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Words Sarah Kidd

“The addition of a couple of the latest queens of the music scene in the form of Cardi B and Lizzo, adding a much-needed sprinkle of relevant spice”

Based on a true story, or more specifically a 2015 article in New York magazine entitled ‘The Hustlers Score’, Lorene Scafaria soon has the audience cheering for the exotic dancer sisterhood with her stylish cinematic offering of Hustlers.

Starring Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu (Destiny) and the incomparable Jennifer Lopez (Ramona) as the main protagonists, Hustlers manages to pull off being a fairly entertaining watch while exploring not only the camaraderie between women – especially the relationship between Ramona and Destiny who are also mothers to daughters of their own – but how the financial crisis of 2008 hit those just trying to make a living in the industries least thought about, the hardest.

Faced with a battle for survival, the girls of the Moves strip club soon find a way to keep the money rolling in, even if that means crossing a serious line. A cinematic crime drama, comparisons to films such as Goodfellas have been unavoidable, however unlike the Scorsese classic, Hustlers suffers a little under the burden of overly repetitive scenes and at times one-dimensional characters; the addition of a couple of the latest queens of the music scene in the form of Cardi B and Lizzo, adding a much-needed sprinkle of relevant spice.

Despite much of the film being set within the club, the combined direction and cinematography of Scafaria and Todd Banhazi prevents it from ever tumbling into the territory of tasteless voyeurism and in fact nods to not only the athleticism, but tireless work ethic required for the job role. And while money may be the root of all evil no matter which side of the fence you sit on, greed the undoing of both the victims and the perpetrators in this New York tale, Scafaria again is careful when walking that fine line; the story moving from glamorization and justification of the felonies, to watching as plans slowly unravel. Deception bringing about the ultimate downfall, consequence the only thing waiting at the bottom of the cliff.

With some excellent acting in the supporting roles from both Lili Reinhart and Keke Palmer not to mention the legendary but sadly underutilised Mercedes Ruehl, Hustlers is sure to be a hit, if not just for watching Jennifer Lopez steal every damn scene she appears in. From the moment she slides down a glittering pole under a literal shower of money to a decidedly Breaking Bad moment of cooking drugs in the kitchen of her penthouse apartment, each moment of celluloid is effortlessly owned and then tucked away inside her Louis Vuitton handbag.

Hustlers is a film that features one stunning and diverse group of lionesses, and none roars louder than J.Lo herself. Hustlers releases in New Zealand in theatres on October 10.

Words Jon Clist

Based on some of the online discussion that came out for Joker, this is certainly one of the most anticipated films for 2019. There has been so much talk already about Joaquin Phoenix and his complete inhabitation of the role of Arthur Fleck. So, it was always going to be hard to not have high expectations going into this film. The praise for Phoenix is not an overestimation by any stretch. He is so unbelievably brilliant in his portrayal of this broken character and for over two hours you cannot take your eyes off him.

There have been many actors to bring something rather fresh and unique to the role of Joker and hence most DC fans have a favourite already in mind. Thanks to his Oscar winning performance Heath Ledger has certainly found his way to the top pf that list in the eyes of many cinema goers. That spot could very well be in jeopardy thanks to this rather unique approach to the story of Arthur Fleck. Phoenix, in his usual style, has completely owned the character from start to finish. This an origin story and hence we get to see a wonderful transition from the man to villain. While this is Joaquin Phoenix’s first role in a comic book film, it is easy to see why he waited until a project like this came along. (Rumour has it that he previously turned down the title role in “Doctor Strange”, as well as the chance to replace Edward Norton as the Hulk in “The Avengers”, because he was unwilling to sign on to the multi-picture deal that Marvel Studios was requiring)

As always, his attention to detail is what makes this such a stunning performance. Phoenix lost a lot of weight for his role as the Joker. In fact he lost a reported 53 pounds for the role. This impacted his health so much that filming a lot of the scenes could only be done once, with no opportunity for reshoots. The incredibly skinny and gaunt portrayal that Phoenix brings to this role is scary and yet very engaging. He is a bad guy and yet there are moments that you find yourself feeling sorry for him and even hoping he might find some level of goodness amongst the crap hand that he has been dealt. This fits well within this story, for there is no good guy and there is no hope, just a large quantity of darkness, pain and suffering. This goes against the typical Hollywood big budget cinematic outing that revolves around the eternal battle of good versus evil. This is a film that gives no hope nor love and hence no warm fuzzy at any stage and especially at the end.

In a recent interview with SFX magazine, Phoenix acknowledged that while the violence in “Joker” is “a little more visceral and raw” than films such as the Avengers series, he “didn’t have any hesitation about it. You always want it to feel real, and you want the little violence that we have to have an impact,” he said. “What happens in a lot of movies is that you get numb to it, you’re killing 40,000 people, you don’t feel it. While being a fictional story in a fictional world, you always want it to feel real. Everything that happens in this movie as far as violence goes, you feel it.”

The rest of the cast do their jobs although for the most part you don’t even notice they are there (With the exception of Robert De Niro, who is great as the over-the-top Johnny Carson styled late night talk show host. It is beautifully filmed and staged and yet you won’t notice as all eyes are on Phoenix at all times.

Words Mike Beck

John Rambo is back, & this time it’s a hell of a ‘sly’ move.

To understand the darkness, you have to have come from the darkness. That’s John Rambo – a war vet/hero, a vigilante, an outsider; the consummate man alone. In Last Blood, we find Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) as somewhat a broken man. Retreating from much of his former life, & in semi-retirement, Rambo is volunteering for the force as a Mountie, & surprising achieving some grounding with family. John even has an underground mancave.

Suffering from a heavy hangover from his past conflicts & battlefield endeavours, the Rambo of Last Blood is somewhat a metaphor for the resulting affects of war. “It’s hard to get that out of my mind”, Rambo responds when reminded he’s not in Nam anymore. & much like Rambo’s chronic PTSD, there’s enough violence & dysfunctional behaviour in Last Blood to induce a nightmare or ten.

From a low success recue rate, to the abduction of his niece to a sex trafficking cartel, you get the recurrent theme that no matter what Rambo does, he can’t escape from the dark. Last Blood has plenty of bad stuff, it happens quick, & when the baddies get badass, Rambo is left to his default devices & the body count starts to pile up.

Although Stallone keeps his shirt on for this outing, the lack of skin factor is made up for by a high dose of action, guns, pyrotechnics, & kills of an ultra-violent level. *A trigger warning here for the sensitive; the carnage is gruesome, gory & seemingly OTT, particularly during the third act of Last Blood. & those are the high points, as Last Blood’s storyline largely stays on top of an emotional surface, & is void of any meaty character development.

Last Blood is the fifth film of the Rambo franchise, & judging by the title (with 1982’s First Blood being the opener of the series) & the age of Stallone (73), it’s almost certain to be the final instalment. Very much a legacy film, The Rambo in Last Blood is still a character that believes in justice, & fights for it by taking the law into his own hands. But with the passage of time & the changes that come with it, Rambo’s methodology is now sadly out of date.

Fans of 80’s action hero flicks (Schwarzenegger’s ventures et al) will find solace in the nostalgia of the collective caricatures & lightweight storytelling of Last Blood, & maybe there’s a concerted effort to script it as such. However the human-less portrayal of its core cast players & the often meaningless/overuse of explicit violence, make Last Blood only one to see if you need a night off from thinking.

Words Sarah Kidd

“New Zealander Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom – while not being given an awful lot of room to flex his acting chops – turns in a solid performance”

With the worldwide success of IT back in 2017, and the conclusion of the story of The Losers Club vs Pennywise still left to tell, there was always going to be a sequel. With hype levels at an all time high, the question on everyone’s lips was – would the curse of the sequel strike again?
It’s a recognised phenomenon in the world of blockbuster movies, one that is right up there with reboots; fantastic films with excellent casts being let down by sequels that just don’t hit the mark. IT: Chapter Two falling into the trap of trying to be bigger and better than the first, when really director Andrés Muschietti should have been taking a leaf from the book of ‘less is more’.

Chapter One had all the makings of a great film, solid subject material (any fan of Stephen King able to agree that it was one of his better works) a menacing villain in the form of Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise and an outstanding cast of child actors who brought to the screen a chemistry that had not been seen since the eighties with films like The Goonies and Stand By Me or in more recent times J.J Abrams Super 8. It was a formula that worked.

In Chapter Two viewers are returned to Derry and immediately thrown into the midst of a particularly brutal homophobic attack that is enough to make one recoil back in their seat, the opening scenes of which are the catalyst for the return of Pennywise himself. Mike Hanlon, the only member of The Losers Club not to have left Derry immediately setting about the daunting task of calling his fellow club members to remind them of not only that summer they had already long ago purged from their memory banks but the promise they all made to return to Derry and fight IT should he return as predicted in twenty-seven years.

So far so good; the film then spends a little time with each of the adult cast members as their current stories are told and the links to their childhood counterparts are established. Some of the actors such as James Ransone who plays the adult version of Eddie Kaspbrak and Bill Hader as Richie Tozier baring an uncanny resemblance to their younger versions, right down to their shared mannerisms which immediately draws the viewer in and makes them root for them all that much harder.

Following the subject material, The Losers Club return to Derry sans Stanley Uris who decides to take his own life rather than face the trauma again; the clubs first meeting together in a Chinese restaurant momentarily capturing the love and friendship seen in their childhood, the memories flooding back to them as they tell stories and consistently make fun of each other as they did years ago. Of course, this is a horror film, so IT soon makes his presence known, the scene with the fortune cookies a particularly unnerving one.

“Many of the experiences of what made the first film so good are re-hashed”

From here however Muschietti and Gary Dauberman who penned the screenplay, lose their way for a while. Granted trying to capture the finer nuances of Kings writing, especially this novel, was always going to be a herculean task, one particular cameo with an accompanying running joke in many ways poking fun at both the creator and the creation. The addition of sub-plots such as the return of the depraved Henry Bowers (Dauberman wisely choosing to do away with the kidnapping of Bill’s wife) giving the impression that it is only there to remind the audience that Dauberman did indeed read the book as it adds little to an already lengthy movie.

Following Mike’s instructions each member of The Losers Club, explores the town of Derry, reliving childhood memories and facing down IT in various forms in order to retrieve their respective ‘tokens’ that are required for a ceremony which according to Mike will destroy IT for good. While these scenes allow the audience to reacquaint themselves with the brilliant cast of the first movie, many of the encounters are overly long and laborious, the horror side of said encounters all starting to meld into one as each booming, oozing, graveyard toothed monster begins to look much like the next. Many of the experiences of what made the first film so good are re-hashed, Eddie for example once again being forced to look his germaphobia dead in the eye as it regurgitates all over his face; they become so frequent that they soon dissolve into cheap jump-scare territory that can be predicted down to the second.
Once the film wades through its own murky middle waters, it gets back on trajectory, The Losers Club facing down IT in an epic battle that holds the viewers attention, the hallmark card ending a little on the cliché side, but effectively getting the message across.

“Skarsgård once again delivers as Pennywise, the everlasting drop of drool lingering on his bottom lip and drifting lazy eye still making for enjoyable viewing of the nightmare kind”

While the cast works well, they never quite capture the magic that their youthful counterparts do, Jessica Chastain in particular failing to bring out that inner light that Sophia Lillis projected throughout, however she certainly gains a few marks during some of the messier horror scenes. James McAvoy playing Bill Denbrough as always displays his acting prowess, alongside him New Zealander Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom – while not being given an awful lot of room to flex his acting chops – turns in a solid performance. But it is Hader and Ransone that own the film, the execution of their characters truly outstanding; the LGBT themes that hover in the background of Haders character needing just a touch more fleshing out to make them really connect.

Skarsgård once again delivers as Pennywise, the everlasting drop of drool lingering on his bottom lip and drifting lazy eye still making for enjoyable viewing of the nightmare kind, especially when he decides to get up close and personal with small children before devouring them. At times Pennywise is a little overshadowed by the films desire to show the audience what other creepy crawlies and rotting corpses it has tucked away in dark corners just waiting to pounce; the CGI for the most part rather impressive, those with a sharp eye sure to spot the couple of scenes where they just didn’t have the time to get it quite right but threw it on in there anyways.

Ultimately IT: Chapter Two will keep the general populace of horror fans happy with plenty of hideous creatures and cheap thrills to keep the eyes occupied; but it fails to reach that echelon where it burrows under the skin and lives on well into the daylight hours, plot holes and the questionable length of the movie leaving the more seasoned viewer frustrated. Chapter Three – not required.

Words Mike Beck

“That one time the Queen Of Soul became the Queen of Gospel”

Finally, Aretha arrives on the big screen! Amazing Grace the film has taken a whopping forty six years to get its official cinematic release (2018). Recorded and released in 1972, Amazing Grace became (and still is) the greatest selling Gospel recording of all-time. Not bad for a double-album, and also notable that Amazing Grace was Aretha’s biggest seller overall.

Franklin’s concept was to create music that was immersed in the spirit she grew up with. To achieve that, she chose to record Amazing Grace live in a church, with a band, choir, congregation, plus a limited number of family & guests. Performed at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, the sessions were also filmed, with the intention of releasing a film swiftly too. So why did we have to wait so long for this?

There’s some interesting gender powerplay present in Amazing Grace. Franklin herself barely says a word, as Rev James Cleveland (musical director) & Aretha’s father Rev CL Franklin seemingly speak on her behalf.

God bless the clapper board, but sadly director Sydney Pollack didn’t use one when shooting Amazing Grace. That glitch combined with legal implications, meant that the film was kept in the can. Fast forward to the recent passing of Franklin, the revolution of digital technology (allowing the syncing of sound & picture), & the sorting of copyright complications, meant that Amazing Grace the film got it’s long-awaited birth.

“God bless the clapper board, but sadly director Sydney Pollack didn’t use one when shooting Amazing Grace”

Shot raw and up close, there’s sweat to be seen, and emotions to be felt. Aretha herself is in fantastic form, as her band, who never look like stealing her musical thunder. Keep an ear and an eye out for soul/funk/RnB heavyweights; Chuck Rainey (bass), Bernard Purdie (drums), & Cornell Dupree (guitar).

Amazing Grace presents an unpolished account of the recording sessions, showing rehearsal segments of the film crew prepping for the day/night shoot. Think somewhere in between the previous; Woodstock (1969) & The Last Waltz (1978) music docos. Not far off fifty years in age, Amazing Grace is a unique step back in time. Make an effort to go see it, as it will remind you that music, like Franklin, is itself timeless.

Words Sarah Kidd

“Fans will be disappointed if expecting a movie that aligns faithfully with the original story”

There are two ways in which Andrea Berloff’s directorial debut The Kitchen can be observed; with an absolute pinch of salt, which leads to an average if rather forgettable viewing experience…or with a slightly more discernible palette, that will likely result in utter frustration. Status quo remains unchanged until the night all three husbands are arrested following a convenience store robbery gone wrong. Sent down for three years, suddenly the wives are left on their own, the mob’s promise to look after them amounting to nothing more than a few dollars that won’t even cover the rent.

The Kitchen is based very loosely on the DC Vertigo comic book series of the same name authored by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle, and like so many unsuccessful film adaptations of such material, fans will be disappointed if expecting a movie that aligns faithfully with the original story, Berloff instead attempting to take the film in the direction of female empowerment but clumsily missing the mark.

The year is 1978 and Kathy (Melissa McCarthy), Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) and Claire (Elisabeth Moss) are the wives of Irish Mobsters; Kathy’s relationship with her husband and two children appears healthy, genuine love and care being openly displayed within their little family unit. Ruby on the other hand, as an African-American woman whose mother-in-law (exceptionally played by Margo Martindale) just happens to be the matriarch of the mob family, leads a more repressed life but over time has built an armour of resilience that serves her well. Claire’s existence however is the most miserable, her status on par with that of a human boxing bag.

“The fact that they are able to do this so swiftly with hardly a murmur from the mobsters leaving the audience with a touch of whiplash”

Que the premise of sisters doing it for themselves, Kathy soon convincing both Ruby and Claire that they can take over the business of protection and make some good money, the fact that they are able to do this so swiftly with hardly a murmur from the mobsters leaving the audience with a touch of whiplash. All of a sudden the film propels itself along grimy 70’s New York Streets, a killer soundtrack (one of the few highlights of the film, even if some of the song choices are a little contrived) nipping at the heels of the three protagonists as they magically transform into violent killers with outfits to match despite no time or effort being put into their character development to get them to this point.

Berloff, wearing both the hat of director and writer and having treated herself to a weekend binge of gangster movies, attempts to regurgitate the best bits onto the screen, elements of Goodfellas, Scarface, and of course Widows all making themselves felt through the violence, costumes and themes of the film itself. The resulting offering a concoction of far too many elements and twists trying to be rammed into a relatively – when compared to the aforementioned classics – short running time, the clunky edits often leaving viewers confused, and plotlines unfinished.

While it is always interesting and often rewarding to see comedic actors take on a more dramatic role, McCarthy and Haddish fail to ignite, McCarthy’s expressions often contradicting the scene she is in and leaving the audience wondering what instructions Berloff is giving her. Haddish, while absolutely owning the look, soon spirals into a conceited and power-hungry woman that quickly starts to grate. Moss however shines, the introduction of Domhnall Gleeson as Gabriel, a mob enforcer and war vet, as her love interest creating an on-screen chemistry that is both believable and enjoyable to watch, the duo proving that even when dealt a bad hand a good actor can salvage something worth saving.

Ultimately The Kitchen suffers from split personality and while the occasional decent scene offers glimmers of hope, eventually the film peters out leaving the viewer hungry for something with a little more bite.