Tag: movie reviews

Stream It or Skip It?

Great American Family may seen to be breaking the mold with a supposedly European male lead in A Royal Christmas Holiday, but don’t worry, they’re still committed to good ol’ American values. This new romance movie features Brittany Underwood as an American reporter and Jonathan Stoddard as a foreign royal who end up falling for one another despite coming from two very different worlds. Can our plucky female lead’s American ways show her prince the true meaning of Christmas and love? Keep reading to find out.

The Gist: Katie Viana (Brittany Underwood) does community service updates for local news station WYED TV but wants to be regular on-air journalistic talent with her own segment like like the station’s current on-camera star and off-camera diva Carol Jordan (Meredith Thomas). Katie asks her boss, program director Jerrod (William Baldwin), to assign her something more meaningful, and while he initially tells her to just hunker down and work her way up, he ends up assigning her a big new exclusive up for grabs thanks to Carol’s upcoming holiday vacation.

The local military museum is opening a new exhibit dedicated to World War II veterans and one of the sponsors is the European Kingdom of Visaria, which is sending Prince Jonathan Wentworth (Jonathan Stoddard) as their representative. Jerrod promises Katie that if she can land an interview with the notoriously camera-shy prince, then she’ll get her own special news segment. Prepared to dig deep to achieve her career goal, Katie dedicates herself to getting the scoop from Jonathan on his visit to the museum and newly released book about his World War II veteran grandfather, but in the process ends up getting closer to her subject than she ever could have imagined. Will these two star-crossed lovers find something lasting during the holiday season, or will their differences be their ultimate undoing?

Photo: GAC Media

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: A Royal Christmas Holiday may remind you of recently released Hallmark and GAF holiday titles A Not So Royal Christmas and A Royal Date for Christmas, as well as 2019 Netflix Original romantic-comedy A Christmas Prince.

Performance Worth Watching: I guess Louie Chapman as Jonathan’s aide, Louis, because he had to say lines like, “‘Tis a tangled web that won’t be easily untangled” and “What’s done is done. It’s water under the bridge, it’s six feet under, it’s kicking up the daisies,” with a straight face.

Memorable Dialogue: “I was deprived so many things growing up. No sports teams. I didn’t even have a bicycle in fear that I might get hurt.” Wow, Jonathan, thank you for opening up about your heart-wrenching childhood. Being a prince sounds very hard.

Honorable mention for “You’re a prince and she’s a television presenter. How could you have possibly made that work?”

A Holiday Tradition: It seems like it’s a tradition for a store in Katie’s hometown to hire someone to play Santa Claus for the local kids. And when this year’s Santa’s car breaks down on the way over, Prince Jonathan volunteers himself to keep the celebration alive by playing a Santa, himself, and he gets weirdly into it.

Photo: GAC Media

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: There’s a character who’s a royal and the action takes place over the holiday season so, sure, in a vague sort of way, it makes sense.

Our Take: Essentially, nothing really happens in A Royal Christmas Holiday. On the surface it kind of seems like it does, but look a little closer and you realize there wasn’t really any significant conflict or climax to raise the stakes or get viewers invested. Katie wants to get her own news special and… she does. Epic.

The only “conflicts” that happen along the way don’t actually happen. Like how Prince Jonathan revealing that a ghost writer wrote his book for him never even airs in Katie’s final story (which is kind of a shame, because instead of doing the mature thing and being vulnerable with the world, he’s just going to live a lie). Or how Katie overhears Jonathan loudly talking to Louis about his fiancée only for him to reveal he doesn’t actually have a fiancée and it’s just some story his mum cooked up for the press. What was the point of any of it if, then? Even Katie’s poor dad breaks his leg falling off a roof as a mere plot device to drive Jonathan and Katie closer together. It all just made the whole thing ring emotionally hollow.

The performances themselves also definitely leave something to be desired. While Brittany Underwood is decent as Katie, her work is undermined by Jonathan Stoddard’s unconvincing accent work, overactive eyebrows, and sometimes uncomfortable attempts at smolder. His performance kept reminding me of a strange cross of Joey Tribbiani from Friends and Homelander from The Boys, and I found it all a bit distracting (especially the eyebrows). To be fair to Stoddard, though, he was tasked with evoking a Great Britain knock-off country that not only doesn’t exist but also is a place and culture we learn almost nothing about beyond it having a monarchy and apparently not allowing royal kids to ride bikes, which definitely doesn’t add much information or backstory for a person’s character.

I know I’ve been pouring on the Jonathan critiques but Katie is also kind of an oddball in her own right. She’s able to creepily figure out the exact suite Jonathan is staying at so she can get close to him for her story in addition to waiting out his initial entrance at the airport so she can get an in with him (which is laughably easy since the prince is apparently a sucker for a pretty face. If he’s royalty, why doesn’t he have a security team?!). With all of that in mind, you’d think they’d make a great couple, but unfortunately there’s very little chemistry between them. Even so, they somehow manage to fall in love in the span of like three days despite being from totally different worlds. I really don’t see this working out longterm, but I guess I wish them luck anyway?

Our Call: SKIP IT. A Royal Christmas Holiday‘s unfortunately lacks enough originality, stakes, or charm to make it stand out from the many other “royal” holiday titles currently out there available for streaming.

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Emilia Clarke hatches an egg

PARK CITY, UTAH — The Mother of Dragons becomes The Mother of An Artificially Grown Fetus in “The Pod Generation,” a wobbly new science-fiction comedy that premiered Thursday night at the Sundance Film Festival.

Emilia Clarke from “Game of Thrones” stars in the satire of our increasingly close relationship with technology as Rachel, a futuristic workaholic who decides to have a baby using a “pod,” an egg-shaped, electronic device in which a fetus develops outside the mother’s body.


movie review

Running time: 101 minutes. Not yet rated.

It’s the hottest trend in New York — which in a few decades will be clean, gleaming and somehow spacious! — and there’s an original-iPhone-style waitlist for the privilege. For many, there are only upsides: ambitious types no longer need to take maternity leave from the office, or do any harm to their figures.

Of course, like a lot of hyped-up gadgets, Humpty Dumpty looks totally ridiculous. Moms-to-be awkwardly lug their cumbersome pods on the subway in a harness, earning judgmental glares from actual pregnant women.

But intensely focused, bliss-seeking Rachel doesn’t care about raised brows.

When she gets to the enviable front of the line, she pushes her unwitting husband Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor) to sign up with the pod’s Stepford Wifey founder Linda (Rosalie Craig). That’s a tough task. Alvy is a proud university botanist in a society that’s gradually doing away with the natural world (instead of hikes, people go inside “nature pods”), and he is skeptical of anything that defies what it is to be human, such as an Easy Bake Oven for babies.

Emilia Clarke played Daenerys Targaryen on”Game of Thrones.”

Nonetheless, he relents and surprisingly starts to grow attached to the digi-mom.

Meanwhile, we start to become antsy for more drama and less clever exposition. Only a fraction of a frisson comes from Rachel’s simmering insecurities as she struggles to develop a maternal connection to this idling Womba that rests on a glowing charger, vacuum style. It’s funny when she consults her artificial therapist, a giant floating eye positioned in the middle of a wreath like some freaky goddess. Yet, considering all her emotional turmoil, Rachel never raises her voice, and her and Alvy don’t have any fights.

Despite not having much meat to chew on, Clarke is solid and makes a statement that she can do domesticity as well as dragons. Rachel is a tad cool to the touch, though. Ejiofor, playing charismatic Alvy, is easier to embrace as he voices all our own doubts about this absurd situation.

Writer-director Sophie Barthes nobly resists the urge to succumb to an explosive dystopian conclusion a la “Black Mirror,” which is what her film otherwise feels like. However, in keeping “Pod Generation” a light comedy that pokes fun at topics as wide-ranging as Amazon’s Alexa and warring feminist sects, we grow weary of the monotony. The ending believes itself to be much more satisfying than it actually is.

A rather obvious “Brave New World” “a-ha!” moment comes a little while before that. In our ruthless quest for convenience, Barthes’ film suggests, we’ve handed our intimate lives over to corporations. Right now, it’s data; soon, it could be birth.

That’s all well and good. But a movie needs more than a smart idea and an impressively visualized concept of the future to run smoothly. Two thirds of the way through, “The Pod Generation”‘s battery is already at 1%.

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Stream It or Skip It?

I want to begin this piece by extending an apology to the Best Picture-winning Crash for any hyperbolic statement that might have suggested prestige-chasing dramas can’t get much worse. For I had not seen Collide, now streaming on Hulu (and not to be confused with the Nicholas Hoult vehicle of the same name), and could not have known the error of my ways. The “we’re all connected” movie has hit a new nadir all these years after we thought it had been left for dead. I have been in actual car crashes less painful than watching this movie.

COLLIDE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Collide, an aptly named Los Angeles restaurant, plays home to a number of stories reaching the point of, ahem, collision. Peter (Jim Gaffigan) creeps in the car doing a pathetic stakeout while his wife Angie (Drea de Matteo) hits on the manager. Hunter (Ryan Phillippe) shows up for a blind date with Tamira (Kat Graham), a South African ex-pat who has explosive plans in store for her planned dinner companion. Lily (Aisha Dee) wants to provide for the child growing inside her and sees potential with her lover and fellow employee Zee (Dylan Flashner), who’s found a large amount of cocaine he intends to sell to a gangster. On one fateful night, their fates intertwine.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Any of the “hyperlink cinema” movies of the early 2000s — think Traffic, Amores Perros, Syriana, Rendition — is what Collide is striving (and failing) to achieve. One must wonder if, given their shared casting of Ryan Phillippe, the film exists in the shared Crash cinematic universe.

© Vertical Entertainment / courtesy Everett Collection

Performance Worth Watching: With respect to everyone who showed up on set and tried their best, there is no one who comes out of this looking good. No one, not even Jim Gaffigan, from whom it’s most tempting to grant some grace given that he’s trying something different. But in fairness to the performers, I doubt even an Oscar-winning thespian could make this painfully obvious dialogue sound believable.

Memorable Dialogue: Tamira delivers this monologue to explain her character’s motivations midway through the film, and it’s memorable for all the wrong reasons: “Did you really think you could get away with it? All you whites? Do you just run away and pretend like it didn’t happen? That it isn’t still happening? Every day? Here in America? South Africa … did you think I would never find you?”

Sex and Skin: The only skin you’re seeing here is the inside of your hand when another painfully obvious line or plot point makes you facepalm.

Our Take: Filmmaker Mukunda Michael Dewil showed with 2022’s The Immaculate Room that he’s plenty capable of producing passable entertainment. Collide misses even that low bar. The screenplay, which comes out to little more than several student shorts whose pages got mixed up together, is an absolute wreck. When it needs to underscore an emotional beat, scoring with all the sophistication of a temp track comes in to tell you exactly what the film wants you to feel. The cinematography is jittery, jumpy, and nonsensical — and apparently, they could not find money in the budget for a single tripod. The camerawork does not show the most basic proficiency with staging something like a car crash, and that’s not even to say anything about the jaw-droppingly painful lo-fi visual effects. Having a low budget does not a bad movie make, but there are amateur TikToks made with more attention to craft and form than Collide.

Our Call: Str—just kidding, SKIP IT! Unless you are a masochist and want to observe how not to make a movie, you can feel safe in skipping Collide. It’s your life, and you can’t get these 90 minutes back.

Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, Little White Lies and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.



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Stream It or Skip It?

Disney+ brings the spectacle of The Hip Hop Nutcracker to homes across the globe via a brand new holiday special. The legendary Rev Run emcees the event, which remixes Tchaikovsky’s score and features performances from dancers ranging from Mikhail Baryshnikov to Jabbawockeez. But does the magic of the acclaimed live show translate from the stage to the screen, or should you wait for a production to come to your town?

The Gist: It’s the Nutcracker score along with some familiar faces (what’s a Nutcracker without a Mouse King?), but the BPM’s been amped up, the story’s been reframed, and the choreography is a tour of hip hop dance styles of the last 40 years. The plot: The only thing that Maria-Clara (Cache Melvin) wants for Christmas is for her mom (Allison Holker) and dad (Stephen Boss) to get back together. This wish just might come true thanks to the local toy shop owner/wizard Drosselmeyer (Comfort Fedoke), a vendor of nuts (Fik-Shun Stegall), and some midnight magic. But will the Mouse King (Jean Sok) put a stop to Maria-Clara’s plans? I mean, no, but The Nutcracker is about dance, not plot.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Am I dating myself if I say Carmen: A Hip Hopera? Maybe it’s more accurate to call this Hamilton — but with an emphasis on dance over lyrics — with a Disney aesthetic (the colors are popping) and set at Christmas. But just to point out: The Hip Hop Nutcracker production predates Hamilton by a few years, even if Hamilton premiered on Disney+ first.

Photo: Disney+

Performance Worth Watching: Comfort Fedoke takes the stage as Drosselmeyer, wearing a red cape and braids with a gold eye accessory. It’s a lot of look — probably the most look of anyone in the cast. Fedoke lives up to the look, though, playing a vogueing wizard who’s captivatingly mysterious. Love to see hand performance on Disney+.

Memorable Dialogue: The majority of The Hip Hop Nutcracker is told through a handful of narrative sentences that appear on screen to guide the story along (although honestly the performers do as good of a job propelling the plot forward just through movement). That being said, Rev Run has a few verses to drop, including this line:

But just about the time love was sprouting up
This fool went and left to go sell some nuts

Did I mention that The Hip Hop Nutcracker is fun for the whole family?

Photo: Disney+

A Holiday Tradition: Well, that’s the problem Maria-Clara wants to solve. Her family no longer lights up the dance floor like they used to back in the day! Let’s get that tradition going again!

Two Turtle Doves: The Hip Hop Nutcracker seems to be the only adaptation of the quintessential Christmas ballet slated to be released this year. However, you could always pair this with 2020’s Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, the Netflix documentary that goes behind the scenes of the legendary Debbie Allen’s annual production.

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: Yes, there’s really no mistaking what you’re getting with this title.

Photo: Disney+

Our Take: Translating a stage production into a filmed one is a tough trick to pull off. If you’re not careful, it can look like a camera on a tripod at the back of the auditorium. You really don’t want that, and that’s especially not the vibe of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Fortunately this production of the long-running stage show matches the kinetic energy of the dancing. You never forget you’re watching dancers execute their craft on a stage, but it also never feels like you’re stuck way out in the cheap seats.

This production lends itself well to a filmed format; the sets are impressive, like the recreated row of brownstones that serves as a backdrop for — I kid you not — the Mikhail Baryshnikov and Jabbawockeez number. The sets veer artfully towards expressionism for the more dreamlike sequences, and then there’s the blast of energy that is the combination nightclub / soda shoppe that subs in for the Land of Sweets.

Photo: Disney+

What’s great about The Hip Hop Nutcracker as presented by Disney+, though, is the way it beams in decades of hip hop dance history into the homes of millions. That’s particularly true of the Land of Sweets section, which highlights the moves and fashion of various decades since hip hop’s inception. It’s also remarkable how ballet, traditional ballet, is kept in the mix throughout. It exists right alongside breaking, voguing, turfing, popping, locking — all kinds of dances (including ones I definitely missed and many that I am sure I just mislabeled). I can imagine this being a favorite of any kid, tween, or teen who already loves to dance, and all the ones who will love to dance after watching this special.

And if you or your family want more, you’ll be glad to know that there’s a full-length presentation of the stage version of The Hip Hop Nutcracker available to stream for free online, courtesy of PBS.

Our Call: STREAM IT, and don’t be afraid to get up and join in with some robot moves of your own — especially if it will mortify your kids.



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Stream It or Skip It?

Now on Netflix, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone is a mini-biography of one of Australia’s most influential transgender rights advocates. Now 22 years old, Georgie is a Human Rights Award-winner who, as a teenager, successfully campaigned to change the laws preventing young trans Australians from acquiring stage one hormone-blocking treatments. She co-wrote this 29-minute film, which captures key moments of her life in a quietly profound fashion.

The Gist: “I’m a girl. Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside, I feel like a girl.” That was Georgie speaking, at nine years old, in a home video. Next we jump to a decade later, on the day of her gender affirmation surgery. She sits in the car with her mother on the way to the hospital: “I keep thinking about the moments that led me here,” she says. She looks a little nervous; maybe she didn’t sleep well the night before. They get her prepared in the hospital room. Her mother brushes her hair and strokes her arm lovingly. Then we jump back to Georgie as a child, playing with her twin brother Harry, five years old, on their first day of school. Then back to age nine again, where she talks to the camera about boys at a swimming pool teasing her when she tried to find a space to change into her bathing suit.

As she readies for surgery, the movie flashes back and hops around to Georgie at various ages, cutting in glimpses of her public advocacy, where she explains how anxious she and her family felt when she, her parents and doctors had no say over what she can and can’t do to her own body – they had to wait for the court to decide if she could proceed with stage one treatment. She doesn’t want anyone else to have to go through with that. We see her meet Australia’s Prime Minister; we see her receive awards for her advocacy; we see her speak in front of people. And then she’s back with her mother prior to surgery: Today is “just you,” her mother says. “It’s just for you.”

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Dreamlife opens with a quote from actress Laverne Cox, so the Netflix documentary she produced about trans representation in TV and film, Disclosure, fits the topic. Also, Hulu doc Changing the Game focuses on trans teens participating in school sports.

Performance Worth Watching: Georgie’s confidence and vulnerability are on display throughout the film; both are inspiring.

Memorable Dialogue: Nine-year-old Georgie talks about how she feels safer after having visited the doctor.

Off-camera voice: You didn’t feel safe before that?

Georgie: Well, no. Not that many people understood about me.

Sex and Skin: None

Our Take: In a short amount of time, Dreamlife covers the gamut of Georgie’s experience, from public to personal. It’s subtly insistent in its advocacy for bodily autonomy, and that’s consistent with Georgie’s personality, which is upbeat, outgoing and matter-of-fact without being confrontational or overly righteous. She bravely shares intimate moments illustrating the emotional complexity of her decision to pursue gender affirmation surgery, and the absolute certainty she carries with regards to her identity. It’s easy to see why her advocacy has been successful so far, and the film feels like her next step in that pursuit. It doesn’t weigh itself down by presenting facts and data or delving into the topic of trans persons’ trauma; it’s more of an intuitive glimpse into one person’s life, how she changed it for the better, and how she hopes to help change others’ lives as well.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone is a humane and heartfelt look at the Australian advocate’s personal experience as a trans woman.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com.

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Stream It Or Skip It?

Entergalactic is an animated film (which was initially set up as a series, but Netflix presents it in one 92-minute chunk) that introduces a new album by Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi. Instead of introducing the songs via a bunch of loosely connected videos, though, the album is presented through an animated story that’s a classic romcom.

The Gist: Jabari (voiced by Kid Cudi) has just moved into his dream loft in lower Manhattan, having signed on with a comic publisher who wants him to write a series about his street art character Mr. Rager (Keith David). On his first night moving into his new place, he runs into his ex Carmen (Laura Harrier), who is very interested in seeing him again. After hanging out with his buddies Jimmy (Timothée Chalamet) and Ky (Ty Dolla $ign), he decides to take Carmen up on her offer for a drink. It leads to a drunken night and him waking up in her bed; she thinks things are rekindled but he says he’s not ready for anyone right now.

That is, until he meets Meadow (Jessica Williams), his new next door neighbor. They’ve been having near-miss encounters for a few days, but they lock eyes when her party keeps him up in the middle of the night. She’s also an up-and-coming artist; her photography is scheduled for a big showing at a local art museum. She comes by the next day to take him to lunch to make up for the noise, and they end up having a spectacular day together.

Both are reluctant to get into something with their neighbor, though; Ky is in agreement until he sees Meadow at a party they all happen to be at, and Meadow’s pregnant bestie Karina (Vanessa Hudgens) tells her to listen to her “punan” when it’s on fire for someone. They finally give in and fall for each other over the next few weeks, but things hit a snag when Carmen takes Jabari’s request to stay friends a little too far.

Photo: Netflix

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: We’re not sure the animation in Entergalactic was rotoscoped like it was in the series Undone, but it gives off that vibe, especially because the characters look more or less like the actors who are playing them. But the structure of the film, directed by Fletcher Moules, is pure rom-com, like a modern, hip hop-infused version of When Harry Meet Sally.

Performance Worth Watching: Jessica Williams has been here before, playing the funky, dream girlfriend in the second season of Love Life. It’s a role that she’s good at, because she can combine sensitive, funny, sexy and creative in one performance. Macaulay Culkin has a fun cameo as a weird but interesting guy named Downtown Pat.

Memorable Dialogue: Jabari asks Ky if he wears a helmet when he rides his scooter. “I always wear a helmet,” he replies. “Safety first, bro. How do you think I’ve been able to stay chlamydia free since ’03?” “How old were you in 2003?” asks Jimmy. “Shit… old enough to feel the burn,” says Ky incredulously. It’s the funniest line in the movie.

Sex and Skin: There’s some animated nudity, and we see sex between Jabari and Meadow and in a flashback scene when Ky talks about a neighbor of his.

Our Take: One of the executive producers of Entergalactic is Kenya Barris, and you can see his influence in the film; the comedy is mostly character-driven, and much of it is actually very funny. But it’s balanced well with the dramatic and romantic elements of the story.

What was so surprising about the story was that it was structured like a classic romcom, despite the presence of Kid Cudi’s music and the obvious tilt towards the film being about people who are young, Black, and artistic with some degree of success. We see both people’s situations, along with their friends and/or families. Then there’s the meet-cute, the great first date, the montage that shows the two of them dating and falling for each other, the misunderstanding that could end it all, the separation and longing that misunderstanding generates, and eventually the loving reunion.

In other words, none of the beats of Entergalactic‘s story are a surprise. But the characters are so well thought-out and the humor so ingrained in those characters that it doesn’t matter. One of the things we tend to hate about modern romcoms are leaps of logic, especially when it comes to the obstacles that are thrown in the mix to keep the two main characters from being together.

Here, those beats feel organic for the most part, even the near-misses in the first 20 minutes or so; after all, they’re neighbors who walk in similar social circles. And when romcom beats feel organic, the story is much more satisfying to watch to its inevitable conclusion.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Kid Cudi and Barris do a fine job of making Entergalactic feel like much more than a vehicle for Cudi’s latest music; it’s a hip hop take on a familiar story, but is a satisfying watch despite knowing how it’s going to turn out.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.



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Spielberg’s latest is the best of the year

The best movie of the year so far is Steven Spielberg’s extraordinary “The Fabelmans.”

It’s gripping, visually mesmeric, boasts an exceptional, grounded script by Tony Kushner and is acted to the hilt. A no-holds-barred Michelle Williams skyrockets to the front of the Oscar race with an unforgettable performance. 

Spielberg’s deeply personal project, which had its world premiere Saturday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, has been shrouded in secrecy for months. About all we knew going in was that the movie is based on the famed director’s own life, and stars Williams, Paul Dano and Seth Rogen. 


movie review

Running time: 151 minutes. Rated PG-13 (some strong language, thematic elements, brief violence and drug use.)

But “The Fabelmans” is so much richer and less predictable than any run-of-the-mill, point-A-to-point-B biopic, even though we know that the ending is, well, “Jaws.”

There is a palpable feeling throughout that unlike the director’s recent, capable films like “West Side Story” or “The Post,” Spielberg needed to make this one. That he’s had this idea and these raw feelings lying dormant for decades. That otherwise he might explode. 

The thrilling result of his behind-the-camera therapy is some of the director’s finest work in years, and a movie that feels, for the first time in forever, like a bona fide Spielberg film. 

The searing image of a gobsmacked little boy projecting an early short film onto his hand is one I won’t soon forget. 

Dad Burt (Paul Dano) and mom Mitzi (Michelle Williams) take young Sammy (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) to his first movie.
Universal Pictures

That little screen stand-in for Spielberg is lSammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord), whose mom Mitzi (Williams) and dad Burt (Dano) take to his first movie, Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Greatest Show On Earth.” Floored, Sammy recreates the film’s crash scene with his own train set at his New Jersey house and mom encourages him to film it — unleashing an obsession with Hollywood and movie-making.

This is not a narcissistic film, though. As the title would suggest, the story is very much about the whole family. The Fabelmans move around for quiet Burt’s job as a computer programmer, and first they head to Arizona. They are joined, somewhat strangely, by Burt’s best friend Benny (Rogen). 

Despite the childhood difficulty of changing cities, the desert dust and rocks gives now-teenage Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) a playground to shoot ambitious Westerns and battle scenes. 

There’s a battle raging at home, too. Mitzi feels restless and out-of-place, and while making one of his short films, Sammy sees something disturbing in the editing room that changes his life. It reminded me, sans murder, of Brian DePalma’s “Blow Out.” 

Sammy films the seniors at his California high school.
Paps4Real / BENS / BACKGRID

What’s striking about Spielberg’s memory movie is that, unlike say Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” everybody is treated with such warmth and compassion. The director empathizes with all of his character. The only villain, per se, is an anti-Semitic high school classmate of Sammy’s later on in California. (All the coming-of-age, John Hughes-y business is a scream.)

LaBelle, who’s mostly played small roles till now, is a stunning find with a big future. He so tenderly embodies this quirky introvert who channels his angst into his art, until it boils over. Spielberg is known for the very real performances he can wrestle out of young people. So, you can imagine the magic he can do with a version of his teen self.

There is also an uproarious cameo appearance from Judd Hirsch as visiting Uncle Boris, who over the course of an evening, teaches Sammy the sacrifices he’ll need to make to score a life in showbiz. He’s hysterical.

The other quick hello that will have folks talking is David Lynch. I won’t say what he does. But holy moly. Twitter will tell ya soon enough.

But the movie belongs to Williams, who brings the same “what will she do next?!” energy that set fire to the screen in “Manchester By The Sea” and “Fosse/Verdon.” Hers is a great big performance in a movie that, while simple, is undoubtedly stylized. Williams turns domestic struggles into something grand and universal. 

It’s been in-Vogue lately for directors to make self-reflective movies. Alfonso Cuaron had “Roma,” Kenneth Branagh made “Belfast” and Alejandro Inarritu just premiered his “Bardo” in Venice. Yet it’s Spielberg’s that has hit me the hardest.

How profound to say that the road to killer sharks, alien house guests, T-Rexes and World War II epics begins and ends with mom and dad.

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Stream It or Skip It?

Now on Netflix, Diorama is Swedish writer/director Tuva Novotny’s attempt to break down the messy, inconsistent slop of human romantic relationships via contextual and scientific analysis. So yes, it’s a comedy. A comedy of sorts, at least – Novotny uses one doomed fictional marriage as a basis to wonder what the hell is up with people, and why the hell they do what they do, since they so often rebel against their own needs, desires and nature. She cuts the usual tragicomic fodder with whimsical “dioramas” conveying conventional factual wisdom, which is a fresh approach to the relationship dramedy. But does it work?

DIORAMA: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Did you know that bonobos are quite promiscuous? Well, you do now. Here, have some footage of homo sapiens’ closest genetic relative smiling and hooting while having threesomes. Neat! This is part of Diorama’s opening salvo about the history of monogamy among humans through the ages, and what follows is a pondering upon the practicality and purpose of such a thing, via the story of Bjorn (David Dencik) and Frida (Pia Tjelta). We meet them while they’re still relatively young 20-somethings, sneaking into a room adjacent to a party for a quickie. They profess their love to each other verbally, then we get a weird skit in which humans are dressed like rodents and a narrator shares scientific facts about how, why and when said rodents do the ol’ procreation promenade.

Then, a black screen. We hear Bjorn and Frida’s voices in the dark as they awkwardly commence intercourse, but are interrupted: “Mommy!” goes a little girl’s voice. A bunch of years have passed. They have three kids. They live in a flat. She works as a schoolteacher and he has an undetermined office job. There’s the usual familial tensions at the dinner table and in the doorway as the kids get ready for school, etc. It’s a grind for Bjorn and Frida, and the other grind – you know, the good grind – has been ground right out of their lives. Another interlude happens somewhere in here, with humans dressed in furry marmoset (or maybe lemur?) costumes, talking about dwindling testosterone levels.

A title card: BOREDOM, it reads. Bjorn still does things for himself, e.g., planning a motorcycle trip across Europe with a buddy. Frida doesn’t. Maybe she should, Bjorn suggests. She goes out with a friend who’s divorced and she talks about how great it is to be a part-time parent. Frida and Bjorn quarrel. Maybe, she suggests, they should go to therapy or try a trial separation or bring a third person to bed with them. He scuttles all those ideas, but when she finally plans a night out with her friends, tells her to let rip and he’ll take care of the kids in the morning, for a change. She bumps into an old friend – an old flame? – who’s tall and handsome where Bjorn is looking more and more like one of those goofy marmosets. Meanwhile, he goes out for drinks with a pal and there’s an age-appropriate woman there who propositions him. He declines. But anytime he wants a little head, just let her know. OK then!

Are Bjorn and Frida doomed? Well, we hear Tammy Wynette singing the song where she spells out the word that happens so frequently in these situations; I think there’s a scene here where an adult in an animal costume spews some statistics about how many marriages actually last. There’s also a sequence in which scientists discuss the physiology of attraction and the differences between men and women – dopamine this and oxytocin that, nature over here and nurture over there, all of which contribute to Bjorn and Frida’s exquisitely common blend of happiness and misery.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Diorama is sort of what Scenes from a Marriage would be like if Bergman had dropped in jokey bits with actors garbed-up like voles, or what Annie Hall would be like if Woody Allen had, well, dropped in jokey bits with actors garbed-up like voles.

Performance Worth Watching: Novotny’s script benefits Tjelta the most. Frida is the film’s most consistent and well-rounded character, and rendered far more sympathetic and complex than the rigid, angry Bjorn.

Memorable Dialogue: A narrator sums up the wonder of the human creature: “We humans, after all, are a fantastic mix of biology and intellect.”

Sex and Skin: A couple of sex scenes with just a small snatch of buttcheek.

Our Take: Novotny isn’t aiming for deep insight on the mysteries of human partnerships with Diorama – the movie’s oddball angle on the subject precludes itself to bemusement more than breakthroughs. She frames Bjorn and Frida as a stereotypical married couple navigating the restlessness of midlife crisis, an overly familiar scenario, in both movies and real life, that’s nonetheless moderately engaging; you’ll likely find yourself siding with Frida for being the more reasonable of the two once their shit goes into a sideways skid towards disaster.

The couple’s story slowly slides from amusing to tragic as they let rip with a vicious Kramer vs. Kramer exchange or two. That leaves the cutaway sequences with the burden of lightening up the whole endeavor, and considering how goofy they are, the conceit doesn’t really work; those moments, more goofy than witty, aim for poetic but land on puzzling. In the spirit of the movie’s sciencey analytical asides, it’s roughly a 60/40 drama/comedy balance, and the comedy feels weak and noncommittal. Tjelta and Dencik are relatively strong dramatic foils, and are perfectly capable of taking us on an emotional journey, but, well, they keep getting interrupted by furries. And that would sap the energy from pretty much any of us.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Credit to Diorama for taking an unusual approach to conventional material, even if it’s never fully functional. Thankfully, the movie has a sturdy dramatic anchor in Tjelta, who makes it worth watching.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com.

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Alia Bhatt to Katrina Kaif: 5 Divas who chose a pastel pink salwar as their go-to summer wear

Although the scorching sun may be unbearable during the summers, if we look at a silver lining, it is summer fashion! Summer fashion is all about bringing out your breeziest fabrics and softest pastel shades. While summer dresses and shorts have always remained a classic trend, our B-town divas have found comfort in breezy pastel pink salwar suits this summer. The soft fabric and the even softer shade, makes these salwar suits a go-to this warm season. So let’s take a look at our favourite ladies dressed in a pastel pink salwar suit. 

Katrina Kaif 

For her airport look, Mrs. Kaushal channelled her inner desi Punjabi kudi in a pastel pink salwar suit. The actress’ full-length blush pink number featured a V-neckline with detailed floral embroidery in red along it. She paired this with matching palazzo pants and topped this over with a floral printed dupatta that made up for the simplicity of her outfit. A pair of simple embellished juttis, a red bindi and oversized tinted sunglasses made for additional accessories to her look.

Alia Bhatt 

Alia Bhatt made her first appearance at the airport as Mrs. Kapoor in a pastel pink salwar suit from Devnaagri. The traditional ensemble featured a floral blush pink kurta adorned with spring-inspired print in a dark pink hue. The outfit bore a calf-grazing hem length and a loose silhouette. Alia teamed the kurta with matching flared pants adorned with silver patti borders on the hem. She rounded off the look with an organza dupatta decked in white lace patti border and floral print. Mojari sandals, her diamond engagement ring, and dainty jhumkas completed her look. She added a modish touch to her airport look with a colourful printed Christian Dior tote bag.

Nora Fatehi 

Nora also chose a blush pink salwar suit as her summer airport look. The Kusu Kusu girl stepped out in a cotton silk set that featured a midi kurta with a close neck adorning a tassel tie up detail. The kurta was decked in gorgeous embroidery all done in white threads along with small tassels hanging on the hem. Nora teamed the kurta with matching straight-fit pants and rounded the look with an wholly embroidered dupatta featuring tassels in the border. She accessorised her look with pearl studs, white embroidered juttis and a white quilted sling bag. 

Kiara Advani 

Kiara proved that there is elegance in simplicity as she stepped out in the city wearing a baby pink salwar set. The set featured a plain, sleeveless, calf-grazing kurta that was teamed with matching cropped pants and a sheer dupatta. Kiara maintained the simplicity of the look as she skipped on the accessories and simply styled her traditional attire an opulent blue Gucci Diana bag. 

Kriti Sanon 

Kriti Sanon pulled off the ethnic look with charm and comeliness in a pastel pink salwar suit by Nachiket Barve. The outfit featured an embroidered kurta with a floral vest-like design on top with heavy embroidery. The kurta was teamed with a pair of palazzo pants with a scalloped hem. The Shehzaada actress completed the look with minimal diamond earrings and a statement ring.

Which diva looked the best in a pastel pink salwar suit according to you? Let us know in the comments below. 

 

For more Fashion & Beauty updates, follow @pinkvillafashion

 

Also read | Alia Bhatt steps out for the first time post wedding in a pastel pink salwar suit from Devnaagri; YAY or NAY?

 



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Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai’s Shubhangi Atre on her low-key birthday: I don’t believe in the idea of showing off

Shubhangi Atre became a household name with her entry into the popular sitcom Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hain. She plays the role of Angoogi in the show, and her character is widely liked by the audience. The actress rang on her birthday on 11th April. She did not do any celebrations for her special day and donated food to the poor people who were fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.

In an interview with ETimes TV, she shared about her birthday, “After the pandemic, many people are still struggling to meet the necessities. And my concern was that as the holy festival of Ramadan is going on, I wanted to distribute food to the needy and serve a proper meal to them when they break their fast. So I went forward with the idea. My daughter wanted me to host a party but later even she agreed with it. My fans and friends made my day special. I don’t believe in the idea of showing off.”

The actress is known for keeping her personal life very private. On being asked about the trend of actors getting papped, Shubhangi said, “With everything today has a price, getting papped has its own and is a trend among celebrities. But I’m not of those who likes to mix personal and professional life. I’m not one to keep my managers updated with my airport timing, gymming time or coffee time (laughs). I’m very easy to answer calls from the media and reply to their queries and even greet them while meeting outside. But I would never enjoy permitting them to make my lifestyle easy onscreen. I’m very much connected with my fans on social media and they are happy with it and respect my privacy. So being papped can be a trend among celebrities, but it is not my cup of tea.”

Also read- Bhabi Ji Ghar Par Hai actress Shubhangi Atre recreates Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai look in BTS video; WATCH



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