The NYC Movie Guru: Reviews from a Movie Buff


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Highly Recommended Films


Please click here for reviews from the Tribeca Festival (June 4th - 15th, 2025)





      In Materialists, Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a matchmaker, starts dating a wealthy guy, Henry (Pedro Pascal), and runs into her ex-boyfriend, John (Chris Evans), who works as a wedding caterer and off-Broadway theater actor. She soon begins to question the integrity of her job and whether or not she truly loves Henry. Writer/director Celine Song has a knack for natural dialogue and for grasping human nature as well as relationships in a way that's true-to-life. She does a great job of incorporating just the right amount of exposition about Lucy's past without relying too much on flashbacks. The dialogue sparkles with wit and very insightful observations about relationships without getting heavy-handed or cheesy. The screenplay provides enough of a window into Lucy's heart, mind and soul. She experiences a crisis of conscience when one of her clients threatens the lucrative matchmaking company for setting her up on a date with a guy who sexually assaulted her.

      Lucy shows signs of being genuinely remorseful which makes her a decent person who's capable of introspection, a very important tool. Just when you think she's selfish and shallow, there's actually more to her than meets the eye because she's intelligent, empathetic and emotionally mature. She's also blunt and candid, i.e. when she snaps at a client who refers to herself as a "catch" that she's not actually a catch because she's not a fish. To be fair, it's clear from the very beginning that her relationship with Henry won't last given the fact that it's emotionally unfulfilling to her, so the ending can be seen from a mile away. That's forgivable, though, because it's more important how and why the plot gets to that predictable point.

      The cinematography, use of music, editing, set designs and costume designs are superb without being distracting. Dakota Johnson gives a heartfelt performance, and it's great to see Chris Evans convincingly play the role of a guy who's warm and down-to-earth, so he's well-cast just like everyone on screen. At 1 hour and 57 minutes, Materialists is one of the most wise, honest, perceptive and witty explorations of modern relationships since (500) Days of Summer. It's now playing nationwide via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       In The Life of Chuck, Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and reconnects with ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), before the end of the world while billboards with Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) celebrating "39 Great Years" pop up around the city. The screenplay by writer/director Mike Flanagan, based on Stephen King's novella, unfolds backwards from Chapter Three, Chapter Two and Chapter One. Chapter Three introduces Chuck through the mysterious billboards; the next chapters flashback to show Chuck as an accountant and talented dancer. How did he learn how to dance? What inspired him to pursue a career in accounting? Those questions will be answered when the film flashes back to Chuck as a teenanger (Jacob Tremblay) and young boy (Cody Flanagan and Benjamin Pajak) living with his mother (Heather Langenkamp) and father, Albie (Mark Hamill).  To be fair, the voice-over narration by Nick Offerman does feel somewhat distracting and takes a while to get used to, but that's a forgivable flaw. Who is this narrator? Is he God? Either way, he's not in the film other than serving as the narrator.

      Flanagan has a great command of tone and exposition as it blends different genres with many supporting characters. A less talented filmmaker could've turned the film into a jumbled, disjointed, undercooked and meandering mess. Fortunately, The Life of Chuck manages to be a wise, tender and engrossing roller coaster ride of emotions that's unafraid to ask philosophical and existential questions. You'd think it were based on an Isaac Asimov novel, not a Stephen King novella. It's one of the best films of the year. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Life of Chuck, is now playing in select theaters before expanding nationwide on June 13th, 2025 via NEON. It would be an interesting double feature with Donnie Darko.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       Stelios is a captivating, heartfelt and exhilarating biopic on Greek singer Stelios Kazantzidis (Christos Mastoras). Frank Sinatra once astutely observed that, "If Stelios Kazantzidis had been in the United States, he would have had a bigger career than me." Director Yorgos Tsemberopoulos and screenwriter Katerina Bei tell Stelios' story through flashbacks when a journalist interviews him as he reminisces about his childhood in Pontus, how he rose to fame, and had three lovers, Katy (Klelia Renesi), Marinella (Asimenia Voulioti) and Vaso (Anna Symeoidou). The film gets a little darker and more revealing about the obstacles in Stelios' life as it progresses. Stelios comes across as not only immensely talented a singer, but also humble, intelligent and introspective. Christos Mastoras, who looks like a young Burt Reynolds, exudes palpable charisma as he captures Stelios' warmth and vulnerability with conviction and finds the emotional truth of his role. The same can be said about the rest of the ensemble cast including Agoritsa Oikonomou who plays Stelios' mother. The picturesque scenery of Greece becomes like a character in itself. Above all, the musical numbers of Stelios singing are among the most powerful moments of the film. Fortunately, director Yorgos Tsemberopoulos moves the pace along at a speed that's not too slow nor too fast. He also avoids schmaltz, melodrama and over-editing, so he lets the performances and Stelios' music carry the film without trying too hard to make it cinematic through the camera-work alone. Stelios has much more emotional depth and warmth than A Complete Unknown, Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody combined. At a running time of 1 hours and 12 minutes, Stelios is a triumph. It opens at Cinema Village on May 23rd, 2025 via Firestorm Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       Mildred "Millie" Burke (Emily Bett Rickards ), a waitress at a diner and single mother from a small Kansas town, becomes a professional wrestler and the first million-dollar athlete in history during the 1930s, 40s and 50s in Queen of the Ring. The screenplay by writer/director Ash Avildsen, based on a true story and on the book The Queen of the Ring: Sex, Muscles, Diamonds, and the Making of an American Legend, charts Millie's rise to fame as a female wrestler while also focusing on her relationships with her abusive manager/husband, Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas), her son, Joe (Gavin Casalegno), and her stepson, George (Tyler Posey, whom she fell in love with. Millie never gives up her dream despite many some setbacks and tha living in a time when pro wrestling for women was illegal throughout the U.S. Bravo to writer/director Ash Avildsen for seeing and treating Millie as a human being, warts-and-all, by providing a large window into her heart, mind and soul. That, in turn, allows the audience to empathize with her and root for her, so the beats land during the exhilarating wrestling matches. Moreover, the screenplay avoids schaltz, melodrama and preachiness. She's brave, smart, savvy, assertive and persistent as well as vulnerable.

       Emily Bett Rickards captures those qualities in Millie through her raw, bravura performance that exudes palpable warmth and charisma. The editing is crisp, there's no uneven pacing, and there's just enough comic relief to provide levity for the darker, more unflinching moments. You won't feel the weight of its lengthy running time. On top of that, the lively soundtrack is very well-chosen and the exquisite costume design, lighting and set designs help to further ground the film in authenticity. Queen of the Ring ultimately earns its uplift which can't be said for most films these days. It will make you stand up and cheer. At a running time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, Queen of the Ring is an enormously entertaining, genuinely heartfelt and empowering triumph that deserves to become a new classic sports movie. Now on VOD via Sumerian Pictures.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

       On Valentine's Day, the notorious Heart Eyes Killer mistakes Ally (Olivia Holt) and her co-worker, Jay (Mason Gooding), for a couple and hunts them down in Heart Eyes. The screenplay by co-writers Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy is witty, smart and wickedly funny. The plot doesn't score any points for originality, but that's not an issue because it's more important how a film goes about its plot and where it takes its ideas to. Director Josh Ruben knows how to maintain the darkly comedic tone from the hilarious prologue to the very end while offering some surprises along the way. Everyone gets a chance to shine, even those in supporting roles like Devon Sawa as Detective Hobbs, Jordana Brewster as Detective Shaw and Michael Watkins as Ally and Jay's boss. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are very well-cast and have palpable chemistry together.

       Sometimes, horror comedies tend to run out of steam and get repetitive, but that doesn't happen in Heart Eyes because the dialogue brims with tongue-in-cheek humor and quips, and there are enough surprises to keep the plot feeling fresh and exciting. The film references His Girl Friday, Notting Hill and other romcoms that it unashamedly pokes a lot of fun at. Moreover, it's refreshing that Ally and Jay are each given lively personalities and backstories that humanizes them, i.e. that Ally dropped out of Med School because of her fear of blood. Speaking of which, Heart Eyes doesn't hold back on the gory violence with some hilarious and over-the-top kills, so it definitely earns its R-rating. The tone remains consistently off-kilter, though, so it's the violence that will keep audiences entertained without making them feel disgusted. At 1 hour and 37 minutes, Heart Eyes is now on VOD via Screen Gems. It deserves to become a new horror comedy classic.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Josh (Jack Quaid) takes his girlfriend, Iris (Sophie Thatcher), to a weekend getaway with his friends, Eli (Harvey Guillén), Kat (Megan Suri) and Patrick (Lukas Gage) at the large lakeside cabin belonging to Sergey (Rupert Friend), a very wealthy man, in  Companion. The less you know about Companion's plot beforehand, the better. Don't watch the trailer or read anything beyond a brief synopsis. The screenplay writer/director Drew Hancock is clever, witty and full of surprises. Sometimes a filmmaker has an interesting and innovative premise, but doesn't know what to do with it and the film runs out of steam and ideas. That's not the case here. Once the plot reveals its first twists within the first ten minutes, there are more twists that keep the plot feeling engaging while keeping the audience at the edge of the seats. Small details, like two words that Josh says to Iris in the car on the way to the cabin, become more significant later on.  Kudos to Hancock for seeing and treating the characters as complex human beings and for not being afraid to explore the darker side of human nature.  

     Companion's greatest strength is that it deftly combines thriller, sci-fi, comedy, psychological horror and campiness without tonal unevenness or tonal whiplash. It also does an effective job of incorporating just enough exposition without confusing the audience. Hancock knows when and how to withhold key information from the audience and when to reveal it.  Sure, some suspension of disbelief would probably help to fully enjoy it, but that can be said about most films. Beyond that, Companion has a lot to say about topics like individuality, freedom and autonomy without becoming preachy. It's rare and refreshing to find a Hollywood blockbuster that actually has a heart, mind and soul. In other words, writer/director Drew Hancock finds just the right balance between Truth and Spectacle and manages to find plenty of Truths within all of the Spectacle.  The use of music is lively and well-chosen, especially the song during the end credits. Prepare for a roller coaster ride full of twists and turns. It also boasts a star-making performances by Sophie Thatcher who's somewhat reminiscent of Fairuza Balk from The Craft with a sprinkle of Aubrey Plaza. Jack Quaid, Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage also get the chance to shine.  Companion is ultimately a wildly entertaining, smart and wickedly funny crowd pleaser that's destined to become a cult classic. At 1 hour and 37 minutes, it's now on VOD via Warner Bros. Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1






Avi Offer
The NYC Movie Guru
themovieguru101@yahoo.com
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