New to Theater:
Civil War (**) The latest from Alex Garland (Ex Machina), a ripped from the headlines tale of what might happen if another US civil war were to erupt, is a misfire on just about every level imaginable. After establishing its central premise, the film goes absolutely nowhere, and instead of exploring the machinations of a modern-day civil war, the film morphs into a road picture as a car full of journalists head to DC to interview the President. If Garland’s filmmaking style were interesting that might offer some redemption but instead, he opts to dumb down the proceedings by employing such well-worn and cliched tropes as glorified music videos (I counted three), played out against the backdrop of atrocities that our protagonists chance to see while easing on down the road to DC. There is also a sequence in the middle of the movie that feels as if it came out of screenwriting 101 where the characters are forced to make a fatal detour that, without a cliched turn of writing, would never have transpired. Garland doesn’t even have the conviction to tell us which side is which in the Civil War playing second fiddle to the proceedings. There are a few mildly interesting scenes strewn about the 109 minutes of the film (it felt twice as long) and the performances are fine but it’s sad to see such an interesting premise squandered so badly.
New to Streaming:
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill (** ½) is a new documentary chronicling the short life and times of the troubled singer-songwriter who was signed by David Geffen but never managed to break through due to a combination of poor record sales and self sabotage. One’s fondness for the film will likely hinge on how much Sill’s music resonates (it didn’t for me) and how much one is willing to ignore the artist’s lack of self control and poor choices in all aspects of her life. Curiously the film is also quite spotty in the final stretch and offers little to no insight as to what was going on in the artist’s life in the last few years preceding her untimely demise. Possibly worth seeing for music fans but a tough sit for the casual viewer. (Also on DVD from Kino)
New to Disc:
Scream/Shout Factory:
Affliction (1997) Paul Schrader’s Oscar winning adaptation of Russell Banks’ celebrated novel comes to Blu Ray for the first time as part of the Shout Select line of titles. Nick Nolte stars in the film as a small town sheriff investigating a murder that may or may not involve a close friend while simultaneously dealing with unresolved father issues. James Coburn nabbed the Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Nolte’s monstrous father.
Sony:
City of Hope (1991) Acclaimed filmmaker John Sayles’ tale of corruption in a New Jersey community finally comes to Blu Ray for the first time this week.
Film Movement:
A Balance (2020) A documentary filmmaker uncovers painful truths when attempting to document a suicide in a film project in this Japanese import.
Yuni (2021) A teenage girl, faced with a proposed marriage, attempts to make sense of her life in this acclaimed Indonesian import.
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