Film Gate Reviews: September 2024

Monday, September 30, 2024

Fresh and unique, but also boring and forgettable.

Frank (Darrell Britt-Gibson) is a struggling actor in LA. He complains about only being considered for stereotypical black roles like drug dealers, and sees a room full of actors who all look like him when he walks out. He’s a smooth talker and can make friends, and enemies, with women pretty quickly. His agent (D’Arcy Carden) attempts to get him to schmooze with industry bigwigs at parties, but his natural affinity for talking does not lend itself for Hollywood networking.		2024 Directed by: Nate Edwards Screenplay by: Darrell Britt-Gibson Starring: Darrell Britt-Gibson, Arsema Thomas

An utterly forgettable tale of greed and jealousy.

Killer Heat has a strong and distinct film noir vibe. A private investigator has been hired to investigate the potential murder (ruled accidental death) of a son of a wealthy and controlling family. That story is then paired with bright sun-soaked photography of beautiful Crete and the rich residents wearing crisp white and designer sunglasses. It’s a beautiful-looking movie but does not at all fit the film noir atmosphere it’s trying for.		2024 Directed by: Philippe Lacôte Screenplay by: Matt Charman, Roberto Bentivegna, and Jo Nesbø Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley

A great lead character runs into production limitations.

Peter Gottlieb is a freshly-divorced, hopeless sad-sack of an economics professor at a small community college. Just in case you weren’t sure, the movie's opening sentence clarifies that this is indeed a fictional story. The beginning, featuring Peter in a hospital delivery room eagerly awaiting the arrival of his baby receives different news instead, is funny. It remains funny when we jump ahead five years to Peter teaching with no care whatsoever about his students or his job.		2024 Directed by: Sam Centrella Screenplay by: Sam Centrella, Reuben Barsky, and Giorgio Panetta Starring: Reuben Barsky and Erica Pappas

Rich people and their champagne problems.

“You’re a good writer, Mags; you always have been, but it’s rich people and their champagne problems.” “Well, I write what I know.” That passage from husband Nick (Campbell Scott) to wife Maggie (Julianna Margulies) is the perfect quote to summarize Millers in Marriage. By far, the most common – and fair – complaint about Edward Burns’ latest is that it’s just rich people and their boring problems. This is true, but also true is that Burns is still a very good writer and has armed these characters with some witty dialogue and moments where things come together in an understated manner.		2024 Directed by: Edward Burns Screenplay by: Edward Burns Starring: Julianna Margulies, Gretchen Mol and Edward Burns

Sexuality, morality and small-town politics.

Bundled up in big sweaters and tall boots, Eliza (Michaela Kurimsky) is arguably ready for the harsh Newfoundland winters. She’s also covering herself up to hide and get as far removed as possible from her other persona. In town, she’s a sweet, single, church-going, fundraising, unassuming young woman. But away from town – in the woods, or on a rocky shore, or in a deserted barn – she strips down in front of her camera and anonymously broadcasts to the rest of the world.		2024 Directed by: Melanie Oates Screenplay by: Melanie Oates Starring: Michaela Kurimsky

Grace (Teresa Palmer) likes to count thing. That’s not exactly accurate, she has a compulsive need to count otherwise she has a panic attack and feels like she has no control in this world. So she likes to count to feel safe and in control. She especially likes to count things in groups of 10. When she realizes she accidentally picked up 9 bananas at the grocery store, she needs to quickly find a 10th banana.		2024 Directed by: Marcelle Lunam Screenplay by: Becca Johnstone, Toni Jordan Starring: Teresa Palmer, Joe Dempsie

The Luckiest Man in America is based on a true story that you’re likely not familiar with. There were no affecting consequences, it was just a day for big swings in opinions and personalities in front of the camera and behind the camera for the 1980s daytime game show Press Your Luck. Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser) is winning big money on the small-time game show, but nobody is sure if that’s a good thing, a bad thing, or a potentially fraudulent thing.		2024 Directed by: Samir Oliveros Screenplay by: Maggie Briggs, Samir Oliveros Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, David Strathairn

A love story that really pulls you in.

A New York Story is heavily influenced by Whit Stillman and Woody Allen. A tale of class differences in New York City anchored by a pair of young lovers who often find themselves walking the New York sights as autumn changes to winter. It’s a romantic aesthetic which I loved as a teenager but in recent years it no longer feels fresh or mature. However, it really fits the tone and these characters as they make their way towards each other across the class lines.		2024 Directed by: Fiona Robert Screenplay by: Fiona Robert, Sofia Robert Starring: Fiona Robert, Paul Karmiryan

A vibrantly crafted mess.

It’s been around 30 years since I last watched the original Beetlejuice, but I don’t remember it having so much nonsense. I remember Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse, the larger-than-life demon, and Wynona Ryder’s goth girl. Both of whom, plus Lydia’s mother Catherine O’Hara, have returned for the sequel. Keaton warned producers that he can’t be in the movie too much or else his character gets over-done, which is why the first worked so well. They get the ratio right again, but the rest of the afterlife and underworld is just so ridiculously filled with nonsense that goes nowhere.		2024 Directed by: Tim Burton Screenplay by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega

Deaner (Paul Spence) is supposedly an iconic Canadian character. I think that’s a bit of an oversell. Regardless Deaner is getting the origin story treatment as many famous Canadian actors show up for a laugh. That is being generous though as all the jokes are buried in extreme rural Canadian accents and adding an “ ’er” or an “eh?” onto the ends of most words and then chugging beers while swearing.		2024 Directed by: Sam McGlynn Screenplay by: Paul Spence Starring: Paul Spence, Star Slade