Director: Lawrence Michael Levine
Writer: Lawrence Michael Levine
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon

Synopsis: At a lake house, a filmmaker plays a game of desire and jealousy in the pursuit of a work of art that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.

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Writer/director Lawrence Michael Levine offers a daring story in Black Bear, a psychological drama that plays with the assumptions made by the viewer, creating chaos and emotional turmoil in its main characters.

Set in an isolated cabin, the story is divided in two parts. The first focuses on Allison (Aubrey Plaza), a former actress that arrives in search of inspiration for her next movie as a director. She is received by the couple formed by Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon), her hosts that are trying to revamp the place as an Airbnb or a retreat spot.

Things start getting out of control once Allison embraces awkward conversations, flirty attitudes towards Gabe – that are positively received – and a lying demeanor towards Blair. Meanwhile, Gabe and Blair are in a difficult spot in their relationship where every single word spoken by the other is received with hurtful comments or snide remarks. This hostility is increased by Allison’s fascination with creating an uncomfortable vibe.

Once we start to embrace this stressing scenario, everything suddenly shifts, and the second part of the movie starts with a new storyline. Now, the three protagonists are artists working on a movie with the cabin as the set. Allison is the main actress, Gabe is the director, and Blair is the antagonist. Even though we are in a new story – and the first part could easily be omitted – some aspects of the previous relations of power are rescued.

Gabe and Allison are now a couple and they have poured everything they have into the production. The women also shift positions on an emotional level. Now Blair is the outsider that conspires with Gabe to torment Allison. Meanwhile, he continues to be emotionally abusive and gaslighting. Now, however, instead of blaming this attitude on his apparent unhappiness, he does it in the name of creativity.

Through this storyline, the movie becomes an exploration of the toxic relationship between muse and creator, and the abuse of power at the hands of the artists that take everything a little too far looking for genius and authenticity in their oeuvres. The fact that Lawrence Michael Levine, director of the movie, has appeared in several projects of his real-life wife (filmmaker Sophia Takal), makes this new exploration a little meta and fascinating.

The new setting means that we get to immerse ourselves in the behind-the-scenes of an independent movie. The complicity or annoyance in the audience will depend on their interest on the topic. Personally, I enjoyed the possibility of peeking into a set where emotions are real, logistics issues are stressful and never-ending, and the scheming and pettiness of actors and directors are evident.

In this point, the technical and creative aspects of recreating a movie within a movie is intriguing and well-executed. The curiosity of the audience increases when the toxic environment of the place is revealed and some of the scenes in the previous half are recreated as an act. What kind of emotional preparation did the real actors went through to get to these levels of emotional turmoil? Could it be possible that what we see is reflective of what happened in real life behind the scenes? Black Bear is a riveting view on the other side of the screen.

While the three leads are impressive in their roles, both Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott are revelatory with meatier roles. Abbott is a bully that constantly changes the narrative. His intentions do not just gaslight the women of the story, but the audience as well. His shifts between victim and perpetrator are easily and disturbingly done. His voice and mannerisms constantly remind of a manipulative Jake Gyllenhaal.

Aubrey Plaza, as the main character and subject that drastically changes in both scenarios, is fragile, unpredictable, and limitless. Her character goes through an emotional rollercoaster, whether as a director looking for inspiration, a woman dealing with treason and heartache, or an actress tolerating and even embracing abusive attitudes towards her on set. She perfectly captures the chaotic essence of the movie, which starts and ends with her.

Beyond all its successes, the movie presents mysteries that go beyond its control. In this regard, it seems that Levine is not interested in creating answers or even the possibility of comprehension, he just wants to create confusion. Its ambition and self-assuredness do not justify its lack of answers regarding the first half of the movie. What is the point of making it so complicated if there is not a reason that justifies this complexity?

Nevertheless, Black Bear is an enveloping experience that shines because of the shameless commitment of its stars and the privileged view it provides on the abusive bond between artists. Just do not try to find an answer to everything you see on screen.

Grade: B

Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Vanessa Taylor (screenplay), J.D. Vance (book)
Stars: Amy Adams, Haley Bennett, Glenn Close

Synopsis: A Yale law student drawn back to his hometown grapples with family history, Appalachian values, and the American dream.

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This has become a film that, along with others such as 2019’s Cats, has been a punching bag for those on Twitter to roast and spread hate towards. Whilst I am certainly not here to defend the film, with it being of poor quality, I do want to spend this first part sharing the positives from my experience of watching Hillbilly Elegy.

The performances in this film for the most part are decent, but it is Amy Adams and Glenn Close who really holds this film together. No matter what script they are given or what roles they fill their shoes in, they both give 100% in every performance that they get their hands on. Adams to me is a stand-out in this film, and that is not just down to her performance. The supporting cast is fine, but some actors just do not commit to the material they are given or play along with the rest of the drama that this film tries, and I mean try, to build up.

If this was a film about drug abuse and the pressures of a single mother in the south of the US, this would already be a much stronger film. This story works best when the film focuses on that aspect, and that is because Amy Adams sells the role of the single mother. These scenes are emotional, have a huge impact, and leave a mark on the film. It makes you think about the way single mothers, especially of a young age, are treated and the pressure put on them, and that is when the film works.

Sadly, that is only a small portion of this film as this is the story of J.D. Vance and the events before an interview that will change his life. Quite simply, it is very hard to care about J.D. and this major interview he has, as it screams the definition of “first-world problems”. There is a scene in which J.D. calls his girlfriend, Usha, panicking about this smaller interview that he has going. What he ends up panicking over is the cutlery that he is using and whether it is being used correctly. I simply do not understand why dialogue like this helps us relate to J.D. or care about him, which is what we are meant to do.

The film has no idea what tone it wants to go for or what message it wants to send. It is hard to understand where J.D. lies morally, especially with his relationship with his mother. In one scene, he will raise his voice trying to defend her from the hillbilly stereotype, and then two scenes later he will say that he is done helping her through drug addictions because she abandoned him. This could be presented as a dilemma that J.D. has to go through, but his only moral conflict seems to be whether he believes he should take a 10-hour drive to go to an interview, unsure if he will get the job or not.

I have heard some people, including our own JD on InSession Film, describe this film as one that would suit being on Lifetime. There are some great ideas and scenes hidden away in this film, but I definitely see where critics are going with that idea. J.D. Vance does not feel like a real character here. He has the most amazing girlfriend on the other side of the phone, someone who is not only smart and able to get him out of any situation – including the cutlery situation – but who is understanding completely of his situation. It does not feel natural that somebody like Usha would be so patient and loving and have zero flaws whatsoever, it is flawed writing in itself to present her in such a perfect way.

The writing of J.D. himself is all so cringe-worthy and horrible to watch as a bio-pic formula. It feels like the definition version of someone only showing how great they are as a person. He wants to come across as someone who worked hard, given his background, to be better than anyone else. He wants to come across as someone who is patient and would do anything to protect his family. He wants to come across as someone who worked on himself and proved that he was the best person for any job he goes for. He wants to prove that he values family beliefs first and that his mum and nan were always there for him. He did none of that though. The flashbacks and poor acting do little to support J.D., instead only making him look arrogant and big-headed, not truly showing the successes in his life or that he does put anyone else before him.

I want to end this review by clarifying my position when it comes to Hillbilly Elegy. I do not think it is the worst film of the year, let alone the worst film on Netflix this year (and if you think that is the case, you have not seen The Last Thing He Wanted). There are things that are salvageable in this film, such as the performances from Adams and Close and a few strong and emotional sequences, particularly from Adams. However, that is in no way meaning that this film is good. I do not plan to sit through this again, I do not care to do more research into J.D. Vance or the book that this film is based on, and I do not encourage anyone to check this film out except for the purposes that it may get some acting nominations at the Oscars. Even with the strong performances, Adams and Close have given better performances than this, and they better not win for this film.

Grade: D+

Director: George C. Wolfe
Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts

Synopsis: Tensions rise when trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey and her band gather at a recording studio in Chicago in 1927.

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Before this review begins, it’s important to note how heartbreaking the passing of Chadwick Boseman has been to myself and so many around the world. An actor with such presence, who gave grace and beauty to every performance he put on screen. From playing historical figures to Black Panther, Boseman was on pace to be one of the best actors of his generation. When he signed up to play Levee in George C. Wolfe’s adaption of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, I knew this could be another important step in his career by earning the first Oscar nomination of his career. And after seeing the film, there is no doubt he will land that nomination next year. But while he shines in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, everything else you see on screen doesn’t match what Boseman is delivering.

We follow the tensions and infighting between Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) and the members of the band (Bosman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts) while they’re recording some of their famous songs. While the title of this story suggests this is Davis’s film, it is clear within the first ten minutes that this is Levee’s story. He is a brass, outspoken young trumpet player who sees nothing but his fame and fortune in his future. Levee is crass to everyone around him, especially to his other band members, thinking his wonderful talent and connections means he is above them musically and as a person. But as see everything play out, behind all the wise-cracking jokes from Levee’s mouth lies the real pain and hardship that he has faced.

Boseman delivers every word of Levee’s life with such personal affection that it almost feels like these events happened to him. It’s the work of a truly great actor whose channeling the pain and anger of his ancestors before him and inserting it into his character. The proclamations of discrimination that Levee informs the audience with are as relevant as they’ve ever been and demonstrates the frustrations of our shameful history of our country. Only Boseman could have given us one of the best performances of the year as well as an elegantly tragic display of human emotion.

If Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was only about Levee, then it would be one of the best films of the year. Instead, we are given the point of view of the other characters that throw off the tempo in which Boseman is playing in. There is literally a scene in the film where the rest of the band is playing at a different pace than him, so Boseman has to teach them how to play the song his way. That’s what it felt like watching the entire picture, Boseman delivering something special while also trying to get everyone else on his level. And while Domingo, Turman, and Potts do their best to get there, it’s Viola Davis who can’t catch up, and that’s not good considering she is the ‘co-lead’ of this project.

Davis, who won her first Oscar a couple of years ago for another August Wilson adaptation in Fences, is completely wasted here. When she first arrives on screen, we see her dominating the screen as a soul-singing diva. It’s what we came to see. Yet, after that scene, the character completely crumbles on her and everyone else’s performances run circles around Davis. She is too over the top, with nothing to really connect to. And though she is billed as a lead actor in this, she is a supporting character in Levee’s story. It’s disappointing on one hand because it would be nice to see Viola Davis in a lead role dominating every scene she is in. On the other hand, it proves the point in the film that Levee’s arrangements and songwriting are the future of music, and Ma’s way might be that of the past, therefore less interesting.

The direction by George C Wolfe is minimal, really getting the essence of a screenplay built off the bones of a stage play. All Wolfe has to do is stand back and let his actors get to work, for better and for worst. A more experienced film director might have been able to elevate the scope of the project beyond what we get here, but it’s not a terribly bad effort. Overall, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom leaves a little to be desired, even though Boseman gives the performance of his career. It’s a shame that the film he is in isn’t as wonderful as he, but with this, he leaves a legacy that will live on just like Leeve’s soul.

Grade: B-

Director: Christopher Landon
Writer: Christopher Landon, Michael Kennedy
Stars: Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Katie Finneran, Celeste O’Connor, Misha Osherovich, Alan Ruck

Synopsis: A mystical, ancient dagger causes a notorious serial killer to magically switch bodies with a 17-year-old girl.

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I’ve been a big fan of Freaky co-screenwriter Michael Kennedy since September 13, 2018—the day the first episode of Attack of the Queerwolf dropped. Attack of the Queerwolf is a podcast that was designed for people like me: queer horror lovers. For two years, Kennedy, his co-hosts, and their many fantastic guests have dissected horror films through a modern queer lens, offering thoughtful takes that have made me reconsider my feelings about numerous films. They’ve broken down how some personal faves may actually be fundamentally problematic, and they’ve cleared up how some stuff that may appear problematic could be interpreted as empowering from the perspective of someone else’s lived experience. So, when the news broke that Kennedy and Christopher Landon were teaming up on a project, said project instantly shot to the tippy-top of my list. And I must say, theydies and gentlethems, Freaky did not let me down. 

Christopher Landon is on a roll. Happy Death Day was a riot, the perfect blend of slasher goodness and cheeky fun. Then Happy Death Day 2U somehow completely upended the idea of genre storytelling and managed to weave in one the most emotional gut-punches in contemporary horror. With those two films, Landon succeeded at putting a unique spin on the time loop story trope that is so common to science fiction and high concept comedy. Herewith Freaky, Landon and Kennedy tackle another story trope—the body swap scenario—and once again… success! Critics and online personalities quick to dismiss the film as a hackneyed ripoff or a shameless retread are just downright silly. 

Let’s consult a master, shall we? In the introduction to his novel The Damnation Game, Clive Barker posits, “Perhaps the true merit of a tale is not its originality (what tale could ever truly be without precedent?) but in the intensity of its retelling, which may momentarily unseat all expectations.” And that is exactly what Landon and Kennedy do here. They’ve taken yet another high concept comedy blueprint and repurposed it into a hysterical slasher film. 

In Freaky, instead of a mother and daughter switching bodies and learning firsthand the particular hardships that each face every day, we have a teenage girl switching bodies with a serial killer. Kathryn Newton plays Millie Kessler, who would make a perfect final girl in a standard slasher flick. Millie is a somewhat plain high schooler who’s still reeling from a recent family tragedy, but that does not prevent the onslaught of savage bullying she receives daily. She’s a smart, kind senior with a crush on the soft jock who finds herself adrift—with tons of untapped potential and power. Then one night she almost becomes the next victim of Blissfield’s local deranged murderer, because every small town has one of those, right?  

Vince Vaughn plays the Blissfield Butcher, who is not your run of the mill serial killer. He doesn’t just stab and slit throats. The Butcher is heavily inspired by the slashers of the 1980s. He brutally kills his victims with just about any object within arm’s reach—wine bottles, toilet lids, circular saws—and these kills can get ugly. Clearly, Christopher Landon was not planning to shoot another PG-13 horror movie (not that there’s anything wrong with that). When the Butcher sets his sights on Millie, his weapon of choice is an ancient mystical dagger that he took from the home of his previous victim. But instead of taking Millie’s life, the dagger puts her soul in the body of the Butcher and vice versa. Ya know as magical blades are wont to do…

In addition to the thrilling deaths and the pitch-black humor, Freaky gets queer as hell. And unabashedly so. First of all, we have Millie’s friend Joshua, played by Misha Osherovich. Joshua is the type of character I wish I’d been able to see on-screen growing up closeted in rural Ohio. Admittedly, I was not bullied for being secretly gay, but I did feel alienated a lot of the time. So had I, already a horror fanatic by my teens, seen someone like Joshua in a movie, it would have been a life-altering experience. I mean, who else munches on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos while watching Luann de Lesseps nearly get bucked off a camel when he should be on guard duty? Me. I do that specific thing.

Freaky also takes advantage of its premise to explore identity and gender. After all, how could a film written and directed by gay men about a teenage girl switching bodies with a middle-aged man not do that? For instance, Millie’s friends effortlessly continue to refer to her with feminine pronouns, even when she’s played by Vince Vaughn. Likewise, they use masculine pronouns when mentioning the Butcher, even when Newton plays him. This conscious choice may seem innocuous, but it’s important to note that the film is affirming that a person’s body should not define who they are. It’s also interesting seeing each character explore the new sets of privileges and drawbacks that come with their new physiques—the ways they move about a familiar community in unfamiliar bodies—since this imperfect world of ours, unfortunately, does assign social norms to individuals based on their physical attributes. 

Given that he’s playing an adolescent girl, Vaughn has the showier role. As a performer, he seems especially aware of his 6’5” frame and how he occupies space. He gets to have fun with the pitch of his voice, the gait of his run, and the acrobatics of his facial muscles. With the more dialed in—and perhaps more interesting role—Newton undergoes an entire transformation. Her screen presence completely shifts. As the Butcher, Newton becomes a commanding beacon; she develops quite a grave demeanor, and it’s pretty striking. The Butcher also has a slick fashion sense, apparently, with a penchant for badass jackets that could probably be found in Sarah Michelle Gellar’s walk-in closet. 

What’s so great about Freaky is you can tell that Landon and Kennedy loooooove horror. They absolutely embrace their R-rating and go for broke with this film’s kills, with its vulgar humor, and with the unexpected heart at the core of it all. Studios sure don’t make slasher films like they used to and that’s too bad, but if Freaky is a sign of what’s to come, then consider me excited for the future of the genre… Freaky is the type of off-kilter horror I wish I’d seen in my closeted days. Queer horror is so important, and I’m so happy that today’s youth will grow up with a movie like Freaky. 

Grade: B+

Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writer: Ken Hixon, Keith Sharon
Stars: Travis Fimmel, Rachael Taylor, William Fichtner, Lily Rabe, Rhys Coiro, Forest Whitaker

Synopsis: The FBI launches its biggest manhunt when an unlikely gang of thieves tries to steal $30 million in illegal campaign contributions from President Richard Nixon’s secret fund.

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There is a podcast called Heist Podcast which, unsurprisingly, deep dives into a different heist every episode. That they are well over a hundred episodes at this point should be an indicator of the number of heists that have taken place over the course of modern human civilization. Of course, Hollywood is no stranger to this phenomenon: heist capers such as Ocean’s Eleven, The Great Train Robbery, Snatch, Point Break, all cashed in, to varying degrees of success.

Episode 37 of Heist Podcast is called Nixon’s Milk Money. It tells the remarkable true story of a group of small-time criminals from Youngstown, Ohio who set out to rob a bank in Southern California which housed “dirty money” secured by the residing President at the time, Richard Nixon. The criminals managed to steal over $9 million from the President before eventually coming to justice. Strangely enough, given the inherent ripeness of heist movies in any financial climate, this story never made its way onto the big screen before now.

Travis Fimmel (of Vikings fame, and here still as impossibly blue-eyed and charismatic as ever) plays Harry Barber, one of the five men involved in the heist. Barber is obsessed with Steve McQueen (which gives the movie its title) and is a relentless motorhead, stealing several top range cars such as a 1969 Mustang GTO and receiving as many as 41 speeding tickets in a single year. When we first meet him he is relaying the story of the heist to his oblivious girlfriend (played by Rachael Taylor of Jessica Jones fame) in a small-town diner. Thus the framework for Finding Steve McQueen is established: mostly we see things from Barber’s point of view as the somewhat hapless criminal finds himself entangled in his uncle Enzo’s scheme. Enzo hates Richard Nixon, and when the opportunity to rob the President blind appears Enzo can’t help himself, much to the consternation of his business partner Pauly (Louis Lombardi) who rightly believes the job is more trouble than it’s worth. The crew head down to California and devise a plan which predictably goes pear-shaped and leaves Barber on the run from FBI agent Howard Lambert (Forest Whittaker), who tracks them under the shadow of the impending Watergate Scandal.

Director Mark Steven Johnson imbues Finding Steve McQueen with more comedic elements than you might expect. It was a wise move; under the focus of Watergate (and given the state of US politics over the last four years), there could have been a much darker tone struck here. Instead, Johnson keeps things light; the crew finds themselves in a fish-out-of-water scenario among the liberal, unrestrained culture of 70s California, and Fimmel himself plays Barber as hilariously inept and dim-witted, while always keeping you on side with his effortless charisma and likeability. Elsewhere Pauly and fellow crewmember Ray (Entourage‘s Rhys Coiro) are blown away by a new invention in California called a Hot Tub, and Taylor gets a fun scene which sees her downing boilermakers in a bar on the day of her cheating husband’s funeral. It all comes together well enough and is nicely juxtaposed with the real events we know of (John Finn plays Lambert’s boss at the FBI, Mark Felt. Better known to most as Deep Throat) as they loom in the background.

There are a few sticking points, however: for example, the dialogue is a little too on the nose at times. Characters really want you to know we’re in the 70s and will expound on pop culture references such as the attractiveness of Sally Struthers or a Richard Bach novel called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. We get it, it’s the 1970s. As well as this, most heist movies follow one of two routes: there’s the Rififi route – solemn, serious, weighty – or there’s the Ocean’s Eleven route – fun, upbeat caper with fast montages and memorable dialogue – but Finding Steve McQueen seems to strike out for the middle ground between these two and so doesn’t entirely pull off either one quite as well as you’d like it to. It’s perhaps a nit-picking point, but it feels like Finding Steve McQueen doesn’t quite gel its disparate elements very well at times, or strike a consistent tone. In an early sequence, Barber addresses the camera directly on a few occasions, in a slightly tongue-in-cheek, meta way. This is then dropped for the latter half of the movie and it feels a little jarring to go from moments like that to Whittaker’s gruff detective trying to figure out how Nixon ties into all of this.

Ultimately, Finding Steve McQueen is a perfectly fine heist caper. If that seems like it’s been damned with faint praise, it shouldn’t; Johnson doesn’t seem to want to do much else except tell a fun story with likable characters, and this he does well. Fimmel is typically excellent and engaging, one can’t help but wonder why he isn’t a much bigger star by this point, and the supporting cast all bring interesting elements to the story (although Jake Weary is tragically underused as Barber’s brother, Tommy) which prop it up. It doesn’t do anything new for the heist caper, and sometimes struggles to find its tone, but during its best moments, it is enjoyable and occasionally hilarious. For fans of Travis Fimmel, this is one to watch.

Grade: B