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Reviews for October 11th, 2024



      The Apprentice is about how Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) built his real estate empire in NYC in the 1970s and 80s with the help of his lawyer, Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), and how he met his first wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova). Anyone looking for a thorough, warts-and-all biopic on Trump will be disappointed because the screenplay by Gabriel Sherman mainly focuses on business more than his life beyond it. Sherman also skips over Trump's childhood, his formative years, but he does provide the audience with a glimpse of Trump's relationship with his toxic, greedy and domineering father, Fred (Martin Donovan). As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. Trump comes across exactly as you've seen him in the media: arrogant, self-centered, rude, immature and full of hot air. He even rapes Ivana in a brief scene. So, The Apprentice isn't very surprising or revealing about Trump. The main reason to see it, though, is for its terrific ensemble performances by Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova. Stan does an effective job of nailing Trump's looks and the way that he speaks. It's also worth mentioning the lively disco soundtrack, the use of lighting, the costume design, set designs and brisk pace that adds both style and substance. At 2 hours and 2 minutes, The Apprentice, directed by Ali Abbasi, is well-acted, captivating and stylish, but emotionally hollow. It opens nationwide via Briarcliff Entertainment and would be an interesting double feature with the documentary Vindicating Trump.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      In Average Joe, Joe Kennedy (Eric Close), a high school football coach, gets fired for kneeling to pray on the 50-yard line after every game. Based on a true story, the screenplay by Stephanie Katz is warm, witty and wise with just the right balance of heart and humor. It's far from a dry, pedestrian biopic on Joe Kennedy because the narrative occasionally gets interrupted by Joe and his wife, Denise (Amy Acker), being interviewed together. Amusingly, sometimes they have different recollections of key events like the details of how they first met. Katz keeps the film grounded in humanism, a truly special effect, even when Joe goes all the way to the Supreme Court while standing his ground. Fortunately, it avoids veering into sappy or preachy territory which could've easily happened with a less sensitive screenplay. He knows how to hook the audience through humor and wit. The performances by Eric close and Amy Acker are solid and the pace moves at just the right speed without any scenes that drag, so you don't feel the weight of its running time. At 1 hours and 50 minutes, Average Joe, directed by Harry Cronk, opens nationwide via Fathom Events. It would be a great double feature with You Gotta Believe.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

      Death Without Mercy, directed by Waad Al-Kateab, is an engrossing, enraging and illuminating human rights documentary about the Turkey-Syria earthquake on February 6th, 2023 and the categorically inefficient and incompetent humanitarian aid that could've prevent more deaths. This isn't the kind of film for the faint of heart because it's unflinching and heartbreaking at times, especially the emotionally harrowing footage. However, it's also a vital and powerful wake-up call. History will repeat itself if we don't learn from it. At 1 hour and 24 minutes, Death Without Mercy opens at IFC Center via MTV Documentary Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1







      Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid is a conventional, mildly engaging documentary biopic on Democratic consultant James Carville. Director Matt Tyrnauer combines archival footage and interviews with Bill Clinton, George Stephanopoulus, Carville's wife, Mary Matalin, and Carville himself. Interestingly, Mary works as a Republican strategist yet she and Carville somehow get along. Tyrnaeur is pretty lucky to have such a compelling subject because, otherwise, this would just be a dull, hagiographic, dry and pedestrian documentary. Not surprisingly, though, Carville has a lot to say about the 2024 election. Thanks to his wit, bluntness, sense of humor and intelligence which shine brightly throughout his interviews, it elevates ever so slightly above a mediocre documentary. Carville's lively personality is the only reason to watch this film. 1 hour and 38 minutes, Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid opens at IFC Center via Greenwich Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

      Daytime Revolution is a documentary about one week in 1972 when John Lenon and Yoko Ono co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show together. Director Erik Nelson bombards the audience with clips from the talk show where John and Yoko spoke their minds about their political views. They interviewed guests like Ralph Nader and George Carlin who helped them to spread their messages to the general public. Despite its potential, Daytime Revolution isn't very insightful or provocative. Nelson plays it safe by not stepping back and putting the show in a broader context or connecting its themes to the events of today. Is there any show like it? Can there ever be? What would happen if John and Yoko were co-hosting a show today? What would they say? What does their participation in The Mike Douglas Show represent in a larger sense related to democracy, truth and freedom of speech? At 1 hour and 48 minutes, Daytime Revolution a mildly engaging and amusing, but underwhelming, somewhat shallow and slight documentary. It opens at Quad Cinema via Kino Lorber.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1



 

      Death Without Mercy, directed by Waad Al-Kateab, is an engrossing, enraging and illuminating human rights documentary about the Turkey-Syria earthquake on February 6th, 2023 and the categorically inefficient and incompetent humanitarian aid that could've prevent more deaths. This isn't the kind of film for the faint of heart because it's unflinching and heartbreaking at times, especially the emotionally harrowing footage. However, it's also a vital and powerful wake-up call. History will repeat itself if we don't learn from it. At 1 hour and 24 minutes, Death Without Mercy opens at IFC Center via MTV Documentary Films.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Dominique (Oksana Orlan), a ruthless assassin, hides out with a police chief, Santiago (Maurice Compte), and his family after killing members of the mafia. When the mafia kills Santiago, she sets out for revenge against them while trying to protect his family in Dominique. The screenplay by writer/director Michael S. Ojeda doesn't get any points for originality. Of course, there's a MacGuffin which, in this case, happens to be a laptop with a recording of a mafia killing that would incriminate them if it were to go public. It's essentially a less bonkers version of John Wick set in a jungle with a female lead instead of a male in the lead role. Oksana Orlan commands the screen in an electrifying performance which helps to elevate the film well above its mediocre screenplay. There are a few surprisingly moving moments between her and some of Santiago's family members who she's defending. The action scenes are decent, but nothing exceptional. Fortunately, Ojeda maintains suspense from start to finish and doesn't allow the film to overstay its welcome or become exhausting by keeping the running time under 2 hours. At 1 hours and 34 minutes, Dominique is an explosive, gripping and exhilarating action thriller. It opens at Cinema Village and on VOD via Lionsgate.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      Leap of Faith is a provocative and timely, but tedious and incomplete documentary about a diverse group of 12 pastors who participate in a retreat in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to discuss controversial topics and learn how to handle disagreement. Director Nicholas Ma follows the group throughout the course of a year as they converse about divisive issues like gay marriage which each of the feels strongly about. The retreat is designed to be a safe space for a wide array of perspectives and opinions. As one of the pastors candidly admits, the things she says during the retreat can't be said back at the church that she works at. The pastors learn the value of listening to others, having empathy and being tolerant of other people's different views. It also provides them with the opportunity to use two important, yet under-used tools: introspection and critical thinking. Leap of Faith isn't very unflinching, moving or as profound as it could've been with more scope or emotional depth. It also doesn't allow the audience to get to know any of the 12 pastors beyond their experiences at the retreat, so it ultimately feels incomplete. At running time of 1 hour and 26 minutes, it opens at Angelika Film Center via Picturehouse.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2







      Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story is a well-edited and engaging, but hagiographic and overstuffed documentary biopic about playwright, singer and actor Noël Coward. Director Barnaby Thompson combines archivals interviews with Coward along with excerpts from his diary and plenty of clips from his films. Coward was a homosexual didn't publicly come out even when homosexual was legalized. To avoid paying income taxes in the UK, he moved to Jamaica and built a mansion with a beautiful view. The Queen of England even stopped by to visit him. Thompson doesn't focus much on his private life, which makes sense, but his rise to fame after living a life of poverty isn't very revealing beyond a reader's digest version of the events. Rupert Everett lends his voice as Coward during the reading of his diary excerpts while Alan Cumming lends his voice as the narrator. The film serves as a decent, briskly paced introduction to an icon in the world of cinema and theater, but it ultimately bites off more than it could chew. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story opens at IFC Center via Greenwich Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Mediha is a poignant and gripping documentary about Mediha, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl who was captured, along with her brothers and parents, by ISIS in 2014 and sold into sex slavery before being released. Director Hasan Oswald doesn't dwell on details of Mediha's traumatic experiences during her captivity. This documentary isn't about that nor does it try to shock, scare or disturb the audience; it's fundamentally about justice, truth, democracy, and Mediha's resilience as she struggles to conquer adversity. Mediha's older brother was released, too, but her younger brother and mother remain missing while her father is presumed dead. With the help of rescuers, she spends her time searching for her missing family members without giving up despite some setbacks. Her camera, in many ways, serves as a powerful tool to document her emotional journey which one day she can use to look back and be proud of for being so brave. As the great poet Pablo Neruda once wisely wrote, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." At 1 hour and 30 minutes, Mediha opens at Film Forum via Together.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      Deku (voice of Daiki Yamashita) and his high school classmates battle a power-hungry villain, Dark Might (voice of Kenta Miyake) who disguises himself as his hero, All Might, in My Hero Academia: You're Next. The screenplay by Yōsuke Kuroda remains light on exposition and assumes that the audience is already familiar with the previous films and the manga series. With poor character introductions, it's hard to care about what's happening or for the emotional beats to land in the third act. At 1 hour and 50 minutes, My Hero Academia: You're Next, directed by Tensai Okamura is an action-packed, but exhausting and convoluted anime film. It opens nationwide via Crunchyroll.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1







      Piece by Piece is an animated documentary biopic on musician Pharrell Williams. Director Morgan Neville includes interviews with Pharrell himself, his colleagues and his wife to tell the Pharrell's story. As a documentary, Piece by Piece isn't very revealing, profound or poignant as it charts his rise to fame in the music industry. It's essentially a reader's digest version of his work and a brief tangent into his love life, but without much depth. There are some funny and amusing moments which make the film entertaining, though. The animation, which resembles stop-motion with LEGOs similar to The Lego Movie, is invigorating and colorful. However, what purpose does it serve beyond that? It's as though Neville were afraid to bore his audience with his interviews or Pharrell's story alone. Piece by Piece is captivating and visually stunning, but it ultimately suffers from style over substance. At thankfully brief running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, it opens nationwide via Focus Features.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1





 

      After suffering an injury that causes him permanent hearing loss, Detective Frank Shaw (Joel Kinnaman) arrives at the apartment of a deaf woman, Ava Fremont (Sandra Mae Frank), with his partner, Doug (Mark Strong), to interpret her sign language in The Silent Hour. Little does he know that Lynch (Mekhi Phifer), a gangster, hunts her down to retrieve a video that she recorded of a gang murder. The screenplay by Dan Hall is a lean, gritty and riveting blend of action and thrills. The plot itself isn't particularly clever, imaginative or inspired while there's too much on-the-nose dialogue and not much nuance. However, The Silent Hour never becomes a dull or tedious action thriller. It also boasts a charismatic performance by Joel Kinnaman and palpable chemistry between him and Sandra Mae Frank. Director Brad Anderson should be commended for not relying on excessive violence or action to engage the audience and for making the most out of the setting inside the apartment building. At 1 hour and 39 minutes, The Silent Hour, directed by Brad Anderson, opens at Cinema Village and on VOD via Republic Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

      Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is back to terrorize innocent victims in Terrifier 3. Vicki (Samantha Scaffidi) joins him on a killing spree just in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, Sienna (Lauren LaVera), returns from a mental hospital to visit her family, including her younger brother, Jonathan (Elliot Fullam), for the holidays, and believes that Art has returned after experiencing visions of him. Writer/director Damien Leone doesn't reinvent the horror wheel with yet another gory slasher film. The third installment in the Terrifier has a little bit more plot than the first and second films, but not enough to justify its lengthy running time. The kills are even more gruesome and disturbing this time around, believe it or not, and there's even a shower scene that makes the classic shower scene in Psycho look tame. So, yes, Terrifier 3 has no shame in pushing the envelope again and again. Brief moments of dark and tongue-in-cheek humor provide much-needed levity. However, like with Terrifier 2, the film eventually gets tedious around the hour mark. It's dumb, shallow, over-the-top and depraved. Don't expect any surprises except for some unflinchingly graphic scenes of violence that you might wish you could unsee. You'll probably need a long, cold shower after watching this. At 2 hours and 5 minutes, Terrifier 3 opens nationwide via Cineverse.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2





 

      Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) meet and fall in love after she accidentally hits him with her car in We Live in Time. Screenwriter Nick Payne opts for a non-linear structure to tell Almut and Tobias's love story. They get married, have a child and, as you learn early on, she gets diagnosed with cancer. What kind of cancer? You'll have to wait to find out. The constant flash forwards and backwards in time gets tiresome after a while, though, and feels unnecessary because it overcomplicates and needlessly convolutes the narrative. That doesn't stop the film from being cheesy every now and then. It might even give you a cavity because it's so saccharine. The beats don't quite land when Almut discovers that her stomach ache is more than just a stomach ache, so when she and Tobias learn that it's cancer, the audience had already been aware of that much earlier. She works as a chef at a restaurant and prepares for a competition which puts her under a lot of stress even while she's suffering from cancer symptoms.

      There's some comic relief, but nothing laugh-out loud funny. The sex scenes show a little nudity, but nothing explicit. A scene at a gas station when Almut is about to give birth lasts too long and isn't as funny as it tries to be, i.e. when Tobias gets on the phone with a 911 operator for help and mistakenly thinks that he has to keep the baby inside Almut's belly instead of pulling it out. It's a scene that should be moving, but the attempts to generate laughter make it clunky and tonally uneven. Moreover, the music score sounds overbearing at times and tells the audience how to feel. Director John Crowley doesn't trust the audience's emotions enough. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield anchor the film with their palpable chemistry and convincingly moving performances, though. At 1 hour and 48 minutes, We Live in Time is a sweet and tender, but somewhat clunky and schmaltzy love story. It opens at Angelika Film Center and AMC Lincoln Square before expanding nationwide on October 18th, 2024  via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2