Dìdi - Review: Spending Quality Time with Little Brother

 

In the long tradition of the cinematic language, there are few things as treasured and longstanding as the coming-of-age film. They’ve existed for decades and are able to touch viewers almost regardless of background and childhood, while also being able to maintain a unique vision and personal experience. In recent memory, there have bene plenty of fantastic examples of the genre, from the like of “Lady Bird,” “Eighth Grade,” and “The Edge of Seventeen,” and we now have another great addition to the modern classics of the genre: “Dìdi.” 

Set in 2008, the film follows Chris Wang, played by Izaac Wang (“Good Boys,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”), a 13-year-old boy dealing with teenage crushes, an older sister Vivian, played by Shirley Chen (“15 Cameras”), leaving for college, and a freshman high school year on the horizon. In between butting heads with his mother Chungsing, played by Joan Chen (“The Last Emperor,” “”), he finds himself making internet videos, enduring summer tutoring, and filming videos for a group of older skateboarders. 

As the feature directorial debut for writer/director Sean Wang (“Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”), the film radiates a kind of genuine energy that feels almost impossible to create in the current age, especially with the specific focal point of the film. Creating a tale of a childhood on the cusp of the constant documentation that’s come from the internet and social media is incredibly tricky, but Wang crafts a warm and calm approach to the material. It works so well thanks to the universality that he drills into. Yes, there might be new things and technology for kids to obsess over, but the broad emotions stay the same even as the years change. 

Izaac is utterly fantastic in that kind of perfectly normal way. It’s the kind of performance that seems almost too realistic, leaving you wondering where the actual acting comes into play. That’s simply how good the performance is, and he’s an absolute delight. Chris is a ball of teenage angst and childishness in a way that never smooths over his inappropriate behavior but does highlight his own growth and the moments when he shows his sweeter side and insecurities. Shirley is also fantastic, so much so that she almost feels underutilized by the film as a whole. She and Izaac absolutely nail the sibling dynamic of constant irritation with deep-rooted love at the center of their relationship. It’s a painfully realistic portrait of a sibling bond that’s made all the more bittersweet in how underutilized it is by the end. 

Arguably the star of the film, or at the very least the scene stealer, is Joan Chen. Chris’s mother is instantly endearing and lovable, and it's not hard to be brought to tears at numerous points thanks to her story and performance. Joan is an absolute revelation and it’s difficult to imagine the film being remotely as good as it is without her in it. As Chungsing and Chris’s stories begin to really collide in the film’s third act, Joan and Izaac’s performances build to one of the most honest and heartbreaking portrayals of parental love and hurt and understanding since “Lady Bird.” 

Within all of the emotional familial and teenaged drama, there’s a remarkably strong technical production backing up the film. Cinematographer Sam A. Davis (“Trap Jazz”) works with Wang to have their vision of the mid-2000s lit in a warm glow, with film grain and a dreamlike haze surrounding everything. It’s a very retrospective kind of presentation, giving the effect of remembering one’s own childhood with rose colored glasses. The way Wang and his team showcase the internet and its effect on Chris and his friends, as well as Chris’s own imagination in seeing the world, give the film its own unique vision and buckets of charm. 

“Dìdi” means “younger brother” in Chinese, and the film itself could easily be described as resembling all the archetypes of a younger brother. It's rambunctious and loud, while still harboring a secret sweetness in its core. Izaac Wang and Joan Chen absolute carry the entire film among a talented supporting cast, anchoring the deep familial emotions and love in a sense of fun and mid-2000s nostalgia. It’s easily one of the best films of the year, but in a way that feels effortless and warm, and stakes a claim as one of the best coming-of-age films in recent memory. 5/5

Deadpool & Wolverine - Review: Knife-Hands & Butthead Do The MCU

 

Sometimes, to take on all of the crazy in a world as all-encompassing as the MCU, you need to be a little crazy yourself. Which is why someone like Deadpool might just be the perfect hero to come in and stir things up in this, the 34th film in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. There’s been a lot of stories before now and there’ll be a lot after this, so can the merc with the mouth make the kind of impact on the world that only he could? 

The film follows the titular, red-suited buffoon, played again by writer/producer Ryan Reynolds (“The Proposal,” “Van Wilder”), as he floats listlessly through middle-age in a state of arrested development. One day, he’s yanked from his universe by Mr. Paradox, played by Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession,” “Pride & Prejudice (2005)”), and the Time Variance Authority who inform him that his universe is dying due to the lack of a Wolverine since his death at the end of 2017’s “Logan.” So, Deadpool decides to hop from universe to universe to find a Wolverine, played again by Hugh Jackman (“The Prestige,” “The Greatest Showman”), to fix his world, all the while drawing the ire of Paradox, the TVA, and the antagonistic Cassandra Nova, played by Emma Corrin (“The Crown,” “My Policeman”). 

It’s a jam-packed film with a jam-packed script, written by Reynolds, Rhett Reese (“Zombieland,” “Deadpool”), Paul Wernick (“Zombieland,” “Deadpool”), Zeb Wells (“Robot Chicken,” “SuperMansion”), and co-written/directed by Shawn Levy (“Free Guy,” “Night at the Museum”). There’s a lot going on, but it doesn’t feel overstuffed by the end of things. It’s helped by Levy’s brisk pacing, but it’s also mostly because the film lacks a strict “plot” for most of the runtime. It keeps moving, but the events feel more loosely connected before the third act kicks things back into action. The middle section is entertaining, and things certainly are happening, but it lacks a real sense of motivation, feeling more like a series of extended gags and excuses to have Reynolds and Pool play in the MCU sandbox. 

Reynolds is certainly having a blast, and his performance as Pool is as entertaining and winning as it's ever been. Jackman also somehow manages to show us a side to Wolverine that we haven’t seen yet, and when the pair are bantering back and forth, the screen lights up with their charisma. Corrin is also excellent as the menacing antagonist, and they manage to bring a real straight-man bravado to the events. Macfadyen, while utilized less so, also delivers on the exacerbated nature of his character’s role opposite the merc with the mouth. There are also a number of winning supporting roles that won’t be spoiled here, but the entire cast is game for the wild and weird adventure Reynolds takes them on. 

Levy and crew manage to craft a fun looking and feeling adventure in this universe. While a good chunk takes place in the “Void” as seen in the “Loki” television series, there’s still enough visual variety to prevent things from getting stale. The action is fun and well-choreographed as well, playing into the strengths of the characters’ regenerative abilities. There's a general sense of poking fun at everything in sight, from product placement bits to gratuitous cameos to even the MCU’s quality itself. Clearly anything is game for Pool’s mockery and Reynolds and crew take full advantage of the MCU’s larger budget and playground. Even the musical score from Rob Simonsen (“Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “The Whale”) has a more playful tone than before, even incorporating kitty meows into some tracks. 

While it is fun to see Reynolds and crew run around in the money vault that is the Disney-Marvel world, there is a sense of diminishing returns as the film goes on. It’s not that it’s the third Deadpool film, as the moments focusing on the merc are the best ones. Rather, the film seems to be settling for the most obvious version of this tale, meaning that while the humor can be quite surprising in the gags it goes for, the plot is not. It's the most typical way this plot could play out, leading to a feeling of an adventure that lacks the complete spark that Reynolds’s first two outings had. 

That doesn’t mean that spending the day with “Deadpool & Wolverine” isn’t a ton of fun. Because it is, and the signature brand of crass, fourth wall breaking silliness fits delightfully into this universe. It’s a fun and frenetic film that can’t quite reach the highs of its first two, settling for an adventure that has its fun and sits in the realm of a good adventure with two pals that just want to tear into each other. 3.5/5

Twisters - Review: Prepare To Get Swept Up

 

There is no better way to get butts in seats in a movie theatre than to throw a bunch of insane stuff on the big screen. If only that were true the entire time, but “Twisters” is certainly a movie that abides by that central idea. It’s full of insane weather and destruction, but it also pads it all out with the same kind of grounded characterization and Hollywood pseudo-science babble that makes its a thrilling throwback to the kind of movies that could only exist in that bygone era of the 90s. 

The film follows retired storm chaser Kate Carter, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Fresh,” “Where the Crawdads Sing”), who’s recruited back into the field by her friend Javi, played by Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights,” “Dumb Money”), to help with his new storm tracking business. While assisting him, she meets famous internet storm tracker and self-proclaimed “Tornado Wrangler” Tyler Owens, played by Glenn Powell (“Anyone But You,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), who takes a more cowboy approach to the storm tracking business, leading the two of them to butt heads amid the summer Midwest Tornado season.

For director Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari,” “Munyurangabo”) to go from making small scale dramas to a special effects summer blockbuster like this might seem like a big leap, but the building blocks of “Twisters” have much more in common with his previous works than you’d think. At its heart, it's a character piece that thrives off the chemistry between Powell, Edgar-Jones, and Ramos. The trio are fantastic together, crackling with energy every moment they’re together. It’s a wonderful back and forth, and writers Mark L. Smith (“The Boys in the Boat,” “The Revenant”) and Joseph Kosinski (“Tron: Legacy,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) combine the kind of interplay and charm one might normally find in a rom-com with the disaster movie structure to great effect.

The trio really runs away with everything, funneling the science and thrills through their characters. It’s not just showcasing the fascination with storms and the destruction of them, but it's showcasing it through the experiences of Kate, Javi, and Tyler that make it. The surrounding ensemble cast is also great, rounded out with the likes of Katy O’Brian (“Love Lies Bleeding,” “The Mandalorian”), Sasha Lane (“American Honey,” “Loki”), Brandon Perea (“The OA,” “Nope”), Harry Hadden-Paton (“The Crown,” “Downton Abbey”), David Corenswet (“The Politician,” “Pearl”), and Tunde Adebimpe (“The Girlfriend Experience,” “Strange Planet”). They’re full of big smiles and personalities that fit neatly into the 90s disaster movie personas with great effect, with Lane, Perea, and O’Brian stealing each moment.

Cinematographer Dan Mindel (“Mission Impossible III,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”) and Chung make the film's wide vistas work as a celebration of the beauty of midwestern America, with plenty of sweeping vistas and gorgeously constructed moments throughout. It’s a truly beautiful film to watch, with large scale destruction pulled off with a mixture of fantastic digital and practical effects work. It feels real, but doesn’t sacrifice its playfulness, with plenty of bits of humor from Tyler and playfulness with the destruction, including one moment involving a movie theater, a tornado, and a screening of the 1931 “Frankenstein” film that will undoubtedly be the highlight of the adventure.

Couple the gorgeous cinematography with a startlingly beautiful score from Benjamin Wallfisch (“A Cure for Wellness,” “Blade Runner 2049”) and you have a film that fully embraces the energy provided from its intersection between midwestern culture and scientific nerdiness. It’s a lively and endearing crossroads that helps to foster an understanding between two sides of American life that are normally at odds. It also helps to smooth over some of the film’s more predictable and cliche disaster movie plot elements.

“Twisters” is a shockingly fun and just plain fantastic time at the movies. As a character yells in the third act, “We have to get everyone into the movie theater!” If that was Chung and company’s central idea behind the film, its resulted in a thoroughly entertaining disaster flick that never forgets to be exceedingly charming and packed to the gills with lovable characters and a gorgeous portrait of midwestern American culture and landscapes. It, pun entirely intended, just might blow you away. 4.5/5

MaXXXine - Review: Fame Can Be Killer

After the absolute success of “X” and “Pearl,” two ultra-low-budget horror slashers with unique perspectives and riotous performances from Mia Goth (“Suspiria (2018),” “Infinity Pool”), writer/director Ti West (“In a Valley of Violence,” “The House of the Devil”) has taken a few years off to come back with his grander and more expensive trilogy capper. Jumping ahead by a few years and jumping locations from rural Texas to Hollywood, it’s a film that, like its main character, has its sights set on grander ambitions. The question is whether or not it achieves them. 

Set in 1985, the film follows the semi-titular adult film star Maxine Minx, played by Goth, as she attempts to break into mainstream film by auditioning for a horror film directed by Elizabeth Bender, played by Elizabeth Debicki (“The Great Gatsby (2013),” “Widows (2018)”). All the while, she navigates the underbelly of the Hollywood porn world accompanied by her best friend and video store employee Leon, played by Moses Sumney (“The Idol”), fellow porn star Tabby Martin, played by Halsey (“Sing 2”), and her entertainment lawyer/agent Teddy Knight, played by Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad,” “Do the Right Thing”). However, while she’s attempting this, a serial killer known as The Night Stalker lurks throughout the city, killing defenseless youths in the night. These killings result in Maxine being targeted by two hotshot LA detectives Williams and Torres, played by Michelle Monaghan (“Gone Baby Gone,” “The Path”) and Bobby Cannavale (“Win Win,” “Homecoming”) respectively, and private investigator John Labat, played by Kevin Bacon (“Footloose,” “Apollo 13”). 

“X” and “Pearl” were fairly light on story, coasting by on vibes and production design to B-horror film glee. “MaXXXine” on the other hand has its sights set on a bit larger scope and story, which is absolutely understandable. Most films that go from small budget success to larger budget finales have an increased scope, but the problem is that while the scope is expanded, the story hasn’t grown to match. You simply cannot coast by on vibes for the third film in your trilogy, especially the final film. Maxine doesn’t grow or change as a person, and the supporting cast around her is pretty one note as well. The actors playing those roles are clearly having a lot of fun, maybe too much, but their roles don’t result in anything meaningful by the end. Most disappointing of all though, the film plays its central mystery/twist as a grand and completely unexpected moment. Yet virtually anyone who’d been half paying attention is likely to have guessed that twist twenty minutes in. 

Goth is a great as she’s ever been, but she’s saddled with a story that squanders her talents, turning Maxine into a passive observer rather than the cutthroat badass we saw in “X.” It’s a bizarre neutering of a character that captured attentions effortlessly initially, and Goth can only do so much within those constraints. Debicki is fairly subdued, playing a stereotype of the “holier-than-thou" director that works well. Bacon is absolutely playing things up to eleven, bordering on parody with a thick Louisiana accent and cartoonish style. Esposito is great in his limited screentime, blurring the line between his larger-than-life comedic stylings and the intensity from his darker roles. Sumney and Halsey meanwhile feel completely forgettable, both in terms of runtime and character impact. Monaghan and Cannavale’s completely seriously played detective duo meanwhile occupy a bizarre space where they’re both exceptionally well-acted and yet so insanely silly and cliche riddled they feel like living jokes. 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of what’s mentioned above: a protagonist who doesn’t change much, overly comedic supporting characters, minor cast members used for killing fodder. These are all classic slasher movie cliches. The problem is that film just lacks any sense of memorability. The kills feel flat, the pacing is fine but uneventful, and the atmosphere just feels like bog standard 80s set dressing. Most surprising of all, given the overt violence and sexual content that was a part of the personality of “X” and “Pearl”, “MaXXXine” feels absolutely tame by extension. It’s not that it isn’t there, it’s still rated R, but it feels here out of obligation. Which is especially bizarre for a film that literally has three Xs in the name. 

In a vacuum, there’s a chance that “MaXXXine” would feel far better than it does but given the long shadow of “X” and “Pearl” hanging over it, it’s hard to imagine anyone feeling satisfied with this conclusion. A bizarrely tame, predictable, and weirdly unmemorable film that traps some playful performances and a leading lady who can clearly do and be better than she is here. “MaXXXine” is far from the worst film of the year, but unlike its lead character, it fails to make any kind of impact. 2.5/5 

Despicable Me 4 - Review: More Antics, More Minions, More Money

 

As the world turns, so do we get another chapter of Universal and Illumination’s money printing factory known as the “Despicable Me” franchise. It’s hard to even begin to critique these films as their success is virtually guaranteed every time, but there’s still enough different between each entry to warrant discussion. Hence, the review you see here for the latest film, the incredibly creatively titled “Despicable Me 4.” 

This latest entry finds Gru, voiced again by Steve Carell (“The Office,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), working for the Anti Villian League and enjoying married bliss with his wife and fellow agent Lucy, voiced by Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”), and three adopted kids Margo, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove (“School of Rock,” “iCarly”), Edith, voiced by Dana Gaier, and Agnes, voiced by Madison Polan, as well as newborn son Gru Jr. However, the family are forced to assume new identities after Gru’s archrival and former classmate Maxime La Mal, voiced by Will Ferrel (“Anchorman,” “Step Brothers”), escapes from prison and decrees that he will hunt Gru down. This leads them to hide out in the suburbs of Mayflower, where Gru is blackmailed by next door neighbor and teenage wannabe villain Poppy Prescott, voiced by Joey King (“The Kissing Booth,” “The Act”), into teaching her how to be a villain. Meanwhile, the Minions, all voiced again by Pierre Coffin (“Minions,” “Despicable Me”), have taken up a new gig with the AVL as the superpowered Mega-Minions.

As is the case with virtually every other “Despicable Me” film, the plot isn’t necessarily cohesive, instead writers Mike White (“The White Lotus,” “School of Rock”) and Ken Daurio (“Horton Hears a Who,” “Schmigadoon!”) just craft something resembling a joke and/or Minion antic delivery machine. No one grows or changes or has an arc, rather just going through various set pieces and action sequences to get to the gags. Luckily, the gags and jokes have a pretty good batting average. While Lucy gets saddled with some random bits involving hair styling and a scorned customer that are quickly forgotten, Gru gets a fantastic arc not only poking fun at suburban dad antics, but also pairs him up with the best character in the series besides himself or the Minions: Poppy Prescott.

King’s vocal performance is top notch and the character herself proves to be a fantastic foil to Gru’s reformed/older and wiser villain persona. Every scene with the two of them together begs the question of why they weren’t just the entire film. Carell also nails his performance, putting years of experience with the character to good use. Ferrell is also excellent, with he and Carell volleying off each other just like their early live-action comedy days. The rest of the cast is serviceable to wasted. Wiig, Cosgrove, Gaier, and Polan are all fine, meanwhile the likes of Stephen Colbert (“Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Mr. Peabody and Sherman”) as Gru’s next door neighbor and Poppy’s father Perry, Sophia Vergara (“Machete Kills,” “Modern Family”) as Maxime’s girlfriend Valentina, and Chloe Fineman (“Babylon,” “Saturday Night Live”) as Poppy’s mother Patsy all feel wasted, failing to make an impact beyond just “another celebrity voice.”

Pharell Williams (“Hidden Figures,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”) turns in yet another excellent opening musical number and the score from series veteran Heitor Pereira (“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Curious George”) uses the right themes at the right moments for maximum action and comedic impact. It’s hard to call any of it unique, but it is an example of a finely tuned musical style that serves its purpose and not much more.

There is something weirdly enjoyable about the low stakes of it all. Gru and Maxime’s rivalry isn’t about taking over the world, but rather petty jealousy. There’s no massive destruction of a city or object of world ending power. It’s shockingly low stakes and it helps to serve as the antithesis of most Hollywood franchise moviemaking nowadays. It’s almost as if Gru and his Minions have become so over saturated in the market that they’ve spun back around to being ironically funny and cool, much like Shrek a decade or so ago.

“Despicable Me 4” is yet another entry in the critic proof series, but it's one of the better ones. Carell and Ferrell are excellent together, as is King, with all three maintaining a heightened level of energy that lifts the entire film up whenever they’re on screen. It’s more of the same that you’ve seen before, but with a higher joke-to-minute ratio and lacking the annoying elements from previous entries. It’s about as good as this series can get, which only somewhat sounds like damning with faint praise. 3.5/5