Cinephile No. 801 “The Goldfinch”

Recommendation: 4/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” -IMDB

Review: “The Goldfinch,” an adaption of the immensely popular book, begins with an explosion. What unfolds from there is a complicated story of theft, myth, and understanding. Starring Ansel Elgort as the adult Theo Decker, the film offers flashbacks to make sense of his current state of being; this at times can make the film feel disjointed, but in my opinion, doesn’t distract from the overall arch of the film. Instead, it offers a different version of the often-told linear story. It also serves as a tool to impress upon us the chaos that has visited Theo throughout his life; all of which begins with a painting of a goldfinch Theo found himself admiring with his mother at the time of the explosion.

Finding himself alone, Theo is placed in the care of a local family until his father returns to the picture. Larry, played by Luke Wilson, moves Theo across the country to Las Vegas. In his father, Theo finds a man who his consumed with gambling, get rich quick schemes, and is prone to acts of violence in moments of desperation. In these scenes, Theo learns true independence and the power of friendship, but when loss visits his doorstep again, he flees without looking back. Now, truly on his own, he is left to dig through all the trauma that has visited his life.

Now, truly an orphan and as a young man, Theo returns to “The Goldfinch,” as a reminder of happier times. This attachment serves as an escape and an attempt to process the world, but it is stolen art and that act catches up to Theo. In the race to secure the art from someone in Theo’s past, we are returned to where it all began and asked to question where we’ve been. In these moments, this film truly reveals itself as something more and made me believe in the power of learning to forgive ourselves.

Cinephile No. 807 “Terminator: Dark Fate”

Recommendation: 3/5 STARS, Stream

Plot: “An augmented human and Sarah Connor must stop an advanced liquid Terminator, from hunting down a young girl, whose fate is critical to the human race.” -IMDB

Review: Like a lot of movies in this franchise, the timeline for “Terminator: Dark Fate” is a bit of a challenge. From the trailer alone, we know this film is on a collision course. In this three-car pileup, the best parts of the past, present, and future will meet over a war where the fate of the human race as we know it will hang in the balance. The plot alone isn’t all that unpredictable or new to this franchise, but the delivery was much better than anything I could have expected.

Two major points stuck out for me with this film, first is the ferocity of the action sequences. During the opening scenes, there is a “Matrix” style highway battle that is jaw-dropping and will leave you believing stunt choreography should absolutely be an Oscar category. Couple that with what feels like much better writing, these scenes are backed up by a future-focused film that is more approachable and humanistic; even though we are still talking about machines taking over the Earth.

Secondly, this is a much funnier film than past entries. Almost every line delivered by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton drips with humor and sarcasm, but they also serve as momentary relief from the violence we feel building toward a climactic ending. Of course, this ending gives us everything we expected, but still manages to pull it off in a creative fashion. I don’t know if there are going to be or if there should be more films in this franchise, but I do know this a pretty decent action film worthy of your time.

Cinephile No. 811 “The Truth”

Recommendation: 3/5 STARS, STREAM

Plot: “A stormy reunion between scriptwriter Lumir with her famous mother and actress, Fabienne, against the backdrop of Fabienne's autobiographic book and her latest role in a Sci-Fi picture as a mother who never grows old.” -IMDB

Review: For my 4th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I found myself in the midst of a fascinating piece of cinema analyzing the dynamics between a mother and daughter. “The Truth” begins with a trip back home for Lumir and her small family. Respected in her own right, Lumir finds herself battling her bitter, aging mother, Fabienne. For Fabienne, fame has always been a reality. Even as she defies age, she remains in the public spotlight thanks to the release of an autobiography and a role in a sci-fi film. Very quickly we realize these two women have a hard time existing under the same roof.

Fabienne comes across as self-centered and mean spirited. Throughout her life, she has held her art in high regard. This has meant romantic relationships have played second fiddle and being a mother was never really a priority. This is a pain Lumir has carried into adulthood. Part of her has channeled that pain into her daughter as she attempts to be a better mother than one she had. The other part of her is still that hurt little kid. To watch the push and pull between past and present is a beautiful thing to watch.

As this film enters its third act, you will find yourself searching for the love of family we’ve grown to know in works such as this. This isn’t that kind of film. It doesn’t deliver an over the top speech where a parent apologizes for past transgressions. Instead, we are offered a mutual understanding of sacrifice and a blueprint of how to be better. As you leave the theater, you will leave with the realization, as parents, we are battling ghosts of the past. It is up to us to decide how we wrestle with those decisions of our parents and how they inform the choices we must make.

Cinephile No. 815 “AFI Fest Shorts Program 3”

Recommendation: 3/5 STARS, STREAM

Plot: “Three New Yorkers will stop at nothing to get Paul Giamatti his own wax statue at Madame Tussauds.” -IMDB

Review: For my 8th film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I found myself bound and determined to find a good laugh at this film festival. The “AFI Fest Shorts Program 3” delivered beyond my wildest expectations. Of the shorts presented, the one I am still thinking about is “Wax Paul Now” which focused on three New Yorkers who find it reprehensible that Paul Giamatti doesn’t have a wax statue at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Times Square. Through a series of viral campaigns and an ingenious move to sneak their own statue into the museum, they try to right this injustice. From beginning to end, I was enthralled, laughed, and found myself thinking, “What does Paul think of this?” If you run across this short, please give it a chance. I am pretty confident that you won’t regret it.

Cinephile No. 816 “AFI Fest Showcase 4”

Recommendation: 4/5 STARS, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Florence goes through her days without letting anyone into her world. When someone slips a love letter into her pocket, she decides to branch out, remembering what it is to feel hopeful.”

Review: Of all the films that comprised “AFI Fest Showcase 4” at the 2019 AFI Fest, the one that impressed me the most was “Florence.” This short is about a particular woman fearful of trying new things. She spends most of her days alone, married to routine, and only venturing out for the necessities of life. During one of these ventures, she finds herself at a local shop. When she fetches her jacket, she finds a love note has been slipped into her pocket. This attention and admiration force her to step outside of her comfortable life and try new things. As she does, we are treated to a joyful and confident woman. We also get a surprise ending which delighted me and the audience to no end. 

Be good to each other,

Nathan 

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