Review: Horizon: An American Saga Part I

Image courtesy of New Line Cinema.

Kevin Costner's costly, multi-film project kicks off with somewhat mixed success in "Horizon: An American Saga Part I." It's clear that Costner, who has previously directed such westerns as the Oscar winning "Dances with Wolves" and "Open Range," is aiming for a saga on the level of "How the West Was Won," a film made by several famous filmmakers - including John Ford - that was set against the backdrop of the post-Civil War years.

The film's first hour is a bit of a slog, despite the fact that there's a lot going on. A settlement in the San Pedro Valley known as Horizon, circa 1859, is attacked early on by Apaches in a scene that feels somewhat regressive following last year's "Killers of the Flower Moon." Regardless, there's a taut sequence in which a family and some friends are holed up in a house as the attack progresses outside.

Meanwhile, a woman (Jena Malone) shoots a man prior to this scene, takes a child, and flees, arriving at the Horizon settlement. Not far behind are a group of ruthless men tracking down the woman involved in the shooting. Elsewhere, a posse forms to seek out the Apaches who carried out the attack - or, honestly, any Native American will seemingly do for this bunch - and carry out retribution. Meanwhile, a tribal elder criticizes the Apache warrior who led the attack, arguing that this act will bring bloodshed on their people. There's also a wagon train being led by Luke Wilson.

"Horizon," as you can see, is a film full of meanwhiles. There's a lot going on - too much, in fact, that when we finally get to a point late in the film when a woman (Sienna Miller) who escaped the initial attack finds a bit of romance with an army lieutenant (Sam Worthington), it comes as a surprise. We never saw this coming because there are so many characters stretched thin here that they are given little time to be developed.

This is a three-hour movie, but it's not until about the first hour to 90 minutes when things pick up. Costner the director saved the best parts for Costner the actor, whose arrival about an hour-plus into the picture is welcome. He plays Hayes, a somewhat mysterious man who shows up at another settlement where Malone's character is hiding out and befriends a young sex worker (Abbey Lee). Their friendship livens up the picture, but also leads to some tension when Hayes runs afoul of one of the bounty hunters, who makes the mistake of drawing on Hayes.

From then on, "Horizon" picks up considerably, although I wasn't sure what to make of the last three or four minutes of the film, which seemed to act as a scored teaser for "Part II." This is a film that takes its time getting where it's going and some viewers might lose patience during the first 75 minutes. Once Costner appears onscreen, it picks up steam and, on the whole, ends up being fairly decent. 

Whether the second part ends up bringing all of these characters together in a satisfactory manner remains to be seen. The first part of the saga isn't half bad. It could have used some trimming and, perhaps, a few less characters. It doesn't represent Costner's best work behind the camera (that would be "Dances with Wolves"), but it's a patient, old fashioned western saga that has some gorgeous vistas, solid performances, and just enough interest to make me want to see what happens in the second installment, coming in August.

Review: Kinds Of Kindness

Image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.

Yorgos Lanthimos follows his acclaimed and comparatively audience friendly "Poor Things" with another of his bleak and weird provocations. This is not necessarily a bad thing as his breakout film, "Dogtooth," was a film of this sort and worked wonders. Another example would be "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," which tried too hard to be a poke in the eye to viewers and saw diminishing returns.

His latest, "Kinds of Kindness," falls somewhere in between on the scale of success as a Lanthimos provocation. It's a triptych of stories all involving the same actors playing different characters and featuring narratives that aren't easily explainable. The first is by far the best and most intriguing. The second scenario works for about half the time before taking somewhat of a nosedive during its second half. The third story never quite gels.

Lanthimos is smart to start with his best material. In the first story, "The Death of R.F.M.," Jesse Plemons is a corporate drone whose every move is seemingly controlled by his mysterious and nefarious boss, Raymond (Willem Dafoe). And that's no exaggeration - Raymond tells him what he can eat, what he's supposed to read, whether he's allowed to have children, when he's allowed to have sex with his wife (Hong Chau), and insists that he take part in bizarre scenarios, most notably one in which he must drive his car into other passing cars, injuring their drivers.

There's no real explanation as to why Plemons' character has agreed to this setup or for how long it's been going on, though we suspect for quite some time. We learn that Raymond chose his wife, provided his house for him, and occasionally gives him odd gifts, such as a tennis racquet smashed by John McEnroe. When Robert Fletcher (Plemons) finally rebels, he is cut off completely. His wife disappears and Raymond won't talk to him, despite his apologies and pleas to be brought back into the fold.

By the way, many of the characters have names that could have the complete initials "R.M.F," which pop up in each of the segments' titles. In the second one, a cop played by Plemons has been awaiting the return of his wife (Emma Stone), who went missing on a scientific expedition of some sort. When she finally reappears, there's an awkwardly funny scene in which the couple watch themselves engaging in sex in a video along with another couple (Mamoudou Athie and Margaret Qualley). 

But then things take a turn for the strange. Plemons' character increasingly believes that the woman who has returned to him is not his wife, which further alienates him from his friends, co-workers, and father in law (Dafoe). To punish this woman whom he believes to be an intruder, he increasingly asks her to take part in sadistic rituals to please him. Things get pretty grim.

In the third story, Plemons and Stone are working for a cult (run by Dafoe and Chau) that is trying to reverse death and believe that there's a young woman (Qualley, this time playing twins) who can assist them in this quest. Stone gets pushed out of the group after she is sexually assaulted by an ex (Joe Alwyn) and decides to track the young woman down by herself.

As I'd mentioned, the first scenario in "Kinds of Kindness" was strange in a gripping way and almost felt as if it operated on dream logic, much like you'd expect in a David Lynch film. It doesn't exactly make sense from the standpoint of actual human behavior, but it instinctively feels right.

The second scenario is intriguing up until the point at which Plemons' character begins forcing Stone's character to do some pretty grisly things to herself. At that point, it starts to falter. And the final story never quite catches fire. 

Lanthimos is an interesting filmmaker with a distinctive style who has produced at least one great ("Poor Things") and several very good ("The Favourite" and "Dogtooth") films. He also occasionally gets too hung up on pushing buttons ("The Killing of a Sacred Deer") and his latest feels as if it marries his better instincts (in the mysterious first segment) to his worst ones (the second half of the second story and, at times, during the final scenario). 

The result is a disjointed movie that is fascinating in spurts, a little too long (two hours and forty minutes), and frustratingly uneven. There are definitely things to recommend here, but this ultimately won't be remembered as one of the director's better works.

Review: The Bikeriders

Image courtesy of Focus Features.

Jeff Nichols' first feature in eight years, "The Bikeriders," could best be described as "Goodfellas" but within the confines of a 1960s biker gang. In this case, the figure at the center of the action is the wife (Jodie Comer) of the gang member (Austin Butler), whose narration takes place during a number of interviews with a writer (Mike Feist) who's penning a book on the biker gang.

Taking cues from Danny Lyons' book of the same name, Nichols' film seeks to evoke an era and an aura and does a fine job of blending the "Goodfellas" style and type of narrative - initiation rite into an exclusive club, freeze frames, needle drops, bursts of violence out of nowhere, voice-over narration - with a biker gang movie.

Although the film bills Austin Butler as the lead, his character is more of a cypher. While one could argue that his Benny, a good looking but soft spoken and fearsome biker, is underdeveloped, his blank slate of a character works in the context of the picture, in which Comer's Kathy tries and fails to figure her spouse out. Comer in many ways carries the film and is its most interesting character. Tom Hardy also impresses as a truck driver who founded the gang and eventually sees it slip out of his control.

There are a number of solid supporting performances as well, including Michael Shannon (a Nichols favorite) playing some odd version of himself in which he pines about missing his chance to serve in Vietnam and a creepy and virtually unrecognizable Norman Reedus as Funny Sonny, a biker from California who joins up with the Chicago-based gang.

Nichols has made films that are more substantive, most notably the incredible "Take Shelter" and the historical biopic "Loving." His latest film is a little more on the surface, but it's one that's exciting, well acted, and engrossing. We don't learn much about life in a biker gang that couldn't already be gleaned from numerous other films on the subject or Hunter S. Thompson's terrific "Hell's Angels" book.

The film's early scenes depict what is obviously seen as the halcyon days of biker clubs as Hardy's Johnny grows the club and its members spend their days at drunken picnics or riding through towns, catching the fearful glances of passersby. There's plenty of violence in these early scenes, especially Benny's run-in with two guys at a bar who want him to take off his jacket, but it's not until later in the film - when the gang begins dabbling in drugs and more dangerous types begin to populate its ranks - that it takes a darker turn.

Unlike "Take Shelter" or "Loving," there isn't much in the way of greater thematic relevance under the surface of "The Bikeriders." It's a polished, shiny surface, and an engaging one filled with solid performances, a lot of stylish sequences set to iconic music, and some understated humor. It may not rank with the director's best work, but it's a good piece of entertainment.

Review: Inside Out 2

Image courtesy of Pixar.

 

Pixar Studios' output in recent years in the past decade have included the occasional classic - "Inside Out" and the underrated "Soul" - but on the whole it has been churning out decent original content and a lot of sequels, a majority of which are good enough but not exactly necessary.

The same could probably be said for "Inside Out 2," a likable follow up to the 2015 film that probably wasn't an urgent addition to the Pixar canon, but is good natured and mostly a very good time.

The movie picks up where the original left off, finding Riley (Kensington Tallman) entering her early teens and, as a result, finding some new emotions taking over. These new emotions include the spastic Anxiety (Maya Hawke), the shy Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), the needy Envy (Ayo Edebiri), and the aloof French Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos). There's also a brief - and amusing joke - involving the character of Nostalgia.

These new entities cause the old crew - especially Joy (Amy Poehler) - no end of consternation, especially after Anxiety takes over, kicking Joy and her pals - Anger (Lewis Black), the wonderfully mopey Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Liza Lapira), and Fear (Tony Hale) - out of the control room.

They are briefly imprisoned, but freed by a video game character (too complicated to explain) once beloved by Riley in a running gag that got some of the biggest laughs from me. From there, Joy comes up with the idea to find the back of Riley's mind, where they can collect an orb that is the embodiment of who she is as a person that was shot out into the stratosphere by Anxiety when she took over.

On the way, they travel down the Stream of Consciousness and encounter a teenage Sar-chasm that they must cross. Yes, those jokes sound silly but made me smile regardless. The element that makes the film magical is Pixar's expressive animation, as usual, as well as the wonderful work by the voice actors - especially Smith, Poehler, and Hawke.

The film also taps into real-life scenarios with the amount of humor and pathos you'd expect from a Pixar film. As Riley navigates her teenage years, she finds herself becoming less the person she wants to be - snubbing some old friends while trying to become friends with some popular older girls on the high school hockey for which she's trying out.

So, while I'd prefer to see Pixar stretching itself creatively and coming up with something new, "Inside Out 2" is one of the more entertaining and likable of its legacy sequels. It helps that the characters are so well drawn - both figuratively and literally - and that the concept provides numerous opportunities for imaginative flourishes.

So far, this is the biggest hit of the summer (at least, at the box office) - and it's not hard to see why. This is a fun movie that's wacky enough for children to enjoy, but also smart enough - in typical Pixar style - to also appeal to adults.

Review: Hit Man

Image courtesy of Netflix.

"They don't make them like that anymore" is a phrase used to denote works that seem out of style with the present formats and trends, often to the medium's detriment. Richard Linklater's smart and highly entertaining "Hit Man" is among those in the like that category - in this case, movies aimed at adults that emphasize character and great writing, and that bounce around ideas.

It's also the type of picture in which you're never sure which direction it will take. "Hit Man" starts off as a dark comedy before becoming a romance, then veering into dark noir territory, and then ending once again on a comedic note. But rather than feeling as if you're being jerked about by the film's tonal shifts, Linklater masters these switches deftly.

As the film opens, Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a bookish New Orleans professor with two cats and a side gig assisting the police department with planting bugs and connecting wires in a surveillance van. But when the department's sleazy undercover agent, Jasper (Austin Amelio), gets suspended for some type of abuse on a group of teenagers that we can only imagine, Gary is shuttled into Jasper's role in which he pretends to be a hit man for hire.

Gary meets with people who are looking to bump off people - current and ex-spouses, bosses, rivals, etc. - and finds that he's really good at improvising the hit man character. He begins dressing differently for the role by researching in advance the person with whom he's meeting. He's so convincing - especially when coming up on the spot with detailed descriptions of how he'll dispose of bodies - that the police department gives him the job full time. His conviction rate is also impressive.

But Gary is thrown for a loop when he meets a shy woman named Madison (Adria Arjona), who is looking for her abusive asshole husband to get knocked off. Gary takes a shine to her and finds a way to discourage her from going through with the hit, thereby preventing the police department from getting an arrest. Later, he checks in on Madison and the two begin having a relationship, which is unknown to all of Gary's police co-workers, other than the reprehensible Jasper, who spots them out at an ice cream shop.

A run-in with Madison's husband and the later discovery that he has been murdered lead police to consider Madison as the prime suspect. Gary finds himself juggling his relationship with her with his ability to be able to bullshit the police enough to keep them off her trail. "Hit Man" starts off as a dark comedy and eventually just becomes dark.

It's hard to imagine many other directors being able to balance the ever-shifting tones of "Hit Man" as well as Linklater, a great dabbler of genre and one of the few unparalleled in the gift of character gab. There's a lot of talking in "Hit Man" - which shouldn't surprise you, considering its director is responsible for such dialogue-driven classics as the "Before" films, "Waking Life," "Boyhood," and "Dazed and Confused" - and it's such a pleasure to witness these characters' repartee, which is often witty and insightful in the manner you'd expect from a Linklater film.

This is a picture that deserves a wider audience than the one it'll likely get on Netflix, which on the one hand has funded great films from great directors in recent years - but also buried them. It's a shame that "Hit Man" didn't get wider theatrical release. Regardless, it's one of the most enjoyable movies of 2024 so far and one that I'd highly recommend.

Review: The Watchers

Image courtesy of New Line Cinema.

The debut film of Ishana Night Shyamalan, "The Watchers," is similar to the work of her father, M. Night, at least his output of the past 20 years. It starts off somewhat promisingly before eventually biting off more than it can chew and ending on a note of disappointment.

In terms of mood and tone, "The Watchers" strikes the right note from the beginning, despite its lead character, Mina (Dakota Fanning) being yet in another of a long line of horror movie characters who are walking through the world with the burden of blaming themselves for a tragedy. In this case, it's her mother's death in a car accident for which Mina was somewhat responsible some years before.

As the film opens, she's depressive and working at a pet shop in Ireland, where she is asked to drive a rare bird that has made its way into the shop through the Irish countryside and deliver it to another shop. Her car breaks down in the dense woods and she soon begins to believe that she's not alone. A woman named Madeline (Olwen Fouere) attracts her attention and quickly shuttles her into a small house known as The Coop.

There, Mina meets two other strangers - Daniel (Oliver Finnegan), a seemingly troubled young man, and Ciara (Georgina Campbell), whose husband left several days prior to go find help. A man who appears to be dispatched by unseen creatures in the woods at the film's beginning is likely that husband. Mina is told the rules of the Watchers, the woodland creatures: all four of the people in the Coop must stand in a row and allow themselves to be watched through a one-way mirror by the Watchers, they must never turn their backs on them, and they must never leave the Coop at night.

During the day, Mina and some of her co-inhabitants make efforts in vain to escape, that is, until they discover an underground laboratory under the Coop that - of course - includes video footage of a professor who once lived there for the purpose of watching the Watchers. The four people in the Coop figure out a means of escape and plan on executing it.

While the first sections of "The Watchers" rely heavily on mood - and, for the most part, work well enough - it's once we get closer glimpses of the Watchers, a move that filmmakers should know to avoid for the sake of keeping intensity intact, that the film starts to lose its impact. Likewise, once we learn what these creatures are, it becomes even sillier.

M. Night Shyamalan was a rising directorial star in the late 1990s and early 2000s after "The Sixth Sense" was a surprise smash, although I preferred the moodier "Unbreakable" and the intense "Signs." After those films, his films became increasingly less successful. In recent years, he's had a few that have been more interesting than others ("Split" has its moments), but he's never quite recaptured that early magic. 

His daughter's directorial debut feels like a microcosm of his career. While never in the same league as her father's early work, the film's first half at least sets a mood that lures the viewer in, while the latter half of the picture starts to lag. She has some obvious talents, but I'm hoping they are put to better use on stronger material next time around.

Review: In A Violent Nature

Image courtesy of IFC Films.

Director Chris Nash gets points for uniqueness of tone and presentation - and a few jaw-dropping dispatchings of its victims - with "In a Violent Nature," which some are describing as what it might look like if Terrence Malick directed a gory slasher film. 

Although some Malickian tendencies are recognizable here - the leisurely pace, an obsession with nature, and tracking shots that follow characters (or, in this case, one particular character) through it - the film could better be described as so-called slow cinema's first slasher picture.

The setup is overly familiar and the characters are paper thin, albeit by design. A group of young people whom we first overhear offscreen are talking about the weekend they are planning to have as we focus on a locket dangling under a fire tower deep in the woods. One of the group takes the locket and they split.

Moments later, a figure arises from the earth. This is Johnny, we later learn, who died tragically as a boy when a group of loggers played a trick on him. His vengeful spirit occasionally rises from the grave and wreaks bloody havoc whenever someone removes the locket from his mother, which is apparently the only thing that keeps him at peace.

Much of the film tracks Johnny from behind as he lumbers silently through the beautiful and serene wooded areas of Ontario, where this picture was shot. He stalks the group of youths, whom we meet at a campfire as they discuss the legend of Johnny. There's no use mentioning who they are, other than final girl Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), who is there with her boyfriend, a troubled friend (who tells the story), a yoga girl, a couple of guys who make consistent cracks about their genitalia, and another girl.

The characters are intentionally thin because, as I've mentioned, much of the film is from Johnny's perspective as he ambles through the woods, searching for his locket and dispatching everyone who gets in his way - this includes a cantankerous old man who lives alone near the woods, a ranger who has come into contact with Johnny before, and the youths.

Much of the film's dialogue comes off as slightly amateurish, somewhat to the film's detriment. There's a scene around the fire in which the characters crack dick jokes in a manner that might denote high school behavior, although these people seem to be older. A scene in which the ranger confronts the cantankerous old man includes dialogue that rings a bit melodramatic and later scenes of flirtation (between two of the young women) and ribbing (two characters tease another about going to meet some girls at a gas station) aren't very well scripted.

But that's no matter. This film is about two things - the strangely serene vibe created by the languorous tracking shots through the woods and the grotesque kills that occasionally break the trance. A wood cutter is put to grim use on one character, while axes and machetes crack open skulls or split heads in half. The most outrageous sequence involves a yoga practitioner who gets twisted into a pose you're not likely to forget.

But as outrageous as these sequences might be - and as unique the film's overall vibe in this genre might seem - "In a Violent Nature" is, ultimately, a one-trick pony. I admire Nash's ability to try something new in this genre and the insane lengths to which he'll test his audience's gag reflex. But I can't say that this film stuck with me much outside of appreciation for its attempt to do something different. 

The finale involves a bit of sustained tension that reminded me slightly of the end of Tobe Hooper's classic "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." It involves a rescue, of sorts, but also a lengthy conversation in which one waits for something horrible to happen. The tension almost becomes unbearable, and I thought to myself that had the entire film had this vibe, it might have left more of an impression. As such, "In a Violent Nature" wins points for originality but is more of an interesting experiment than a memorable movie.