sme3 Reviews

Dune: Part Two (2024)

A Spectacular but Unmoving Production

[8/10 · 12 May 2024]

This is a visually-amazing, usually compelling production of a difficult-to-adapt novel. The sandworm riding scenes are particularly stunning. Although the film holds the viewer's interest throughout most of its nearly three hour run time, it easily could have been trimmed by five minutes, and it does drag at moments. Without understanding them from the book, the characters are not defined enough for the audience to become emotionally engaged with them. All of the fight and action scenes have completely predictable outcomes that deprive them of any suspense or thrills.

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Wonka (2023)

Somewhat Tasty

[6/10 · 23 February 2024]

Without a good recipe, ingredients alone do not always make a tasty treat. The performances, art direction, and most other ingredients in this confection are quite good. Unlike all previous Wonka films, this one is not based upon a Roald Dahl book, and this story does not quite feel like the best recipe for these ingredients. The initially unsuccessful Gene Wilder film showed that some things taste better after they have aged a bit. Perhaps this film will too.

With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, a young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers.

I.S.S. (2023)

Poor Execution of a Fantastic Premise

[7/10 · 4 February 2024]

Nuclear war on Earth, people stranded on a space station spiraling into the atmosphere, international conflict in space - The premise of I. S. S. Holds tremendous potential for a great motion picture. Unfortunately, in every way imaginable, I. S. S. Disappoints. It has little to nothing to say about international tensions and cooperation. It lacks suspense, mystery, and tension. The cast and production values seem adequate. This failure seems to lie mostly in an inept screenplay and poor direction.

Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling, the U. S. and Russian astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Astounding

[10/10 · 4 December 2023]

For perhaps the first time in his 70 year career, Godzilla is terrifying. Not only is this the best of the Godzilla series, nothing in the Jurassic films comes close to the terror, suspense, intelligence, and drama of GODZILLA MINUS ONE. The performance of Ryunoskuke Kamiki anchors the film and carries the audience on a rewarding emotional journey. Naoki Sato's score is particularly effective. Rarely does cinema get better than this.

Feeling as if he unfairly cheated death too many times, Shikishima, a surviving Kamikaze pilot is attacked on Odo Island along with many war plane engineers by a gargantuan monster. After the engineers die due to Shikishima failing to distract the monster, an overwhelming amount of guilt weighs on him, especially after a homeless woman and a baby move into his home when he returns. Shikishima, now on a personal mission, teams up with a large group of veterans to finally take down the monster known as Godzilla.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

A Compelling Prequel

[7/10 · 27 November 2023]

Even for those unfamiliar with THE HUNGER GAMES, this film is often engaging. Knowledge of the series adds depth to the film. The titular games provide plot momentum ans suspense. Once the games end, the film's forward trajectory meanders. The performances are outstanding.

The story of Coriolanus Snow, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. He is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, Coriolanus sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor a girl tribute named Lucy Gray Baird from the impoverished District 12.

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

A Lesser Miyazaki Is Still Pretty Good

[7/10 · 26 November 2023]

THE BOY AND THE HERON tackles tough territory as a boy struggles to move past his inability to rescue his mother from a fire before she dies. The approach is unconventional with a journey through other worlds. The artwork and animation are outstanding, but despite what should be emotionally-compelling material, the film often is emotionally distant. Many of the ideas and scenes feel like the cast-offs from past, better Hayao Miyazaki films. As good as the animation is, credit also should go to the musical score for contributing to the atmosphere of the film.

A young boy named Mahito, yearning for his mother, ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

The Marvels (2023)

Absurd Premise Undermines Good Ideas

[6/10 · 25 November 2023]

Bringing together characters from multiple Marvel properties necessitated a plot that makes no sense. Despite this, there are some entertaining ideas in this film, especially the use of songs. Unfortunately, most of the cast of THE MARVELS cannot anchor or bring emotion to roles so completely untethered to reality. Zawe Ashton and Gary Lewis are the only performers who manage to breathe any life into their parts. The art direction and production values are outstanding.

Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S. A. B. E. R. Astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023)

Captures the Show Well

[7/10 · 16 October 2023]

As cinema and a concert film, TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR breaks no new ground. It does a decent job presenting Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Los Angeles. No doubt the actual live show was a better experience, but this documentary provides a good substitute for those foiled by the bungled Ticketmaster launch of tour tickets. Swift's talents and showmanship are on full display. No doubt many Swifties caught the live act, but they may not have seen the bloopers presented at the end of the film.

The cultural phenomenon continues on the big screen! Immerse yourself in this once-in-a-lifetime concert film experience with a breathtaking, cinematic view of the history-making tour. Taylor Swift Eras attire and friendship bracelets are strongly encouraged!

The Creator (2023)

An Excellent Mess

[8/10 · 1 October 2023]

THE CREATOR is consistently compelling, engaging, and it is often visually impressive. Gareth Edwards demonstrates that he is an exceptionally gifted filmmaker, but as a storyteller, he leaves room for improvement. While there is much to recommend about the screenplay, portions of the script are poorly-conceived. The artificial intelligence in the film occasionally demonstrates no intelligence at all. If they have any definition, all of the characters lack depth, but the cast mostly does a good job attempting to breathe life into their thinly-written roles.

Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war-and mankind itself.

Dumb Money (2023)

An Entertaining Story

[9/10 · 24 September 2023]

While DUMB MONEY takes some liberties with the real-life events it depicts, the GameStop short squeeze is a fascinating and fun tale (for those who did not lose money on it, anyway) of little guys besting powerful elites. As such it is difficult to distinguish how much the filmmaking talent behind DUMB MONEY really contributes to the considerable entertainment value of watching their film. Clearly the filmmakers had fun presenting the privileged, aloof lifestyle of the hedge fund elites. Paul Dano anchors the film with a wonderfully natural performance. One can wonder if out of concern for distribution of this film, the filmmakers reduced the AMC Theaters aspect of the real events to a brief on-screen caption.

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

A Fun Time in Venice

[6/10 · 16 September 2023]

Kenneth Branagh seems to have fun making this middling murder mystery. For the most part, audiences should have fun watching it, too. The setting provides plenty of creepy images that mostly set the mood. Perhaps not confident in the story's ability to create suspense on its own, the film is loaded with way too many jump scares that eventually become tiring. While the resolution of the mystery is satisfying, the film goes on a little too long after its mystery has been solved.

In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a seance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Excellent but Shallow

[9/10 · 16 September 2023]

OPPENHEIMER is compelling from start to finish. The performances range from excellent to outstanding. The look of the film is amazing. For all its accomplishments, it does not shed much new light on J. Robert Oppenheimer. Instead, Lewis Strauss emerges as the more interesting figure, but the film is not titled STRAUSS.

A dramatization of the life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who had a large hand in the development of the atomic bomb, thus helping end World War 2. We see his life from university days all the way to post-WW2, where his fame saw him embroiled in political machinations.

Barbie (I) (2023)

Margot Robbie Is Barbie

[7/10 · 16 September 2023]

This is a fun, clever film that does about as much with its premise as it possibly could. Margot Robbie is cast as a doll with a reputation for an unrealistic body type. Finding a way to make a doll not only human but relatable and compelling enough to anchor a feature film is a daunting challenge, but somehow Robbie does just that while also managing to look the part. Appropriately, the art direction is playful. For all the inventiveness of this film, its concept occasionally leaves its screenplay unfocused.

In her live-action, big-screen debut, Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence.

5-25-77 (2008)

Those Who Understand the Title Should Love This

[8/10 · 21 August 2023]

This is an often entertaining and compelling film, but it does have a few moments near its conclusion that are a little less engaging. For a low budget endeavor, this film looks pretty good, but it has moments where its tight finances show. Released around the same time as Steven Spielberg's big budget THE FABELMANS and covering similar territory, it is difficult not to compare and contrast the two films. 5-25-77 is by far the better film. Appreciation of this film depends significantly on one's familiarity with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and the importance of May 25, 1977 to cinema.

Alienated film-maker hopeful Pat Johnson's epic story of growing up in rural Illinois, falling in love and becoming the first fan of the movie that changed everything.

No Hard Feelings (2023)

No Strong Feelings

[8/10 · 29 July 2023]

This is an amiable, mildly off-color comedy. The screenplay is nicely structured, and all of the cast members execute the material well. Watching this film is a pleasant experience, but it is not likely to be remembered for long. Offering a steady stream of chuckles and mild laughs, there is never a memorably riotous moment or memorable line of dialogue. Given the subject matter, it may be appropriate that the leads do not have much chemistry together, which means this film does not quite work as a romantic comedy, but it does not go far enough to be a bawdy comedy.

Lawrence's character portrays the "ne'er-do-well" who answers a Craigslist ad that was placed to hire a date for an introverted and socially awkward teen boy, by his mother and father, who also just so happens to be preparing for college soon.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

A Slick Stunt Show

[5/10 · 29 July 2023]

While Tom Cruise is important to this film, the stunts are the real star. The production values and the increasingly outrageous stunts are about as good as can be. The plot is preposterous and unwieldy, but not as dumb as a FAST AND FURIOUS film. For such a thin plot, the film's length seems unnecessary. The main villain is a malevolent computer, which could be an ominous threat, but it also deprives the film of a larger-than-life human adversary for Cruise's larger-than-life Ethan Hunt.

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Spider-Man Continues To Be Amazing

[9/10 · 3 July 2023]

For the most part SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE maintains the high-quality of its predecessor while offering plenty of new experiences. The animation is beautiful and eye-popping. The story features plenty of action, some humor, and much heart. Some of the goodwill this excellent film inspires in its audience is squandered by the words "To Be Continued." After spending almost two and a half hours building up a complex story and concern for its characters, this film provides no resolution to any of its plot elements, making the end of the film disappointing and frustrating.

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

Missing (I) (2023)

A Fun, Thrilling Trifle

[8/10 · 5 February 2023]

Watching MISSING is a consistently fun experience with moments of suspense and drama. The screenlife gimmick has not lost its novelty, but it at times feels overdone. Some portions of this film might qualify as an animated film. By keeping the mystery and suspense moving swiftly, the filmmakers artfully conceal the sizeable lapses in logic of the plot. Audiences should have a good time watching this film, but it likely will not be long remembered.

From the minds behind Searching comes Missing, a thrilling roller-coaster mystery that makes you wonder how well you know those closest to you. When her mother (Nia Long) disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June's (Storm Reid) search for answers is hindered by international red tape. Stuck thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, June creatively uses all the latest technology at her fingertips to try and find her before it's too late. But as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing raises more questions than answers...and when June unravels secrets about her mom, she discovers that she never really knew her at all.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Perhaps the Best of the Shrek Series

[9/10 · 30 January 2023]

This is a delightful sequel that is far superior to most of the films that preceded it. The filmmakers and the audience have fun exploring new sides and greater depth of the established titular character by having Puss in Boots face his own mortality. Several of the new characters, especially a chihuahua, are a delight. Remarkably, this film offers a story comprehensible and entertaining for children while also offering adults a rich viewing experience. Thankfully, the juvenile humor is at a minimum while rarely going over the heads of younger audiences.

When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he launches an epic journey to restore them by finding the mythical Last Wish.

Glass Onion (2022)

An Entertaining if Overblown Mystery

[8/10 · 30 January 2023]

Benoit Blanc finds himself in yet another mystery that, much like an onion, has many layers. While several mysteries are introduced early in the film, murder is introduced surprisingly late. While Ed Norton's Elon Musk-like character is entertaining, some of his excesses make this film seem less tethered to reality and plausibility than its predecessor did. Hopefully Benoit Blanc will have more cinematic mysteries, but Rian Johnson would be wise to curtail some of the excesses of this film in future installments. The proceedings are entertaining, and with so many mysteries at work, at least some should keep audiences guessing right up to the end of the film.

The Whale (2022)

Outstanding Performances, Mediocre Material

[7/10 · 22 January 2023]

While Brendan Fraser has the most showy role, all of the cast members turn in outstanding performances which are the main reasons to see this film. Darren Aronofsky mostly keeps what story there is moving forward and being compelling. Adapted from a play, the single-setting film overly-emphasizes its dialogue and is visually uninteresting other than perhaps encouraging viewers to marvel at Brendan Fraser's makeup. Before reaching its somewhat predictable ending, the film begins to lose a little steam. Touching on many topics, the film invites audiences to discern meaning from the viewing experience, but the film is subtle enough that meaning may elude some audiences.

The Fabelmans (2022)

Never Say "The End"

[8/10 · 18 December 2022]

Steven Spielberg knows how to tell a story and stage a scene. As a result, watching THE FABELMANS is an enjoyable experience. However, this loosely autobiographical tale largely lacks forward momentum. Although the teen Spielberg went somewhere, this film offers a pleasant journey that refuses to say "The End" or provide much of a conclusion. Some scenes are comically overplayed, others are excessively melodramatic, while most are better balanced.

Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Clever, Moving, but Too Long

[6/10 · 12 December 2022]

BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER opens impressively with scenes that are moving, creepy, and exciting. Each scene also demonstrates how smartly the filmmakers have addressed the sizeable challenge caused by the premature death of Chadwick Boseman, the actor who portrayed Black Panther. Unfortunately, as a superhero film absent its superhero, the forward momentum of the plot begins to stall and drift during a sometimes flabby middle section of the film. The many unwieldy narrative threads do come together into a satisfying and moving conclusion. As with its predecessor, the production values - especially the costume design - are outstanding.

Lady Chatterley's Lover (I) (2022)

The Cliff's Notes Version

[6/10 · 27 November 2022]

This production of LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER neatly summarizes the plot of the novel upon which it is based, and it retains a surprising amount of the naughty bits that earned the novel its notoriety. In the process of condensing the story, the filmmakers lost some of its emotional appeal. Emma Corrin in particular brings depth to an underwritten role, but the rest of the cast capably acquit themselves with similarly underdeveloped material. Unfortunately, the romance often feels more like something that hits the beats of the story rather than something genuine and romantic or erotic. Most of the production values are good.

The Black Phone (2021)

Juvenile and Uneven

[4/10 · 4 September 2022]

With its thinly-drawn adult characters and sizeable plot improbabilities, THE BLACK PHONE seems like it was written by a child. It jumps from school drama to horror tropes to comedic material as though the director could not figure out what to make of the erratic material. Most of the cast cannot overcome the poorly-written dialogue and underdeveloped characters. Despite its many flaws, the film does hold some interest while watching it, and a few of the startling moments do legitimately startle. Only for those capable of suspending much disbelief is this possibly an effective horror film or thriller.