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Reviews for June 14th, 2024
20,000 Species of Bees
Directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Released by Film Movement.
Opens at Roxy Cinema New York.




 

      In Cora Bora, directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, Cora (Megan Stalter) lives in LA and works as a musician. She and her girlfriend, Justine (Jojo T. Gibbs), who lives in Portland, Oregon, have been drifting apart, so she travels all the way there for a surprise visit to try to salvage their relationship. However, Justine lives with her new girlfriend, Riley (Ayden Mayeri), who's celebrating her birthday. The screenplay by Rhianon Jones blends comedy, romance, drama and character study with mixed results. The systemic issue is that Cora comes across as obnoxious, unreliable, emotionally immature, irresponsible, over-the-top and mean-spirited. She's a narcissist, yet the film expects the audience to believe that she's actually capable of learning and changing into a more emotionally mature person. Her character arc is hard to believe, though, because she shows no signs of true introspection. The supporting characters, including Justine, Riley and a guy she meets on the flight to Portland, remain underdeveloped. Cora Bora also suffers from too much meandering with silly subplots like when Cora loses Justine's dog while taking it for a walk. Megan Stalter gives a lively performance, but she's undermined by the shallow and contrived screenplay. At 1 hour and 32 minutes, it opens at Quad Cinema via Brainstorm Media.

 

       Firebrand is an emotionally hollow and stodgy period piece that's slightly elevated by great costume design and cinematography. Co-writers Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth center the narrative on Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth wife of King Henry VIII (Jude Law). He appoints here as regent while he goes off to war before he returns physically ill and mentally unstable. Firebrand squanders its opportunity to turn into compelling and heartfelt biopic because Katherine always remains at a cold distance from the audience. Perhaps the novel The Queen's Gambit did a better job of getting instead her heart, mind and soul, but the film version fails to accomplish that important feat. None of the characters come alive no matter how hard the actors try. Jude Law and Alicia Vikander deserve better material. At a running time of 2 hours, Firebrand is just as lethargic as the recent Jeanne Du Barry. It opens nationwide on June 14th, 2024 via Roadside Attractions.

 

      In Ghostlight, Dan (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker, lives with his wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen), and teenage daughter, Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). He joins a local production of "Romeo & Juliet" with Rita (Dolly De Leon) without telling his family. They each struggle to cope with a tragedy while dealing with a lawsuit related to the tragedy. Screenwriter Kelly O'Sullivan does a wonderful job of combining humor and heartbreak in a film that examines how a tragic event affects a family. Ghostlight doesn't reveal what that tragedy is precisely right away, though, but hints at it. Instead, it focuses more on the emotional journey of Dan and his family as they gradually heal from their shared pain. Daisy misbehaves at school which gets her into trouble. She, like her father, has a lot of pent up emotions to unpack. Dan slowly unpacks it by acting in the local play, and finds compassion and empathy through his friendship with Rita. Although Ghostlight doesn't reach the emotional heights of Ordinary People, it comes close. The performances all across the board are natural without anyone over-acting or under-acting. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, it's genuinely heartfelt, wise and honest. Ghostlight, directed by Alex Thompson & Kelly O'Sullivan, opens at IFC Center via IFC Films.



 

      In Inside Out 2, 13-year-old Riley (voice of Kensington Tallman) heads off the hockey camp and has just started puberty. Cue Riley's new set of emotions, Anxiety (voice of Maya Hawke), Envy (voice of Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (voice of Adèle Exarchopoullos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). Joy (voice of Amy Poehler) tries to get rid of Riley's bad memories, build her confidence and save her Sense of Self. The screenplay by co-writers Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein isn't as funny, surprising, imaginative or brilliant as its predecessor, but it's still a delightful, heartfelt and captivating experience for the whole family. The plot unfolds without any narrative risks, so it's pretty conventional in that respect. There's some witty humor for adults and some sight gags for children, so audiences both young and old will be able to enjoy the film equally. Some of the humor, like Ennui's reactions, get a bit repetitive. Also, Inside Out 2 gets less engaging when it switches to Riley's perspective. Those are minor issues, though. Ultimately, the film wears its heart on its sleeve and sends a positive albeit somewhat oversimplified message about the importance of conquering negative emotions and letting confidence, joy and self esteem reign supreme. It's also fast-paced with bright, colorful and dazzling CGI. At 1 hour and 36 minutes, Inside Out 2 opens nationwide via Walt Disney Pictures. 

 

      In Latency, Hana (Sasha Luss), an agoraphobic young woman, works as a game tester. When she tests a new game that requires AI to scan her brain, she suddenly sees apparitions and questions what's real and what isn't. Another week, another B-movie with an interesting concept, but lackluster execution. The screenplay by writer/director James Croke is undercooked, tedious and sorely lacking imagination. The plot veers into horror without any palpable scares, though, while squandering its potential to be a provocative mind-fuck. It does get trippy at times, and the visual effects are pretty impressive given the low budget, but it doesn't take any of its ideas far enough or take any narrative risks. Exposition is kept to a minimum which is fine, initially, but gets frustrating and leads to more questions than answers about what the purpose of the new game actually is and who's behind it. Perhaps Latency works best as a cautionary tale about the dangers of AI, but beyond that, it has nothing new, surprising, insightful or exciting to provide to the audience. At 1 hour and 34 minutes, it opens nationwide via Lionsgate. 

 

      Queendom is a captivating and poignant documentary biopic about Jenna Marvin, a queer Russian performance artist. Director Agniia Galdanova eschews the conventional format of talking-head interviews. Instead, she follows Jenna around as she walks in public in drag with her outfits that are even more over-the-top, bold and eccentric as the outfits in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Jenna isn't afraid to express her individuality and to be her true self, but she's putting her livelihood and life at risk in a country that's filled with homophobia. It's equally enraging and heartbreaking to watch her get kicked out of a supermarket or get arrested. Her relationship with her grandparents seems toxic because they repeatedly deadname her, so it would've been interesting had the director asked Jenna about how she feels about that. Does Jenna really want to remain in contact with people who dehumanize her and cut her flowers, so-to-speak? Queendom isn't a thorough documentary biopic nor does it step back to explore its many issues with more depth and insights. Are there other queer artists in Russia besides Jenna? So, although this film is quite intimate and Jenna is brave for allowing the audience to observe her vulnerability, it's too limited in scope and ultimately incomplete. At 1 hour and 38 minutes, Queendom opens at Cinema Village and on VOD via Greenwich Entertainment.

 

      Summer Solstice is a warm, engrossing and tender story about Leo (Bobbi Salvör Menuez), a trans man who spends the weekend in upstate NY with his cis-gender friend, Eleanor (Marianne Rendón). The screenplay by Noah Schamus effectively incorporates exposition without resorting to voice-over narration or flashbacks. Within the first 15 minutes, you learn that Leo and  Eleanor has been friends since college, but Eleanor hasn't seen Leo since his gender affirmation surgery. He's an aspiring actor while she's a photographer. Summer Solstice exams their friendship as it's put to the test during their weekend together. It's refreshing to watch a movie about two friends who go somewhere peaceful in nature that doesn't suddenly turn into a horror film or thriller. In other words, it's an emotionally mature, warts-and-all exploration of friendship that avoids becoming heavy-handed, maudlin, preachy or trying too hard to please the audience. The cinematography is superb and the performances, especially by Bobbi Salvör Menuez, are heartfelt and raw. Moreover, writer/director Noah Shamus understands the concepts of nuance, understatement, restraint and that "less is more." At a running time just 1 hour and 21 minutes, Summer Solstice opens at IFC Center via Cartilage Films.




      Tiger Stripes is an engrossing, unconventional and poetic coming-of-age film. The screenplay by writer/director Amanda Nell Eu centers on Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal), an 12-year-old girl who's going through puberty and gets her first period. She gets ostracized by her community including her friends, Farah (Deena Ezral) and Mariam (Piqa). Soon enough before morphing into a vicious creature. Tiger Stripes has a fairly thin plot that doesn't go too far with its horror elements nor does it go bonkers, although it almost does at times. Its concept works effectively as a metaphor albeit a heavy-handed and obvious one. Subtleties aren't among the film's strengths. However, it has visual stylish cinematography, decept make-up design, solid performances by the young actresses, and a beating heart beneath its surface. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, Tiger Stripes opens at Cinema Village via Dark Star Pictures. It would be a great double feature with The Animal Kingdom.



 

       Treasure follows Ruth (Lena Dunham) and her father, Edek (Stephen Fry), a Holocaust survivor, as they embark on a trip to Poland, his homeland, which unlocks his painful memories. Based on the novel by Lily Brett, the screenplay by writer/director Julia von Heinz and her co-writer, John Quester, is a shallow, inert and clunky blend of drama, tragedy and comedy. None of the beats land, unfortunately. The attempts at generating laughter, in particular, fall flat with stilted dialogue and a few cringe-inducing scenes, like when Edek suddenly makes a joke about Ruth's sex life at the dinner table. The editing feels choppy, the exposition is poorly integrated and the supporting characters, i.e. a woman who works as a translator, are underdeveloped and forgettable. The same can be said about Ruth and Edek. Moreover, the cinematography makes Poland look dull, hazy and dreary with washed-out colors. Lena Dunham gives a performance here that ranges from bland to wooden. Stephen Fry brings some warmth and charisma, but he's undermined by the vapid and meandering screenplay. The running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes feels more like 3 hours.  Treasure opens nationwide on June 14th, 2024 via Bleecker Street.