by Jason Osiason

OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN: The film tells the story of a teacher named Rachel, played by Virginie Efira (outstanding) of Benedetta fame, who began dating a man with a young daughter, and the story details the roller coaster of emotions such an experience brings forth. It’s an almost beat-for-beat pre-menopausal spiritual successor to The Worst Person in the World to the point they share the same Art Garfunkel closing sequence song. Still, regardless of striking familiarity and not being as emotionally crushing as Trier’s Masterwork and the similar despairing plot turns, it takes, it feels like a truly authentic and moving piece of filmmaking. Also of note with two scenes, Frederick Wiseman as a French gynecologist Frederick Wiseman stands out and will rival David Lynch as the director cameo of 2022. [B+]

WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY: The serial definition of a dumb-smart musical biopic in the not-so-true life story of Weird Al Yankovic. Its outrageous and transgressively crude insanity will make all die-hard Al Yankovic happy and welcome fresh minds along for the ride. At times when the film explores Yankvic’s upbringing and his early claims to fame, it momentarily surpasses the comedic strengths of Walk Hard, which will be the frequent point of biopic parody comparison. Though, its concentrated ridiculousness ends up ringing more to the tune of the zany volatility of a David Wain picture as it struggles to find a structural rhythm. Despite the early fun and being riddled with inspired cameos of celebrities portraying other renowned celebrities, it predictably outlasted its welcome. Despite a committed performance from Daniel Radcliffe, it couldn’t feel more like an adaptation of a Funny or Die short. I found myself anxiously tuning out during the film’s final twenty minutes. While I enjoyed being immersed in its initial silliness and fun, it felt like a one-joke movie that cannot sustain itself plot-wise as an entire feature-length movie. [C+]

DE HUMANI CORPORIS FABRICA: Like James Cameron, the filmmakers follow up on their previous hit movies, Leviathan and Caniba, and invent new technology to travel deep (literally) inside emergency surgeries set in French hospitals over the course of seven years of filming. It makes for a debilitating, obscene, and darkly funny sensory-overloaded look at the fractured nature of healthcare in Paris from the hands and scalpels of the doctors, staff, and nurses operating on various people of various ethnical backgrounds and economic statuses. Some of the surgeries featured include Prostate, Retina, and even an Emergency C-section to give you the briefest taste. One that encapsulates the film’s ownership most is one featuring an extreme closeup of a flaccid penis being operated on with a surgical device buried deep inside the urethra while a doctor and nurse are playfully bickering about who should clean up blood and various blockage fluids pouring out while pondering if they should hire a porter. This masterwork is funnier and more thoughtful than any Jackass movie ever made. [A]

THE GOOD NURSE: This chilly and unsettling true crime story is about Charles Cullen, one of history’s most notorious serial killers you never heard of. Jessica Chastain plays his colleague Amy who finally notices his background of working at countless hospitals is a cautionary sign than a direct qualification once a highly suspicious death occurs. It’s one of Chastain’s most fearless yet vulnerable performances as she commands her aid to the investigation while her own health is failing. The one-no-so-good nurse and colleague, played by Eddie Redmayne, begins to be caught in his web of lies while developing an obsession with Amy’s personal life. It’s a ticking time bomb of performance by Eddie Redmayne and perhaps his best since the one he delivered as an Academy Award winner in The Theory of Everything. This eerie, gripping, calculated, and gorgeously textured film by filmmaker Tobias Lindholm could’ve veered more salacious and exploitative in lesser hands and only has real struggles in pacing areas. [B+]

I LIKE MOVIES: Through the eyes of a socially awkward and self-proclaimed cinephile teen, Lawrence (in a breakout performance by Isaiah Lehtinen) takes us through the 90s nostalgia of video store culture. Filled with plenty of wit and poignancy, the film does an outstanding job explaining how these individuals most likely do not live out the idealistic lives they see in the movies. It movingly explores what shapes our identity in the feat of fear and loneliness while each new life obstacle interrupts our envisioned path. Lawrence imagines himself becoming the next great filmmaker and moving to America. Still, his self-absorption and stubborn attitude at such a young and formative age become his biggest obstacle as his friendships become tainted, his aspired college plans change, and his new job at the local video store is suddenly in jeopardy. What separates I Like Movies from another coming of age is how director Chandler Levack allows her protagonist to grow from the consequences of their actions and does so while paying homage to the great movies of the past. Chandler could’ve made a movie about her different story but gendered flipped and approached it instead with a semi-autobiographical it to assist in avoiding any of the indulgent tendencies most traditional biopics have. It’s an overall well-crafted, personal, surprisingly stylized, and auspicious directorial debut. [B]

BROS: A perfect dose of sweet and raunchy and is Knocked Up-level type of terrific that pays great respect to the romantic comedies of years past. Eichner plays the hot-tempered and very single Bobby Leiber, who naturally rejects the first flushes of love and your stereotypical standard Hollywood happy ending. It’s a very winning performance by Eichner that does it all. He’s given juicy monologues, sings, and chews up the screen. Beyond being just gut-busting funny, it provides a winningly sharp commentary on dating, hookup culture, and LGBT representation that Hollywood still avoids. The romance between Billy Eichner’s character Bobby Lieber and Luke Macfarlane’s Aaron (who Bobby becomes immediately smitten by) feels like an authentic, natural, and inclusive portrayal of love. We can all relate to having our set notions on romance and how we will immediately drop those established beliefs if the right person comes along. It is also a terrific detailed snapshot of feeling insecure in your romantic relationship. It takes the classic romantic comedy setup and role reverses gay and straight men naturally without feeling forced to fill the void of genre conventions. Eichner might have also saved the dying romantic comedy genre with this one. [B+]

WOMEN TALKING: This story of raw courage and resilience in the wake of societal horrors by Sarah Polley is also her first film since the stunning documentary Stories We Tell. After sexual assaults committed by the colony’s men come to light, the women from an isolated religious settlement decide the pros and cons of leaving their no-longer safe home. My main issue with this relatively good-natured film is its visual approach which rings hollow and leaves me unconnected to the story and the many characters that live inside. Due to this, the deep conversations feel scaled back, and the desaturated aesthetic somewhat undercuts the impact of their impactful words. I also had trouble connecting to the many thinly drawn-out characters as we’re just thrown right into the heat of the discussion, making it hard to have a single performance that fully resonated. Still, as the film’s pseudo-lead and pack leader, Jessie Buckley does her best shot in the film’s most impactful role, and it’s also a very commanding turn. [C]

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY: The return of Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit blanc is set on the private island of tech billionaire Miles Bron. He invites Blanc alongside a group of his closest friends for a fun weekend retreat in which they will be asked to solve a game in the form of his murder mystery. The entire ensemble has a grand ol’ time, and nearly everyone is at the top of their game. Daniel Craig is once again doing his best work in years. Norton, Bautista, Hudson (the film’s central comedic relief and having the time of her life in her best role in years), and Monae are the film’s other big standouts. Rian Johnson is an obviously prominent admirer of the classic whodunit detective murder mystery genre. Combined with his multi-talent as both a director and screenwriter, he designed a sequel that doesn’t disappoint but surpasses the original, an impressive feat compared to other movie sequels Hollywood usually spits out. The film also feels more elaborate in its grand scope, production design, and musical score. The writing and dialogue are also unsparingly clever, and the brisk editing and the mystery are so punchy and engaging you do not feel it’s a minute too long despite its nearly 2-hour 20-minute running time. Sometimes plot elements feel contrived and obvious, but you soon realize later that was all part of the game. It’s pure popcorn Blockbuster entertainment at its finest, and the film is all the better for being just that. It’s a good statement on why we still go to the movies, and I hope Netflix allows audiences to discover the film in both formats. [B+]