jargon and pop culture references are very mid-2020s and already kind of outdated. Some of the dialogue sounds forced, like an adult’s idea of what a progressive-minded, motormouthed teen (Elliott) would sound like when it just sounds like movie dialogue, not real-life dialogue. These are small flaws in a movie that is overall well-paced, fairly unique and elevated by a very talented cast.

Even though there could have been more scenes between younger Elliott and older Elliott, the movie makes a point of showing that this story doesn’t want to rely too heavily on a time-traveling gimmick. And although the movie’s title is “My Old Ass,” the story’s focus remains consistently from the perspective of younger Elliott. Viewers will be curious to know what older Elliott’s secret is about Chad, but the most interesting and best part of the movie is how Elliott reacts when she inevitably finds out this secret.

Amazon MGM Studios released “My Old Ass” in select U.S. cinemas on September 13, 2024, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on September 27, 2024.

Review: ‘Transformers One,’ starring the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm

September 12, 2024

by Carla Hay

D-16/Megatron (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry), Alita-1 (voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Orion Pax/Optimus (voiced by Chris Hemsworth and B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) in “Transformers One” (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

“Transformers One”

Directed by Josh Cooley

Culture Representation: Taking place in outer space, the animated film “Transformers One” has a group of characters that are talking robots.

Culture Clash: A group of miner robots that will later become Transformers find out why they have been oppressed and fight back against the enemy.

Culture Audience: “Transformers One” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the “Transformers” franchise and eye-catching action animated films.

Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm) in “Transformers One” (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

For better or worse, “Transformers One” is for die-hard “Transformers” fans. This origin story has appealing visuals and action, but the plot might be too confusing for viewers who are new to the franchise. It’s one of the those movies that rushes through a world-building summary in the introduction and assumes that most people watching will already know the intricacies of the major characters in the “Transformers” franchise.

Directed by Josh Cooley, “Transformers One” was written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. “Transformers One” is one of several “Transformers” movies (animated and live-action) and animated TV series that have been spawned from the original “Transformers” animated TV series that was on the air from 1984 to 1987. The TV series and movies are all based on Hasbro’s Transformers toys of outer-space robots that can transform into moving vehicles.

“Transformers One” begins by explaining that on the planet Cybertron, a being called Primus birthed a race of supreme robots called Primes that can transform into moving vehicles. Primes need a special feul for a healthy existence called Energon. For generations, Cybertron had peace and prosperity, until it was invaded by enemies. Many of the Primes were killed, Energon became scarce, and most of the surviving robots of Cybertron were forced into identured servitude as underground miners, who are forbidden to go to the surface of the planet.

It’s during this bleak period that a rebellious miner robot named Orion Pax (voiced by Chris Hemsworth) tries to find out more about the history of this invasion. He discovers a hologram-like archive that talks about this history. However, the archive cuts off just before it will tell details about a mysterious force called the Matrix and information about the Matrix leadership. Orion Pax believes that finding out the secret of the Matrix can free the miners from their oppression.

Orion Pax’s best friend is another miner robot named D-16 (voiced by Brian Tyree Henry), who has a personality that almost the opposite of Orion Pax. D-16 is very cautious and feels strongly that the best way for miners to live is to not ask questions and always follow the rules. D-16 tells Orion Pax, “We’re miners. We mine. That’s all.”

The tryannical supervisor of the miners is Darkwing (voiced by Isaac C. Singleton Jr.), who doesn’t hesttate to punish anyone who breaks the rules. Darkwing reports to the leader of the land: Sentinel Prime (voiced by Jon Hamm), who is worshipped as a hero for being one of the last surviving Primes. Sentinel Prime is very charismatic and has been telling his followers that he and his team have been searching for the Matrix leadership so that they can find more Energon.

Orion Pax is too curious to listen to D-16’s advice to always follow the rules. Several antics ensure that get Orion Pax and D-16 in various degrees of trouble. Without giving away too much information, it’s enough to say that Orion Pax and D-16 join forces with two other miner robots: outspoken Alita-1 (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and goofy B-127 (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), who was banished to a secret lower level of the planet.

“Transformers One” has a lot of terrific action sequences accompanied by dazzling visuals. However, some of the plot developments are a bit repetitive. How many times does Orion Pax have to “punished” in ways that make it somewhat easy for him to escape? Predictably, there’s also a “secret villain” who is easy to figure out if you’ve seen enough of these types of movies.

The “Transformers One” voice performances are perfectly fine, considering that the characters in the movie are robots, not human beings with complex personalities. The “Transformers One” characters who aren’t the core four heroes (Orion Pax, D-16, Alita-1 and B-127) tend to be a bit one-dimensional. Hemsworth and Henry capably handle the dynamics of the friendship-turned-feud between Orion Pax and D-16.

This very male-centric movie could have had more females in prominent speaking roles. The only other notable female character has a small supporting role: Airachnid (voiced by Vanessa Liguori), a spider-like Transformer that can turn into a helicopter. Other characters in “Transformers One” are elderly Alpha Trion (voiced by Laurence Fishburne), villainous Starscream (voiced by Steve Buscemi) and music-loving Jazz (voiced by Evan Michael Lee).

It’s not a secret that certain characters in “Transformers One” will take on new identities that they have in other “Transformers” movies and TV shows with storylines that take place after the events of “Transformers One.” Orion Pax becomes Optimus Prime, heroic leader of the Autobots. D-16 becomes Megatron, evil leader of the Decepticons, the sworn enemies of the Autobots. B-127 (who also give himself the nicknames B and Badassatron in “Transformers One”) becomes Bumblebee, an ally of Optimus Prime.

“Transformers One” offers an interesting but formulaic look into what these characters were like before they were Transformers and how they got their Transformers superpowers. The movie’s brief end-credits scene is energetic but ultimately not necessary. People who are inclined watch sci-fi animated films should find many entertaining aspects to “Transformers One,” which can inspire new fans to watch more “Transformers” movies and TV shows to get a better understanding of the “Transformers” universe.

Paramount Pictures will release “Transformers One” in U.S. cinemas on September 20, 2024.

Review: ‘I’ll Be Right There,’ starring Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin, Kayli Carter, Charlie Tahan, Michael Beach, Sepideh Moafi, Michael Rapaport and Bradley Whitford

September 10, 2024

by Carla Hay

“I’ll Be Right There”

Directed by Brendan Walsh

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in New York state, the comedy/drama film “I’ll Be Right There” features a predominantly white group of people (with a few African Americans and one person of Middle Eastern heritage) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A queer divorcée, whose family members are over-reliant on her, juggles family problems with her sexually fluid love life.

Culture Audience: “I’ll Be Right There” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and “slice of life” movies with good acting.

Charlie Tahan in “I’ll Be Right There” (Photo courtesy of Brainstorm Media)

“I’ll Be Right There” has neurotic characters and a meandering storyline that can be frustrating and funny. Edie Falco’s performance improves this comedy/drama that can inspire debate about family loyalty versus co-dependency. Viewers who expect definitive conclusions and predictable character developments probably won’t like this movie very much. Although there are some moments that seem to be straight from a sitcom, “I’ll Be Right There” ultimately takes a believable approach to the reality that most people can’t or won’t change their flaws in just a few months and might not change their flaws at all.

Directed by Brendan Walsh and written by Jim Beggarly, “I’ll Be Right There” had its world premiere at the 2023 Hamptons International Film Festival. The movie, which was filmed in New York state, takes place in an unnamed small suburban city in New York state. It’s the type of small city where neighbors know each other’s personal business, and gossip quickly spreads.

“I’ll Be Right There” begins with main character Wanda (played by Falco) accompanying her hypochondriac, widowed mother Grace (played by Jeannie Berlin) to a doctor’s appointment. Grace, who has been a longtime smoker, is convinced that she has lung cancer. Grace and Wanda are waiting for Grace’s physician Dr. Hoover (played by Fred Grandy) to tell them what are the results of Grace’s recent physical exam.

As an example of the movie’s somewhat dark comedy, Dr. Hoover cheerfully delivers a good news/bad news diagnosis: The good news is that Grace does not have lung cancer. The bad news is that she has leukemia, but she hasn’t shown symptoms of leukemia yet. Dr. Hoover concludes the appointment by telling Grace: “You might die of something else entirely before the leukemia ever presents itself.” After the appointment, Grace’s reaction is to immediately light up a cigarette.

Wanda works as a bookkeeper and has been divorced for many years. She has a prickly relationship with her unreliable ex-husband Henry (played by Bradley Whitford), who has three sons under the age of 12 with his current wife Allison, who is not seen in the movie. Henry still lives in the area, but he spends almost all of his family time with Allison and their children instead of the children he has with Wanda.

Henry and Wanda have two children in their 20s: Sarah (played by Kayli Carter) is pregnant with her first child (a boy) and due to give birth soon. Sarah is eight months pregnant in the beginning of the movie; the father of the child is her fiancé Eugene (played by Jack Mulhern), who is unsophisticated and passive. Sarah is determined to get married in a traditional wedding before she gives birth. Wanda and Henry’s other adult child is Mark (played by Charlie Tahan), a recovering crack cocaine addict who is a habitual liar and chronically unemployed.

The movie barely shows Wanda doing any work at her job. Instead, she spends most of her time being at the beck and call of Grace, Mark and Sarah. Mark has a love/hate relationship with Wanda. At times, he complains that she is inattentive and that he has abandonment issues because of Wanda. Other times, Mark expresses deep resentment toward Wanda because he thinks she’s interfering in his life too much. Grace and Sarah are very close to Wanda—perhaps too close because they expect her to be like a therapist and a chauffeur for them.

Wanda isn’t saintly, but she shows extraordinary patience in dealing with the volatility and ungratefulness in her family. Later in the movie, she gives a monologue where she makes it clear that not only does she like having her family depend on her so much, but she also lives for this co-dependency and it’s what gives her the most joy, even when it can be very emotionally painful. Adding to the complexity of the character, Wanda is overly involved in her adult children’s life, and yet they still keep some secrets from her.

Meanwhile, Wanda (who doesn’t say what her sexual identity is) has a big secret of her own: She’s been dating an English professor named Sophie (played by Sepideh Moafi), who’s about 15 to 20 years younger than Wanda and who goes over to Wanda’s house for their sexual trysts. Wanda mentions at one point in the movie that dating women is a fairly new experience for Wanda. Sophie and Wanda are semi-closeted in different ways. Wanda doesn’t want her neighbors to know that she’s dating a woman, and she’s not ready to tell her family members.

Sophie doesn’t have a problem with Wanda’s neighbors knowing about their affair, but Sophie won’t introduce Wanda to anyone else in her life, and she doesn’t want Wanda to come over to Sophie’s place. Wanda and Sophie don’t go out on “couple’s dates”; they only have sexual hookups. It bothers Wanda that Sophie won’t let Wanda into other parts of Sophie’s life because Wanda wants to be more than just a casual fling to Sophie. Wanda tells Sophie about these concerns, but Sophie explains that she likes to keep Sophie’s life in compartments.

At the same time, Wanda has been dating an emotionally insecure restaurateur named Marshall (played by Michael Rapaport), who is in love with her, but Wanda does not feel the same way about him. Wanda hasn’t told Marshall that she is cheating on him and that she’s not heterosexual. Marshall is a bit of whiner who likes to complain about getting old and about an injury that he got from a broken wrist a long time ago.

Around the same time that Wanda is having these love-life complications, she becomes re-acquainted with a former classmate from high school named Albert Newman (played by Michael Beach), a divorced dad who has recently moved back to the area and is working as a firefighter. When Albert was in high school, he was bullied for being small and scrawny. As an adult, he is now muscular and confident.

Early on in the movie, there’s a scene that’s an example of how Wanda lets herself be used as a go-to problem solver and counselor for every real or imagined challenge in her family. Wanda is late going to Mark’s therapy session because Sarah has insisted that Wanda go with Sarah to a hospital. Sarah is having an emotional meltdown because she hasn’t felt her unborn baby kick for about 10 hours, so she assumes the baby might be dead. It turns out to be a false alarm.

Viewers might have varying feelings about Wanda’s co-dependency, based on how they think adults should or should not be involved in the lives of their parents or adult children. Is Wanda in the habit of rescuing her family members, or is she enabling them? “I’ll Be Right There” offers realistic performances, led by Falco, who has such exceptional talent, she can make even the silliest scene look somewhat credible. “I’ll Be Right There” is a solidly entertaining character study that doesn’t force the characters to go through drastic changes, but allows these characters to simply be who they are, whether it makes people comfortable or not.

Brainstorm Media released “I’ll Be Right There” in select U.S. cinemas on September 6, 2024. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on September 27, 2024.