Here Today (2021) * * *

 

Directed by:  Billy Crystal

Starring:  Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Penn Badgley, Barry Levinson, Kevin Kline, Sharon Stone, Anna Deveare Smith, Laura Benanti, Louisa Krause

There is something warm and fuzzy about Billy Crystal that takes the edge off of a subject even as harrowing as dementia.   In the opening sequence of Here Today, famed comedy writer Charlie Burnz (Crystal) is taking the same walk to work he takes every day.   He even recognizes what to do when he approaches a familiar stop sign or intersection.   ("Turn left here").  Charlie has been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia and is trying to do what he can to maintain his normal lifestyle.   He works as a writer for a weekly cable TV show, serving as a mentor to the younger writers whose material never seems to make it to the show.   If you watch the unfunny skits which do air, you wonder how bad these writers have to be to not have any of their segments deemed funny enough to make it to broadcast. 

Charlie loves typing on an old fashioned typewriter and his routine, mostly because his routine helps him remember things.   As his doctor advises, though, this and medication can only hold off the inevitable for so long.   Charlie will soon be overtaken by his condition and won't remember anything, including his kids with whom he has a chilly relationship.   He is attempting to write his memoirs but mostly stares at a blank page.   He only appears to recall the bad moments in his life, such as when a police officer appears at his door to tell him his wife was killed in a car crash.   

Enter Emma Page (Haddish), who after her breakup with her cheating boyfriend decides to take his place at a lunch with Charlie which he bid on for charity.   Charlie is shocked to learn the lunch didn't cost much at auction and is even more shocked when Emma develops a nasty seafood allergy and needs a trip to the emergency room.   Even after that episode, Emma and Charlie develop a warm friendship.  They get along and they like each other.   A romantic subplot here would be unnecessary.   Charlie becomes a father figure and Emma becomes a daughter figure, especially since his real daughter Francine (Benanti) still blames him for her mother's death.

Emma, a singer who works mostly in underground night clubs, catches on that Charlie suffers from dementia.   Charlie hasn't told his children or granddaughter whom he dotes on, but Emma decides to forego a world tour to take care of him.   We witness a sweet side to Haddish we haven't seen before.  It suits her, although I wish Crystal pared down some of her singing performances such as her rendition of "Piece of My Heart" at his granddaughter's bat mitzvah.   It's well done, but drags on.   

Crystal films his recollections of his late wife Carrie (the luminous Krause) by having her speak into the camera which acts as Charlie's eyes and ears.   These scenes work without the technique becoming distracting.   Krause's eyes smile even when she's angry, so we are not surprised Charlie fell in love with her so fast.   The camera adores her.   So do we.   

Does Here Today run a bit too long?   Yes, but hey it's Billy Crystal so we forgive him.   Is it schmaltzy?   Of course, but Crystal the actor and director knows just what heartstrings to pluck and for how long.   Here Today could've been a depressing slog, but Crystal and Haddish figure a way to make it fresh and explore even some comic possibilities with the material.   Here Today is a comedy about a serious subject that doesn't come off as depressing or underplay the seriousness. 

Four Good Days (2021) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Rodrigo Garcia

Starring:  Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Stephen Root, Joshua Leonard

As a father of a now deceased addict, many sequences in Four Good Days rang bone-chillingly true.  What Four Good Days captures most is the paranoia and fear of the addict's loved ones who can't trust the addict and are waiting for the next shoe to drop.   It's tricky and painful.   You want to believe your child when he or she swears this time they want to get clean.   When they go out or borrow money, you fear it is for buying drugs or using them.   It's almost as thin a tightrope as the addict walks. 

Glenn Close stars as Deb, whose daughter Molly (Kunis) is seen in the opening moments banging on the front door and camping out on the front porch.   With track marks all over, scabs on her face, and filth all over her body, Molly only wants to stay the night and have mom take her to rehab in the morning.   Deb swore that she wouldn't walk down this dark path again.   We learn Molly has unsuccessfully tried rehab fourteen times to no avail.   What makes anyone think the fifteenth time will be the charm?  Deb's husband Chris (Root) attempts to dissuade Deb from falling for Molly's promises yet again, but what is she to do?  One of the more horrible aspects of addiction is how you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.   You are forced to make nearly impossible choices.

A plot hole you can drive a truck through occurs as Chris stays offscreen for so long you think he moved out.   Chris pops up from time to time, tries to keep Deb strong, and disappears again.   He serves no functional purpose.   While checking into rehab, Molly and Deb learn of a new miracle injection which will curb the addict's desire for heroin for thirty days until the next shot.  In order to ensure Molly has no drugs in her system when she receives the medication, she must wait four painful days until she's ready.   Any drugs in her body would cause a perhaps deadly adverse reaction.  

Molly and Deb now play the waiting game for the four days.   Molly could easily relapse and maybe this time she won't rebound.   Or she could harm herself.   Or she could disappear never to be seen again.   Close is her always dependable self even and Kunis isn't simply playing a role where she uglies herself up in an attempt to gather awards season attention.   Kunis has depth and brings sympathy to this portrait of a self-hating soul who turned to drugs to deal with her issues.

Despite the good intentions and occasional powerhouse moments, Four Good Days mostly has an afterschool special feel to it.   It is worthwhile because of some of the emotions it touches upon, but I couldn't help but think it was only scratching the surface of an issue that better movies about addiction like Less Than Zero truly delve into.  

Together Together (2021) * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Nikole Beckwith

Starring:  Ed Helms, Patti Harrison, Tig Notaro

The font for the opening credits is the same one used for Woody Allen's films since time immemorial.  My curiosity was piqued.   Would Together Together be a comedy in the Woody Allen tradition?  It didn't take long for my curiosity to be unpiqued, which isn't a word but it fits the description of my emotions at the time. 

The stars of Together Together are Ed Helms and Patti Harrison.   They play Matt and Anna and have an unusual relationship.   Matt is a divorced man who wants a child and Anna is the surrogate who will give birth to his baby.   At first, their relationship is strictly business, but the more time they spend together the more they seem to like each other.   Will they fall in love?  Maybe.  They talk, they laugh, they go to birthing classes together, they eat, they date.   Helms and Harrison are likable actors and do their best with characters and dialogue which aren't nearly as appealing as they are. 

We assume Together Together will lead to an inevitable and predictable payoff.   We are wrong.  A predictable payoff would at least be a payoff.   Not that there is much to spoil, but the ending of Together Together doesn't allow for a payoff for all of the lackluster moments which came before it.  There is a brief chat involving Allen between Matt and Anna in which Anna brings up the ick factor of Allen's Manhattan.   Juxtaposed with the lettering of the title credits which were meant clearly as an homage to Allen, I was puzzled by dialogue which surely condemns Allen.   I shouldn't be wondering where writer-director Beckwith stands on Woody Allen in the middle of the film she's trying to present.

Hey, at least puzzlement is a reaction.   The rest of Together Together doesn't inspire much of anything else.     

Voyagers (2021) * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Neil Burger

Starring:  Tye Sheridan, Fionn Whitehead, Lily Rose-Depp, Colin Farrell

If you thought the similar Passengers (2016) was absurd, wait until you see Voyagers.   Both movies deal with a years-long journey to a planet on the other edge of the universe.   The difference?  In Passengers, the ship was populated by people hibernating in pods (two wake up well before the mission ends) while in Voyagers the travelers are wide awake.   The plan is to send a group of thirty young people raised in isolation on the mission in hopes their grandchildren will eventually complete the trek to the faraway planet.   Why raised in isolation?   The hope is they won't know what they're missing when they leave.   Like Passengers, Midnight Sky, or even Interstellar, Earth is Dying and the only way to avoid humankind's perishing is a planet many light years away.

In Passengers, I wondered aloud how the manufacturer of a hibernation pod tested their product to see if someone could sleep in it for 120 years.   In Voyagers, I asked how much food, water, and clothing was necessary to care for potentially three generations worth of people on the same ship.   What if something needs repair?   Is there enough fuel?   The ship should be the size of the gargantuan spacecraft shown in all its glory at the beginning of Spaceballs.   The difference between Voyagers and Spaceballs is that Spaceballs is a comedy, while Voyagers provides unintentional laughs.

The group realizes a blue liquid they consume keeps their primal urges at bay so they don't spend all of their waking hours screwing.   If you're hoping the voyagers' grandchildren can finish the journey, then you have to promote sexual relations.   It's as if they want hanky-panky, but not too much.   Don't even ask how they hope to govern such a thing.   The mission's leader is Richard (Farrell), who acts as a father figure to the young men and women until he meets an inexorable exit midway through the film.  Now the young adults are on their own, and all have a hostile reaction to refraining from drinking the blue water.   Some are a bit more reserved, while others go batshit crazy.   The two personality groups take sides and a Lord of the Flies scenario is born.   

There is fighting and sex, although neither is intense enough to warrant anything worse than a PG-13 rating.  The two leads get it on, but manage to keep on their shirts and underwear.   Farrell, like the blue potion, at least manages to keep things on an even keel before the movie gets rid of him.   No matter what was happening, the questions surrounding the movie's logic soon take over and that's deadly.   

Minari (2020) * * *

 

Directed by:  Lee Isaac Chung

Starring:  Steven Yeun, Noel Kate Cho, Will Patton, Alan S. Kim, Yeri Han, Yuh-Jung Youn

Like the vegetables Jacob (Yeun) painstakingly grows in his field in 1980's Arkansas, Minari takes its time to grow and mature into a portrait of a Korean family trying to make its mark.  Jacob wants nothing more than to be a successful, lucrative farmer.   His wife Monica (Han) resents uprooting their life in California to start over halfway across the country.   Their two bright children, who speak English as a first language, don't like to see their parents fight.   Monica's mother Soonja (Youn) soon moves in and shakes things up with her coarse language, gambling, and directness.   Youn's performance stands out slightly more in a movie filled with very good ones and is likely to win her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Jacob is as intense and focused as Soonja is carefree.   His squabbles with his wife threaten to ruin their marriage.   They can't meet on the same ground.   Another colorful supporting character is Paul (Patton), an evangelical Christian man who works as Jacob's ranch hand and spends his Sundays carrying a cross down a country road.   People like Soonja and Paul breathe life into Minari and lifts it up when it sags.  Minari is autobiographical for writer-director Chung and he has a distinct feel for a time and place which means a lot to him.  

One refreshing aspect of Minari is how its Korean characters do not encounter racism.   Their fellow churchgoers appreciate their presence and make them feel welcome.   The kids are allowed to sleep over their white friends' homes without issue.   I was fully expecting the locals to give the newcomers a hard time, but it did not happen.   Minari is one movie about immigrants which isn't defined by the prejudice they encounter and for that I am grateful.

The night I saw this movie, I then watched Bill Maher's rant about how this year's Oscar-nominated films for Best Picture are downers.   It mentions the ending of Minari, which throws a curve ball into Jacob's plans and forces he and the family to regroup.   I would have preferred a smoother, perhaps more upbeat ending, but sometimes life just isn't like that. 

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Adam Wingard

Starring:  Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Demian Bichir, Kyle Chandler, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza Gonzalez

At the end of my review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), I wished a Kong cameo would have been inserted somewhere in the movie.    Kong takes center stage in Godzilla vs. Kong, a logical, though not necessarily welcome dovetailing of the respective Godzilla and Kong movie series.   The two largest specimens on Earth indeed battle as expected, but it isn't enough to make up for the stupefying boredom we encounter when the monsters aren't fighting.   I got what I asked for all right.   

There are human characters, yes, but they lack any dimension.   An entire subplot about Hollow Earth, an alternate world somewhere beneath the Earth's crust where the likes of Kong and Godzilla once ruled, lacks any sense of wonder.   It just seems like marking time until the gargantuan monsters fight again.   Godzilla vs. Kong, as you would expect, is loud CGI run amok.   By the time the two giants locked horns, I was long past caring.    Then, we have to wait for the inevitable rematch.   In the meantime, I wonder how the property and cities they've damaged will be repaired or how many people were killed when Kong fell into a building .  At least Godzilla and Kong are given more personality than the people.   Since Godzilla and Kong don't occupy the screen 100% of the time, this leads to a lot of phone scrolling. 

There is a plot outside of Godzilla and Kong involving zillionaire corporate head Walter Simmons (Bichir) who invents a robot monster to ostensibly protect humans from the likes of Godzilla and Kong, but we know the robot is designed for more sinister objectives.   In these movies, the filthy reach corporate heads rarely have altruistic motives.  We also meet a young, deaf girl (Hottle), who can communicate with Kong and understand his feelings.   Madison Russell (Brown) returns from the previous Godzilla films to figure out why Godzilla attacked the lab owned by the zillionaire.   The costs for the lab and the robot must run into the trillions, or another larger number which hasn't been invented yet.  And don't get me started on the money which was shelled out to journey to Hollow Earth.   This Walter Simmons must know he is never recouping what he spent on the lab and robot.   He doesn't seem like the type of guy to care either.

The story is similar to Batman v. Superman, in which two heroes fight until a larger threat looms which both will have to unite to take on.   Godzilla and Kong are two giants fighting their own turf war on a planet with eight billion people.   Neither have any evil intent.   They are doing what comes naturally to them.   Back in the day, they would've had more room to stomp around, but now they'd be fortunate to have their own island to themselves.   Jurassic Park and Jurassic World makes the same mistake Godzilla vs. Kong does:  Instead of viewing these creatures with awe and wonder, humans shortsightedly aim to either weaponize them or obliterate them.    Let's face it: there isn't much more that can be done with Godzilla or Kong.   They've had their own individual movies and now they've fought.  I'd rather watch the Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley Nike ad from 1992.  It was over in thirty seconds and it was more entertaining. 

Cold Pursuit (2019) * * *

 

Directed by: Hans Petter Moland

Starring:  Liam Neeson, Emmy Rossum, William Forsythe, Micheal Richardson, Laura Dern, Tom Bateman

I previously posted a review of Cold Pursuit in 2019.   I liked the movie and a comment was posted which was a link to a movie streaming service or some other type of spam.  I removed the comment, but I was still issued a warning by Blogger for trademark infringement or something to that effect.   I removed the post and now I'm reissuing another review.    I give it three stars just like I did two years ago.  

This was one of the better Liam Neeson movies where he kicks ass and takes names after someone wrongs him.   In Cold Pursuit, Neeson is Nels Coxman, a Colorado plow driver whose son is murdered by drug dealers.   Coxman vengefully pursues the dealers and then their boss, a dangerous psycho nicknamed The Viking (Bateman).   The Viking could easily have adorned the cover of GQ magazine many moons ago.  Nels was never a killer or even a violent man, but as the bodies pile up, he develops a thirst for it.  

There are further subplots involving The Viking crossing paths with the local Native American crime lord, someone whom Nels has no beef with.   They find they have more in common than they imagined.  Because Cold Pursuit doesn't simply focus on Neeson, but spreads the wealth around, it is more engaging than standard action fare.    Cold Pursuit also is told with dark humor which takes what would appear to be a standard Liam Neesons action vehicle and turns it into something better.   Now I hope no one sends me any more spam comments.