COMING SOON

With only two films under his belt, Ari Aster has already proven to be one of the more intriguing filmmakers working today. Following the wildly offbeat horror dramas, "Hereditary" and "Midsommar", Aster is due back with "Beau is Afraid". And while the trailer seems to reveal that the writer/director has not strayed far from his comfort zone, this film also seems to move in a different direction than expected. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the title character, Beau Wassermann who is just trying to get to his mother after she unexpectedly passes away, leading to a surreal journey that has him looking back on his life, filled with disturbing imagery and dark humor. There is an impressive supporting cast that includes Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Parker Posey and Patti LuPone.

"Beau is Afraid" is due in US theaters on April 21, 2023

2023 OUTFEST FUSION

The Outfest Fusion Film Festival has been focused on highlighting the cinematic work of QTBIPOC storytellers since 2004. This year, the Los Angeles based annual event begins on March 24th and running through April 1st. In addition to films, the fest will offer free community workshops, masterclasses, the One Minute Movie Contest, live music and the debut of Family Day which will feature a short film program for children age 10 and up and their families at DTLA Lupe Ontiveros Cinema Center on April 1st.

The Opening Night Gala, held at the Aratani Theater in the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, will feature a series of shorts that will showcase a wide spectrum of fascinating stories involving queer people of color. Elegance Bratton, the filmmaker who made a great impression last year with his directorial feature film debut, "The Inspection" which was loosely based on his experiences and Bird Runningwater, who heads the Native American and Indigenous Program at the Sundance Institute, will also both be honored this evening.

Two films that made a splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival will be screened at Outfest Fusion: The documentary, "The Stroll" examines a stretch of area in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District where trans women of color had survived by doing sex work and supporting each other amidst the constant threats of violence. "Little Richard: I Am Everything" is the long overdue historical exploration on the life of the true "king of rock & roll" from director Lisa Cortés. This riveting documentary follows Richard Wayne Penniman, a musician from Macon, Georgia, who helped give birth to an exciting new form of music. On stage, Richard may have been wild, flamboyant and unapologetically queer yet privately he struggled with this, at one point leaving the world of rock & roll behind to only serve God.



For the complete list of films, events and to purchase tickets, please click below:

2023 Outfest Fusion

THE 95TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

A dark cloud has hung over the Oscars since last year's ceremony after the shocking physical altercation on stage that had left a lingering feeling of PTSD. But as they say, time heals all wounds, and a year later, the 95th annual Academy Awards wants to put all of that distracting unpleasantness behind, shifting the focus back to where it belongs: the celebration of cinema. The first, most important, move was returning to present all twenty-three categories live on the Oscars after eight awards were given out before the telecast last year and later announced throughout the show. The goal might have been an attempt to shorten the length of the Oscars and make the program more appealing to younger viewers, but this misguided act did neither. The show opened with a montage that displayed all the many departments involved in making a movie, as a way to remind viewers why each category matters and should be honored on the show.

The other welcome comeback was to finally have a proper host guiding the show after the last few years without one. On his third outing as host, Jimmy Kimmel kept the atmosphere light and easy, playfully joking about the movies and the nominees. Not all of them landed and a few had the audience groaning (one about the poor box-office of the expensive "Babylon") but he managed to maintain a lively, upbeat mood. And of course, the comedian had to mention the infamous slap that had previously occurred, but the jokes were still relatively tame.

As was predicted due to the film's front-runner status after accumulating many wins in various Hollywood guild awards prior to the show, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" swept the major awards, winning a total of seven including Best Picture. This oddball sci-fi comedy-drama with a warm center created by The Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert) won the team Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Michelle Yeoh, who began her career starring in a series of Hong Kong action films and became better known here due to her role in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", won Best Actress, making her the first Asian actor to receive this award. The Oscar was presented to Yeoh by last year's winner of the award, Jessica Chastain and Halle Berry, who was the first African American actor (and sadly still the only one) in 2002 to win Best Actress. Jamie Lee Curtis, the veteran performer who first found fame in the 1978 horror classic, "Halloween" and fully embraces her nepo status as the child of Hollywood royalty, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, received her first Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her work in the film. And one of the most heartwarming moments was Ke Huy Quan winning Best Supporting Actor. He had started off as a successful child actor, appearing in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies", yet had to abandon his career due to a lack of decent opportunities as an adult but Quan managed to come back in a major way with his celebrated performance in this movie.

Another comeback that was warmly celebrated this evening was Brendan Fraser's heartbreaking performance in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale", winning him the Best Actor Oscar. Fraser had been a popular movie star at one point, appearing in "The Mummy" trilogy, "Gods and Monsters", the 2004 Best Picture winner, "Crash" and "Encino Man" (which co-starred fellow winner, Quan) but his career took a hit after various health problems and the alleged sexual assault that was committed to him by the then-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Yet his astounding work as a morbidly obese English teacher trying to restore his relationship with his teenage daughter in "The Whale" revealed to audiences that we hadn't really seen Fraser's full potential as an actor.

Another major winner was the German-language remake of "All Quiet on the Western Front" which received four awards including Best International Feature. Based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque (and was first made as a Hollywood movie in 1930, winning Best Picture), Edward Berger's WWI set drama is a moving and harrowing depiction on the tragedy of global conflict. The only other feature films that received Oscars were Sarah Polley's adapted screenplay for "Women Talking", Ruth Carter winning her second for Best Costume Design with "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", "Top Gun: Maverick" taking Best Sound and "Avatar: The Way of Water" obviously getting Best Visual Effects. With so few movies taking most of the prizes, this meant that half of the Best Picture nominees; "Elvis", "Tár", "The Fabelmans", "Triangle of Sadness" and "The Banshees of Inisherin" went home empty-handed.

The only nomination that "RRR" received was for Best Original Song but I think this thrilling Indian epic deserved to be further recognized by the Academy. But "Naatu Naatu" did win the award with the live performance of the song managing to be just as electrifying as it was in the film. The rest of the Original Song nominees were performed on the show by the original artists which included an unannounced Lady Gaga doing a stripped-down version of "Hold My Hand" from the "Top Gun" sequel which ended with a screen tribute to the first film's director, the late Tony Scott.

This year's Oscar telecast ended forty minutes after the planned three-hour runtime which is exactly the same time as last year even with the omitted live categories. And the ratings were up 12% compared to the 94th ceremony with 18.7 million viewers. I'm not sure what this will mean in the long run, as all award shows have suffered ratings decline, but The Oscars have rebounded, revealing that some traditions matter and with the right elements in place, audiences will tune in.

Finally, I have to comment on a moment on the program that really disturbed me: Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, the co-stars of the upcoming live-action version of "The Little Mermaid", came out to introduce the trailer for this upcoming movie. I was highly offended that the Oscars were being used to promote a movie in the middle of the show, made even more shameless by this being done on the Disney-owned station, ABC. I'm sure many studios would love to use this show to plug their next big-budget, extravaganza but the Oscars should not be used for free publicity. Besides, that is exactly what those pricy commercials in between the show are supposed to be for.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 2023 Academy Awards:

Best Picture: "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley, "Women Talking"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Brendan Fraser, "The Whale"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best International Feature Film: "Im Westen nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front)" (Germany)
Best Animated Feature Film: "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
Best Animated Short Film: "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse"
Best Documentary Feature Film: "Navalny"
Best Documentary Short Film: "The Elephant Whisperers"
Best Live Action Short Film: "An Irish Goodbye"
Best Cinematography: James Friend, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Editing: Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Costume Design: Ruth Carter, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley, "The Whale"
Best Original Music Score: Volker Bertelmann, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Original Song: "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" (Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose)
Best Sound: Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, "Top Gun: Maverick"
Best Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett, "Avatar: The Way of Water"

Academy Honorary Awards:

Euzhan Palcy
Diane Warren
Peter Weir

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award:

Michael J. Fox

OSCAR MADNESS

The Oscars are just a few days away, with Jimmy Kimmel returning to host the ninety-fifth ceremony. So here is a bit of cinema ranking and some lively bits of Oscar information to go over before showtime this Sunday:

There was much chatter about the recent polling by the British film magazine, Sight and Sound with their survey, taken every ten years, ranking the top-ten greatest movies of all-time. Beginning in 1952, with Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" topping the list, each decade saw a shifting in order of films but it was "Citizen Kane" that ruled the number one position starting in 1962. Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece remained at the top of this poll until 2012 when the stylish psychological thriller, "Vertigo" by Alfred Hitchcock took over the top spot. At this time, the list was expanded to include one hundred movies and increased the number of international film professionals and critics to participate in the selections. And last year with the latest poll, "Vertigo" was replaced by a new film that had previously ranked thirty-seven on the list. The New York Times explores the history of the Sight and Sound poll, examining how opinions and tastes have changed over the decades.

Please click below to read:

What Makes a Movie the Greatest of All-Time?

Many were taken aback when the British performer, Andrea Riseborough was announced this year as one of the nominees for Best Actress in a little-seen, off-the-radar, indie drama, "To Leslie". After just watching her searing performance in the film as an alcoholic, single mother who squanders all the prize money after winning the lottery and abandoning her son, it is quite clear to me that not only does Riseborough earn her spot in the category but is actually a true contender to receive the award. But this is hardly the first time that the actress has impressed audiences, critics and her fellow actors with her captivating, committed work. Vulture has selected eleven of Riseborough's previous film and television appearances to highlight, giving a better understanding on why she is in the conversation.

Please click below to read:

Eleven Andrea Riseborough Performances That Will Turn You Into a Convert

Roger Deakins is one of the most honored cinematographers by the Academy with the British director of photography earning his sixteenth Oscar nomination this year for his breathtaking work in Sam Mendes' "Empire of Light". Cláudio Alves, for the blog, The Film Expereince, has ranked this visionary master's sixteen nominations, breaking them down from great although not thrilling to absolute transcendence.

Please click below to read:

Ranking Roger Deakins' Oscar Nominations

Vulture has also gone on to rank all fifty-four films nominated this year for an Oscar (including the short films). This is an impressive endeavor and I have to say I'm a little shocked at what was ranked at the bottom of this list. Check it out for yourself:

Please click below to read:

All 54 Oscar-Nominated Movies Ranked

And to close this Oscar Madness out, here is a clip of the first, almost thirty minutes of the 1974 Academy Awards which includes a dazzling opening musical number by Liza Minnelli that pays tribute to the award, an introduction by then-Academy President Walter Mirisch (who just recently passed away in February at the age of 101) and opening comedy monologue by host Burt Reynolds:

AWARD NEWS: THE FINALS

With less than a week away, the Oscars will close out award season and that means the guilds have been making their selections of the best in cinema from 2022. And "Everything Everywhere All at Once", the trippy, family drama-comedy by the filmmaking team, the Daniels has been sweeping these prizes including the recent Film Independent Spirit Awards. Now this certainly doesn't mean this will be the outcome at the Academy Awards but this film's chances have improved greatly to bring home a lot of Oscar gold.

Here are the winners of the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards (Film):

Best Feature: "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Director: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Screenplay: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Best Lead Performance: Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Supporting Performance: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Cinematography: Florian Hoffmeister, Tár"
Best Editing: Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Best Documentary: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed"
Best International Film: "Joyland" (Pakistan/USA)
Best Breakthrough Performance: Stephanie Hsu, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Best First Feature: "Aftersun"
Best First Screenplay: John Patton Ford, "Emily the Criminal"
Someone To Watch Award: Nikyatu Jusu, "Nanny"
John Cassavetes Award: "The Cathedral"
Robert Altman Award: "Women Talking:

Here are the winners of the 2023 Writers Guild Awards (Motion Picture):

Best Original Screenplay: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley, "Women Talking"
Best Documentary Screenplay: Brett Morgen, "Moonage Daydream"

Here are the winners of the 2023 Producers Guild Awards (Motion Picture):

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Jonathan Wang, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: Guillermo Del Toro, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley, "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris, "Navalny"

Here are the winners of the 2023 Directors Guild of America Awards (Motion Picture):

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Theatrical Feature Film Director: Charlotte Wells, "Aftersun"
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Feature Film: Sara Dosa, "Fire of Love"

Here are the winners of the 2023 ACE Eddie Awards:

Best Edited Theatrical Feature Film (Comedy): Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Edited Theatrical Feature Film (Drama): Eddie Hamilton, "Top Gun: Maverick"
Best Edited Theatrical Documentary Film: Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, "Fire of Love"
Best Edited Animated Film (Theatrical or Non-Theatrical): Ken Schretzmann and Holly Klein, "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"

Here are the winners of the 2023 the American Society of Cinematographers Awards (Motion Picture):

Best Feature Film Cinematography: Mandy Walker, Elvis"
Best Documentary Feature Cinematography: Ben Bernhard and Riju Das, "All That Breathes"

Here are the winners of the 2023 Screen Actor Guild Awards (Motion Picture):

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Brendan Fraser, "The Whale"
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"

Meanwhile over in Europe, the Brits and the French have different ideas on what was the best in cinema last year with the WWI set, German-language drama, "All Quiet on the Western Front" sweeping the BAFTA awards and winning seven awards, the most ever for a foreign language film.

Here are the winners of the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards:

Best Film: "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Outstanding British Film: "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Director: Edward Berger, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Original Screenplay: Martin Mcdonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Leading Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Tár"
Best Leading Actor: Austin Butler, "Elvis"
Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Supporting Actor: Barry Keoghan, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Cinematography: James Friend, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Editing: Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Documentary: "Navalny"
Best Animated Film: "Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio"
Best Film Not in the English Language: "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Production Design: Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, "Babylon"
Best Casting: Nikki Barrett and Denise Chamian, "Elvis"
Best Costume Design: Catherine Martin, "Elvis"
Best Hair & Make-Up: Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston and Shane Thomas, "Elvis"
Best Original Score: Volker Bertelmann, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Sound: Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil and Markus Stemler, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Special Visual Effects: Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri and Eric Saindon, "Avatar: The Way of Water"
Best British Short Film: "An Irish Goodbye"
Best British Short Animation: "The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse"
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Charlotte Wells, "Aftersun"

And the César Awards honored "La Nuit du 12 (the Night of the 12th)", about a police detective who becomes obsessed with a complex case involving a murdered female victim in a small town in the French Alps, with six awards including Best Film. The Honorary César went to American director, David Fincher with star Brad Pitt (who co-starred in the filmmaker's "Seven" and "Fight Club") making an unannounced appearance to present him with the career achievement award.

Here is a partial list of winners of the 2023 César Awards:

Best Film: "La Nuit du 12 (the Night of the 12th)"

Best Director: Dominik Moll, "The Night of the 12th"
Best Original Screenplay: Louis Garrel, Tanguy Viel and Naïla Guiguet, "The Innocent"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Gilles Marchand and Dominik Moll, "The Night of the 12th"
Best Actress: Virginie Efira, "Paris Memories"
Best Actor: Benoit Magimel, "Pacifiction"
Best Supporting Actress: Noemie Merlant, "The Innocent"
Best Supporting Actor: Bouli Lanners, "The Night of the 12th"
Best Female Newcomer: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, "Forever Young"
Best Male Newcomer: Bastien Bouillon, The Night of the 12th"
Best Debut Feature: "Saint Omer"
Best Animated Feature: "My Sunny Maad"
Best Documentary Feature: "Returning to Reims (Fragments)" 

Best Foreign Film: "As Bestas (the Beasts)" (Spain/France)

Best Cinematography: Artur Tort," Pacification"
Best Editing: Mathilde van de Moortel, "Full Time"
Best Original Score: Irene Dresel, "Full Time"

WINNERS OF THE 2023 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

"Sur l’Adamant (On The Adamant)", a French documentary by Nicolas Philibert, received the top jury prize of the Golden Bear at the conclusion of the 2023 Berlin Film Festival. This film examines a different kind of medical center, a floating structure located on the Seine River in Paris, that helps individuals suffering from mental health disorders with a kind staff helping them in a way that in generous and humane. The latest from Christian Petzold, "Roter Himmel (Afire)", which involves four people on a holiday near the Baltic Sea when they become trapped by uncontrolled forest fires, won the German director the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The Silver Bear Jury Prize (or third runner-up) was given to the Portuguese filmmaker, Joᾶo Canijo for his film, "Mal Viver (Bad Living)", a drama about a family of several women from different generations, whose relationships with each other have grown hostile and bitter. And legendary French filmmaker, Philippe Garrel took the Best Director prize for "Le grand chariot (the Plough)" which co-stars his children, Louis and Esther Garrel in this drama about a traveling puppet theater run by several generations of a family.

Here are the jury winners of the 2023 Berlin Film Festival:

Golden Bear for Best Film; "Sur l'Adamant (On the Adamant)"
Silver Bear for Best Director: Philippe Garrel, "Le grand chariot (The Plough)" 

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: "Roter Himmel"
Silver Bear Jury Prize: "Mal Viver (Bad Living)"



Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Angela Schanelec, "Music"

Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance: Sofía Ortero, "20,000 Species of Bees"



Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: Thea Ehre, "Till the End of The Night"
Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Hélène Louvart for the cinematography in "Disco Boy"

MY LEAST FAVORITE FILMS OF 2022

I always go into seeing every movie with excitement, an open mind and great optimism. But sometimes things just don't work out. Here are a few films that I saw last year that unfortunately just didn't work for me.

"AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER"

Sure, "Avatar: The Way of Water", James Cameron's sequel to his 2009 visually groundbreaking, sci-fi adventure, has not only become the highest grossing film of 2022 but has leapt to become the fourth highest grossing film of all-time (with Cameron's "Avatar" and "Titanic" ranking at number one and number three respectively) currently at $2.1 billion dollars. And I'm certain that I may be in the minority (since it would require many people to have seen this movie multiple times in order for it to have made this amount of money) but I did not enjoy "The Way of Water" and even given a free ticket could not get me to sit through this movie again. This film picks up sixteen years later on the planet Pandora where American solider, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is living as an Avatar with his love, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as one of the Na'vi, raising their five children which includes Spider (Jack Champion), the human son of Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who died fighting against the Na'vi. With Earth still dying, the Resources Development Administration have returned to Pandora in order to once again try and take over the planet, with a mission now run by General Ardmore (Edie Falco). The new plan involves using Na'vi avatars that utilizes the memories of dead soldiers, including Quaritch, in the battle to colonize Pandora. With the avatar Quaritch capturing Spider, learning about the language and customs of the Na'vi, Jake convinces a reluctant Neytiri to take their family to shelter with the Metkayina people who live isolated surrounding the sea, instead of fighting. But Quaritch is determined to track them down no matter where they hide. There is more plot involved but not really worth going over as it doesn't add up to much. The narrative of "The Way of Water" is so basic with such dreadful dialogue that it makes the mind-numbing three-hour runtime feel even longer. Even the visual effects and action sequences add nothing to enhance this poorly conceived adventure. "Avatar: The Way of Water" is definitely not worth the long wait.

"DON'T WORRY DARLING"

When the actress Olivia Wilde decided to work behind the camera, her first feature film as a director was "Booksmart", a charming yet raunchy teen comedy about two high school girls wanting to finally break the rules, after spending all their time being good students, and party hard on their last day of school. This made me anticipate Wilde's follow-up and the trailer for her next film, "Don't Worry Darling" appeared very intriguing. And while this psychological thriller begins quite promising, the film devolves into a contrived, muddled mess. Set in a 1960's styled world where all the men go off to work in a California desert town called Victory while their wives kiss them goodbye, spending their days shopping, cooking, cleaning and never asking what exactly their husbands do at their jobs. Alice (Florence Pugh) is at first content as the happy housewife for her husband, Jack (Harry Styles) but she soon begins to experience odd occurrences and strange hallucinations. As she become more uneasy and increasingly paranoid, Alice pushes back against the community's founder, Frank (Chris Pine) for answers. After admitting to her privately that their society is not all that it appears to be, Alice confronts him publicly at a dinner party. Yet Frank denies everything she reveals, making it seem like Alice is losing her mind. "Don't Worry Darling" brings to mind "The Stepford Wives" which used the thriller genre to make a commentary on gender politics. Yet like that high-concept film, the script by Katie Silberman fails to have a clear vision on how to have this clever story make much sense once we reach the conclusion. The film is exquisitely shot by Matthew Libatique, features outstanding production design and has some nice supporting work by Pine and the director who plays a neighbor's wife. But it is Pugh, with an intense, committed performance, who manages to keep us engaged throughout this lackluster drama. Unfortunately, her persuasive work is not enough to make the disappointing "Don't Worry Darling" worthwhile to watch.

"BROS"

"Bros" was promoted as the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio with an actual cast of LGBTQ performers. And while the far more enjoyable other gay rom-com released last year, "Fire Island" may have been technically first, "Bros" fails to deliver many laughs or stir amorous emotions in this rom-com about modern gay men trying to find love in today's complicated world. Billy Eichner (who also co-wrote the screenplay with the director, Nicholas Stoller) plays Bobby, the host of a podcast about Stonewall who has proudly accepted being single and feeling no shame. At a party, Bobby meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), a hot muscle gay. The two later begin to date and while they are attracted to each other, Bobby and Aaron have very different views on life, sex and relationships, making them find a true love connection together extremely challenging. MacFarlane does bring an effortless charm to his character (which I'm sure has much to do with the years of him playing the (straight) romantic lead in many Hallmark Channel movies) but Eichner is the harder sell. The comedian and star of the popular game show, "Billy on the Street" doesn't naturally radiate warmth and charisma, making him come across far too abrasive to be effective as the focus of a romantic comedy. The actors also don't generate much chemistry as a couple which doesn't help imaging that their characters would seriously end up happily ever after. Eichner has been quite vocal about his disappointment with the film underperforming, blaming homophobia for the film's poor box-office. There certainly could be some truth to his claim but the problems with "Bros" could also be the underdeveloped characters, lack of funny jokes, too much time spent venting about gay culture and relationships and the inability to create an inviting atmosphere.



"BONES AND ALL"

Luca Guadagnino is one of the more commanding filmmakers currently working today, crafting emotionally complex, carnally driven, visually stimulating cinema like such memorable works as "I am Love", "A Bigger Splash" and "Call Me By Your Name". But the Italian director's latest, "Bones and All", based on the book by Camille DeAngelis, is a teenage cannibalistic love story that features his compelling style and some outstanding performances, yet this creepy, road-trip drama never successfully achieves a convincing cohesion with its mix of narrative themes. After being abandoned by her father (Andre Holland) on her eighteenth birthday, Maren (Taylor Russell) is forced to confront what she has never admitted to herself; she has a taste for human flesh. Maren's father details her history, beginning with devouring the babysitter as a child, on cassette tapes for her, no longer believing she will outgrow this uncontrollable desire. Out on her own, Maren meets other "eaters" which includes Sully (an excellent Mark Rylance), an older eccentric who educates her on their ways. Feeling uncomfortable around Sully, Maren flees his home, later meeting Lee (a scary-thin Timothée Chalamet), a fellow teenage "eater" who she falls for, joining her on a quest to Minnesota to see if she can get information on her mother who disappeared when she was an infant. "Bones and All" doesn't work as a romance, an emotional drama or a horror film, leaving behind only a listless, unfocused movie.

"THE SON"

Florian Zeller, the French novelist turned playwright turned filmmaker, made a big impression with his first film as a director, "The Father" in 2020. Based on his 2012 play, this engaging English-language drama about a man suffering from dementia and his daughter struggling to help him became a critical and box-office success, receiving plenty of award recognition including star, Sir Anthony Hopkins winning the Best Actor Oscar and Zeller and co-writer, Christopher Hampton earning Best Adapted Screenplay. Zeller's latest feature, "The Son" is based on another one of his plays (with the screenplay once again co-written with Hampton) yet this time, the results are extremely disappointing. Hugh Jackman stars as Peter Miller, a successful businessman who has started a new family with a younger wife (Vanessa Kirby) and newborn baby, leaving his other family behind. His ex-wife, Kate (Laura Dern) comes to Peter desperate about their seventeen-year-old son, Nicholas (Zen McGrath) who has become sullen, won't speak to her and skipping school. Peter agrees to take Nicholas in, hoping to reconnect with his son and straighten him out. And while the new environment seemed to help initially, Nicholas begins to not go to school. Peter's response is to just yell and make demands, pushing his morose son even further away. "The Son" is an exasperating and frustrating film, watching these self-absorbed, emotionally detached parents just wanting the problems of their deeply troubled and depressed child to simply just go away, never considering getting him professional help. As I continued to watch their flagrant disregard for their son's well-being and never attempting to communicate with a calmer approach, I just became more outraged by their behavior. A great cast (which includes an appearance by Hopkins as Peter's estranged father) is wasted in "The Son", a poorly conceived drama that is a perfect guide in how not to parent a child.