Roger Kanno Archives

Disney+ | Star Wars: Andor

Aimed more at kids than adults, Netflix’ latest animated effort, while beautiful to look at, is a little too restrained

by Roger Kanno
March 26, 2023

The newest full-length animated feature available to stream on Netflix since March 17 is The Magician’s Elephant. It was produced by Animal Logic, now a Netflix subsidiary and a studio that provides visual effects services to the film industry and has produced the distinctive animation for the Lego and Peter Rabbit films. Based on the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and a screenplay by Martin Hynes, who was one of the contributors to the Academy Award-winning Toy Story 4, The Magician’s Elephant tells the tale of an orphaned boy named Peter (Noah Jupe) and his search for his long-lost sister.

The talented voice cast also includes Mandy Patinkin, Bryan Tyree Henry, Benedict Wong, Sian Clifford, Miranda Richardson, and the always amusing Natasia Demetriou as the Fortune Teller who provides Peter with mysterious advice to help in his search. She also acts as the narrator and breaks the fourth wall to address the audience during her occasional monologues, which are smartly conceived and charmingly executed. Ultimately, though, the storytelling is somewhat clunky, with lessons delivered heavy-handedly and with little backstory as to why the townspeople and the entire city of Baltese where Peter lives have fallen into a state of indifference.

The three-dimensional look and overall visual style of the film along with a color palette full of soft blue, pink, and purple hues is extremely appealing even though Baltese, where Peter and his adoptive father Vilna live, is stuck under perpetual cloudiness. While the brightness of the picture is slightly muted due to the constant presence of the clouds, I was struck by the beauty of the detail in the cityscapes of the Old World buildings. As Peter walks across their rooftops, hundreds of individual tiles of different colors fill the screen, and closeup views show subtly varying shades on their uneven surfaces. The paint is realistically worn on the edges of roof flashings, and Peter’s well-worn leather shoes are wrinkled and grainy with scuffing evident on both the uppers and thick soles, with individual threads visible in the laces. The subdued but still lavishly colorful and detailed animation presented in Dolby Vision is a visual feast.

Character renderings are also exquisite, whether it is the realism of Vilnas’ long scraggly beard, with the hairs nearest his mouth moving more so than those further away as he speaks, or his bushy eyebrows moving independently, as do the many creases and wrinkles as he contorts his face in deep expression. The elephant’s deeply textured skin also moves smoothly and naturally and appears to be realistically stretched over the musculature of the animal as it expands and contracts in unison with its movements. In addition to the finely detailed main players, background characters are also rendered with great detail and clarity as each looks unique and distinct from one another with very different clothing, skin tones, and facial features. Regrettably, though, the painstakingly produced animation is limited to a resolution of 1080p. And while the picture didn’t appear particularly soft or lacking in quality, I couldn’t help but wonder if the fantastic visuals could have been further enhanced had the video been presented in 4K.

The Atmos soundtrack was also not as immersive or involving as I would have expected, especially considering the quality of the carefully crafted animation and the fanciful nature of the story. However, in certain instances, holographic spatial cues such as during a battle scene, the sound of explosions echo realistically in all directions and a baby’s cries are clearly audible off in the distance. And when Peter frolics with the elephant during a dream sequence, the wind swirls and envelops them as the majestic sweeping score exhibits excellent bass. Unfortunately, during much of the rest of the film, there is a relative lack of both discrete, directional surround effects and an enveloping surround ambience.

Animal Logic’s animation for The Magician’s Elephant is visually arresting and a real treat even though it might have benefitted from an upgrade to 4K from the 1080p standard HD video stream provided by Netflix. And the wholesome story with relatively little violence and a whimsical quality will likely appeal to children, although adults may not be as entertained by the rather simplistic plot.

Roger Kanno began his life-long interest in home cinema almost three decades ago with a collection of LaserDiscs and a Dolby Surround Pro Logic system. Since then, he has seen a lot of movies in his home theater but has an equal fascination with high-end stereo music systems. Roger writes for both Sound & Vision and the SoundStage! Network.

PICTURE | The subdued but still lavishly colorful and detailed animation presented in Dolby Vision is a visual feast

SOUND | The Atmos soundtrack isn’t as immersive or involving as you would expect given the quality of the carefully crafted animation and the fanciful nature of the story

Review: Luther: The Fallen Sun

review | Luther: The Fallen Sun

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Netflix | Enola Holmes 2

Netflix | The Pale Blue Eye

This feature-length continuation of the BBC series is engrossing enough but doesn’t break any new ground

by Roger Kanno
March 19, 2023

Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther (Idris Elba) is a brilliant but disgraced ex-police officer who has been imprisoned for transgressions committed as a result of the all-consuming nature of his investigations. Often consumed by the darkness of the crimes he investigates, DCI Luther walks the line between good and evil and right and wrong that often becomes blurred and sometimes crosses that line in his quest to bring criminals to justice.

A continuation of Luther, the acclaimed BBC series created and written by Neil Cross that aired from 2010 to 2019, Luther: The Fallen Sun has been available on Netflix since March 10 after a limited theatrical run in select theaters beginning February 24. During its nine-year run, the TV series only produced 20 episodes yet resulted in many nominations for BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy Awards, among others, and several wins, including acting awards for Elba from the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild.

Fallen Sun brings back Elba and Dermot Crowley as Detective Superintendent (retired) Martin Schenk, another brilliant, but more ethical, officer and Luther’s uneasy friend and ally from the original series. Taunted by a ruthless killer (Andy Serkis), Luther must solve the grisly murders even though he is behind bars by using whatever goodwill still exists for him and favors he can muster from past acquaintances and colleagues. Serkis is better known for his digital performance-capture roles such as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and for co-founding Imaginarium Studios, which is dedicated to this film-making technology. But he is both menacing and convincing in his portrayal of serial killer David Robey. If you require further evidence of the quality of his conventional acting skills, watch him in Andor, arguably the best Star Wars limited series available on Disney+. Add to this a fine performance by Cynthia Erivo as DCI Odette Raine, the lead investigator assigned to the case, and the cast is simply rock solid.

The difficulty with Fallen Sun is that the story, written by Cross, must live up to the considerable expectations created by the high caliber of the original TV series. While it does this for the most part, it is a relatively conventional, if well-made, thriller that’s not especially innovative nor shocking. There are also a few too many plot details that are simply glossed over or somehow conveniently wrapped up by the end of the film. The door is left open for the possibility of a sequel or even the beginning of a movie franchise.

As with many recent streaming releases, the quality of the visual presentation is very good. It exhibits a cool bluey-green tinge at times, especially early on, but overall the picture looks smooth and natural. It can be difficult to tell that the presentation is in HDR as the Dolby Vision picture is not exceedingly bright, but this contributes to the natural look. For instance, as Luther chases a suspect through a seedy tattoo parlor, the realistically dark lighting and shadows make it hard to make out a lot of detail, but the colored lights in a dimly lit hallway brilliantly cut through the darkness. Scenes inside a police command center show computer monitors glowing realistically in the background with colorful but not overly saturated hues, and DCI Raine’s smooth and even complexion perfectly reflecting the carefully controlled lighting. The ice fields of Norway also appear impressively austere and bleak but not excessively bright as they are shot under mostly cloudy skies, yet the minute details on Luther’s signature dark woolen overcoat and his slightly unkempt beard are sharp and easily visible.

While the picture quality is quite satisfying, the audio quality is a bit underwhelming. All of the components of an engrossing soundtrack are present—ominous music, carefully timed jarring sound effects, and more constant ambient sounds—but they’re not mixed effectively to utilize the immersive capabilities of Dolby Atmos as the sound remains mostly anchored to the front channels. Even scenes that are obvious candidates for an enveloping surround ambience, such as heavy rain during a storm or the echoey interior of a large prison, make only subtle use of the surround and height channels. More suspenseful scenes when Luther is closing in on Robey have aggressive music and sound effects mixed into a wider front stereo soundstage, but even then there is fairly limited use of the additional channels.

Fallen Sun is a capable thriller but fans of DCI Luther may be disappointed by the film’s rather conventional narrative that fails to take his story to the next level. There is always the possibility of a sequel, but so far, the film adaption of Luther is not up to the same creative standards as those set by other Netflix franchises such as Enola Holmes or Knives Out.

PICTURE | The picture exhibits a cool blue-green tinge at times but overall looks smooth and natural

SOUND | All the components of an engrossing soundtrack are present but aren’t mixed effectively to utilize the immersive capabilities of Dolby Atmos since the sound remains mostly anchored to the front channels

Review: Sharper

review | Sharper

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Kaleidescape | The Banshees of Inisherin

This noirish thriller on Apple TV+ is worth a look but isn’t quite as clever as it thinks it is

by Roger Kanno
February 28, 2023

The psychological thriller Sharper is a twist-filled mystery examining the interconnected lives of its characters through a series of non-linear vignettes. Not all is as it seems as we are introduced to Tom (Justice Smith), the owner of a used bookstore; his girlfriend Sandra (Briana Middleton); Madeline (Julianne Moore), the wife of a wealthy businessman; and her mysterious and troubled son, Max (Sebastian Stan). The film is directed by Benjamin Caron, who has previously directed episodes of the critically acclaimed Andor and The Crown and is produced by Apple Original Films and A24 among others. It was released on Apple TV+ on February 17 after being released in select US theaters the week prior.

The complex plot unfolds as the self-contained vignettes reveal the background and events that shape the lives of the characters, and each chapter tells its own story while contributing to the overall narrative of the film. Things are a little slow to start but the action ramps up once the enigmatic Stan appears on screen and especially when he appears with the equally shady characters played by Moore and Middleton. Without giving too much of the plot away, the story does come together in the final act in a satisfying conclusion but is not as elegant, surprising, or as intelligent as other modern classics such as The Usual Suspects, or, more recently, the original Knives Out. And while there are a lot of twists and turns along the way, they’re not always as surprising or as unexpected as they should be.

In addition to the fine performances, the film benefits from slick production values and excellent cinematography that showcases its stylish New York backdrop. There are many scenes featuring magnificent shots of the Manhattan skyline and more rustic and grittier looking locations in the Soho district. Shot on 35mm film, the look of Sharper perfectly captures the film-noir atmosphere of the story. The picture can appear a touch soft at times but exhibits some slight but very natural film grain and a dark but warm color palette that is simply gorgeous. Unlike most films now shot on digital, colors don’t constantly pop, but they do so when appropriate, such as a night scene where HDR highlights make car headlights realistically bright and cool blue and red neon reflections flow across the windshield and eerily illuminate Sandra’s face. Most of the film is shot in subdued light, giving a somewhat gray tinge to things, but dark silhouettes of the characters appear absolutely jet-black and are often backlit with moody, pastel-colored tones that look fantastic.

There are still a handful of movies shot each year on film. And even though I watch movies on a digital medium, either on Blu-ray or streamed, there is just something about a movie shot lovingly on film that is quite special. Sharper is one of those films and will look exquisite on a high-quality display device with Dolby Vision.

The sound design is also superb. There aren’t a lot of boisterous sound effects, but the Atmos mix is used to effectively enhance the mood with judicious use of the surround and height channels to provide ambience throughout much of the film. The soundtrack features a variety of songs ranging from cool jazz to R&B and modern pop, and the object-oriented mixes are some of the best music in spatial audio I have heard. For example, the Talking Heads’ “Slippery People” features a simpler arrangement than the original version of the song with an extremely taut drum beat and percussion spread widely between the speakers, and synth cords and electric guitar set back in the soundstage, but presented with tremendous clarity. The vocals are also extremely present with David Byrne clearly delineated from the backing singers. This is the best I have ever heard this song sound including the 5.1 channel version on the DVD-A side of the Speaking In Tongues DualDisc and the more recent Dolby Atmos remix for Apple Music’s Spatial Audio. There are other examples of well-mixed songs, such as Curtis Harding’s “I Won’t Let You Down” and “Just a Lonely Christmas” by the Supremes, but “Slippery People” sounded so arresting that I actually stopped the movie and replayed it a couple of times just to enjoy its superb multichannel mix.

Sharper looks great and sounds even better on Apple TV+ with a story that is full of twists and turns. The problem is that you can see many of those twists and turns coming even though you may not know where the story will eventually end up. But there are still enough surprises along the way and some solid performances to make this stylish thriller a worthwhile watch.

PICTURE | Shot on 35mm film, the picture can appear a touch soft at times but exhibits some slight but very natural film grain and a dark but warm color palette that is simply gorgeous

SOUND | There aren’t a lot of boisterous sound effects, but the Atmos mix is used to effectively enhance the mood with judicious use of the surround and height channels to provide ambience throughout much of the film

Review: You People

review | You People

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Apple TV+ | CODA

Kaleidescape | The Banshees of Inisherin

This star-filled romantic comedy on Netflix is amusing enough but never lives up to its potential

by Roger Kanno
February 12, 2023

Ezra Cohen (Jonah Hill) is a financial professional and podcaster who falls in love with costume designer Amira Mohammed (Lauren London). However, Amira’s father Akbar (Eddie Murphy) doesn’t like or trust Ezra, and Ezra’s mother Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), is prone to saying wildly inappropriate things on a fairly regular basis. After Amira accepts Ezra’s marriage proposal, the two families come together with the predictable resulting tension as the interracial couple navigates the cultural differences between their families.

You People, which began streaming on Netflix on January 27, has a screenplay co-written by Hill and Kenya Barris, creator of the award-winning television series Black-ish, and a star-studded cast that also includes Nia Long and David Duchovny along with many celebrity cameos. Additionally, Barris directs and with such a stacked cast and established team behind the production, all of the ingredients are present for some outrageous comedy and biting social commentary. And while the dialogue is often clever and amusing, it is seldomly laugh out loud funny, and cultural themes are mostly superficially addressed.

As Ezra and his podcast partner Mo (Sam Jay) riff on his inability to maintain a healthy romantic relationship with multiple references to Drake, the resulting rapid-fire dialogue is mildly comical and charming but isn’t as funny or daring as I would have expected it to be. When Eddie Murphy first appears on screen as the serious and non-nonsense Akbar, his severe demeanor and swagger are palpable. But what seems so promising at first soon blends into the rest of the film and its predictable jokes and slightly cringey scenes that don’t quite seem to go far enough to make them uproariously funny or make any astute societal observations.

Nonetheless, Murphy is charismatic, and his intense energy is fascinating to watch even if his character doesn’t have all that much to do in the film. And yet he still manages to make Akbar both relatable and sympathetic. London and Hill are likable as the leads but they too aren’t given much to work with to develop their characters. The onscreen chemistry between them never really goes anywhere even as we watch their relationship develop and deepen. Much the same can be said of the other characters, but with such an excellent cast, the film is buoyed by their performances even if it plays it relatively safe and results in a pretty standard romantic comedy with relatively few truly funny moments.

The cast may be loaded, but so too is the highly engaging music soundtrack presented in Dolby Atmos with fantastic songs from the late Nipsey Hussle, James Brown, Ice-T, DJ Khaled, and Barry White, just to name a few. The music is marvelously integrated into the overall sound design with many scenes introduced by a fabulous flourish of hip hop jams. The songs feature a truly immersive object-based mix to provide a wonderfully wide and spacious sound with plenty of deep bass. From the opening scenes featuring “Chitty Bang” by Leikeli47, the music surrounded and enveloped me in scene after scene with an infectious beat. And when things slowed down during Amira and Ezra’s first date, Brittany Howard’s silky smooth “Stay High” was smoothly and coherently mixed into all channels to deliver a truly enveloping and dreamy effect.

Picture quality was nearly as impressive as the audio. The clothing and furnishings in the backgrounds of the many upscale shops Ezra and Amira visit look totally realistic, with each carefully crafted scene filled with a plethora of pleasing colors. Fashion lovers will appreciate the extensive use of contemporary clothing and sneakers utilized by costume designer Michelle R. Cole. The exquisitely detailed stitching and the beautiful pink, blue, and yellow pastel shades of corduroy looked absolutely perfect with a Dolby Vision color grade that brought out the subtle differences in the soft pale hues. Colors did pop when required as with a Southwest airlines plane, whose deep-blue fuselage looked absolutely gorgeous in a sharply detailed establishing shot.

The slick-looking visuals and excellent sound design of You People were a pleasant surprise from this rom-com but considering the film’s promising pedigree, I was disappointed in its formulaic plot and lack of cutting-edge comedy.

PICTURE | Clothing and furnishings looked realistic, with each scene filled with a plethora of pleasing colors. The pink, blue, and yellow pastel shades of corduroy looked perfect with a Dolby Vision color grade that brought out the subtle differences in the soft hues.

SOUND | The truly immersive object-based Atmos mix provides the film’s many songs with a wonderfully wide and spacious sound with plenty of deep bass.

Review: Causeway

review | Causeway

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Kaleidescape |
Everything Everywhere All at Once

Netflix | Pinocchio (2022)

Jennifer Lawrence stars in this under-the-radar Apple TV+ release about a veteran’s struggles to recover from traumatic war injuries

by Roger Kanno
February 4, 2023

Causeway is another release from the highly successful and independent film-distribution company A24. It was released on Apple TV+ late last year after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and then given a limited theatrical release. And while it was helmed by first-time director Lila Neugebauer, it stars and was co-produced by Jennifer Lawrence, so there is definitely some Hollywood star power behind it even though it has managed to fly mostly under the radar since its debut. The film also stars the versatile and talented Brian Tyree Henry, who has appeared in diverse roles on television, in film, and on the stage over the past ten-plus years. There are other fine supporting performances in Causeway but the dynamic that drives the film is between Lynsey (Lawrence), a veteran who has suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Afghanistan, and James (Henry), a mechanic who forges a special bond with her.

The story initially unfolds at an incredibly slow pace as Lynsey recovers from her injuries and struggles with routine daily tasks. But once she recovers sufficiently to move back home and tries to find some normalcy in her life, we get a better glimpse into the source of her pain and the obstacles she faces. It’s there that she meets James and the unlikely pair strike up a friendship as they go on a mutual journey of discovery to confront their deep emotional scars. At times, this is difficult to watch as the raw emotion feels so real, but mostly the film is an introspective and thoughtful story about two people just trying to navigate their way through the grief and trauma that they have experienced.

When the two leads are onscreen together, the back and forth between them seems totally authentic. Lawrence’s performance is reminiscent of her breakthrough role in Winter’s Bone although her character this time around isn’t quite as dynamic as in the earlier film. Nonetheless, the strength and emotion she brings to her portrayal of Lynsey is equally as captivating. And Henry matches Lawrence’s performance scene for scene with his absolutely effortless portrayal of James, the quiet and sensible one who has his own issues to contend with. While it was bit surprising that James received a nomination in the Supporting Actor category for this year’s Oscars due to the limited buzz surrounding this film, it is certainly well-deserved.

Like the story itself, the picture quality is somewhat subdued, but upon closer inspection is lifelike and natural, if not eye-catching. Don’t look for any majestic panoramic shots or super-saturated colors here; instead, the cinematography consists of simply composed images featuring the rather drab and ordinary-looking architecture of Lynsey’s suburban neighborhood. The color grading and use of HDR highlights effectively bring out the detail in facial expressions, clothing, and background objects without drawing gratuitous attention to the visuals. While the lighting of outdoor scenes might seem a bit gloomy, it too is actually quite natural as if captured on an overcast or hazy day, with the fine detail of unkempt grass and shrubs and the peeling paint on houses looking realistic.

Similarly, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is restrained and mostly centered on the dialogue, yet there is ample use of the surround and height channels to create just a touch of surround ambience in most scenes. When Lynsey and James are riding in his car, the road and engine noise are just present enough to make the setting seem real, and even the music sounds a little boomy, as it often can when played on a car stereo. Most importantly though, the dialogue remains crystal-clear throughout so that we can appreciate the excellent script and finely nuanced performances.

Causeway may be a small film that hasn’t received much attention but it is an exquisitely crafted character study with two very fine performances by Lawrence and Henry that elevate it to something special.

PICTURE | The picture quality is somewhat subdued but lifelike and natural, with the color grading and HDR highlights effectively bringing out the detail in facial expressions, clothing, and background objects without drawing gratuitous attention to the visuals

SOUND | The Atmos soundtrack is similarly restrained and mostly centered on the dialogue, yet there is ample use of the surround and height channels to create just a touch of surround ambience in most scenes

Review: RRR

review | RRR

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All Quiet on the Western Front

Chucking plausibility for almost continuous action has had a lot to do with making this the most popular Indian movie to ever hit Netflix

by Roger Kanno
January 31, 2023

Rise Roar Revolt, or simply RRR as it is more commonly known, is one of the biggest and most successful movies to ever come out of India. And while most people are aware of the Bollywood movie scene, few have ever likely seen a Hindi feature from the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai. And while RRR is available in many languages including the language of Bollywood films, Hindi, its primary release was in the Telugu language, actually making it a Tollywood film. Whatever the origins of RRR or its box office success, which was substantial, according to Netflix it is also their most popular film to originate from India and has met with almost universal critical acclaim.

Perhaps a little surprisingly, RRR wasn’t India’s entry in the Best International Feature category at this year’s Academy Awards but it did receive a nomination for best song for the extremely catchy and infectious “Naatu Naatu,” with music by M. M. Keeravani and lyrics by Chandrabose. While it didn’t garner any other Oscar nominations, it’s still one of the most entertaining films of 2022. The screenplay by S. S. Rajamouli, who also directed, is an epic, melodramatic, action-packed, and fictionalized story of historical Indian figures Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan Teja) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.).

The sprawling film spans over three hours but with so much action going on, it hardly ever seems to lag and trying to describe its plot in a few sentences is difficult. But it does imagine a burgeoning friendship between Raju and Bheem before they became renowned revolutionaries and their shared loyalty, sense of duty, and heroism as they struggle against British colonialism. The totally over-the-top fight scenes are super-cool, with plenty of slo-mo to allow for the admiration of the intricate choreography interspersed with long lingering shots filled with thematic imagery. The direction and screenplay by Rajamouli and the actors’ performances aren’t exactly subtle but the sensational action and melodrama suit the film’s improbable sensibilities and are a ton of fun to watch.

RRR wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable without its fine music score to accompany the onscreen action, and in addition to “Naatu Naatu,” there are plenty of equally catchy songs and a majestic score to enrich the fantastic visuals. The music is mixed aggressively in Dolby Atmos with various instruments and vocals emanating from all around the room with great depth and width to the soundstage. There is often deep, ominous bass as sound effects swirl frantically in all directions, taking full advantage of the object-oriented mix to provide a totally holographic and immersive auditory experience. The Atmos soundtrack is only available in Hindi on Netflix (Canada), while English, Portuguese, and Spanish language soundtracks are available in Dolby 5.1. Make sure to choose the Atmos mix to fully enjoy this film if your system is equipped for it. Because this is the Hindi dub of the film, the version of the Oscar-nominated song is called “Naacho Naacho” but still sounds excellent. And if you have an Apple TV 4K connected to your system and subscribe to Apple Music, be sure to listen to the lossless Atmos version of the song available on the music streaming service for a real treat. The vocals and drums are mixed even more aggressively into all of the channels to provide an even more dizzying and intoxicating adrenaline rush even without the accompaniment of the amazing visuals of the film.

The cinematography is striking, with the many symbolic images bringing the director’s bold vision to life. However, the color grading is a bit on the faint side of things with many scenes having a slight yellowish hue. This results in many shots exhibiting a somewhat washed-out look, with bright colors and highlights not popping quite as much as I am used to with most Dolby Vision presentations. The sharpness and detail are a little variable and some of the CGI effects appear slightly soft, but I didn’t find this particularly distracting as I was constantly impressed by the wealth of daring imagery and the entertainingly fast pace of the film.

RRR may not have been India’s entry in the Academy Award International Feature category this year, but it is a hugely successful and highly accessible film that you don’t have to be a film connoisseur to enjoy. So check out this not so hidden gem of a film on Netflix if you haven’t already.

PICTURE | The cinematography is striking but the color grading is a bit faint, with bright colors and highlights not popping as much as you would expect from a Dolby Vision presentation

SOUND | The music is mixed aggressively in Atmos, with instruments and vocals emanating from all around the room. There is often deep, ominous bass as sound effects swirl frantically in all directions, taking full advantage of the object-oriented mix to provide a totally holographic and immersive auditory experience.

Oscar Nominees 2023

reviews | Oscar Nominees 2023

our comprehensive roundup of this year’s most notable Academy Award picks

JUMP TO

by the Cineluxe staff
updated March 9, 2023

This year’s Oscar nods were so predictable that we were able to lay this page out more than a week ago and only had to make one change after the nominations were actually announced. It’s kind of sad the industry is so committed to sticking with the safe and known—and, as you’ll see from many of our reviewers’ comments, long. But while there don’t seem to be any masterpieces in the 2023 round of picks, there is a decent number of films that are, if nothing else, engaging, diverting, and demo-worthy.

All the Beauty and Bloodshed

Documentary Feature

Review Coming Soon

Picture, International Film, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Original Score, Visual Effects, Sound, Makeup & Hairstyling, Production Design

“From the opening pastoral scenes of nature in the French countryside that transition to the bleakness and horror of the trenches and No Man’s Land of the Great War, All Quiet on the Western Front captivates with an unflinching visual style, providing one of the most satisfying cinematic experiences offered by a movie from a streaming service this year.”
read more

All That Breathes

Documentary Feature

“The only real complaint I have about All That Breathes is that it ends far too quickly. Granted, the 97-minute runtime already seems brisk on paper, but actually watching it, it doesn’t feel anywhere near that long. Some of that is due to the lack of a conventional narrative but a lot of it boils down to fantastic editing, compelling subjects, and mesmerizing cinematography. One simply hopes HBO eventually releases the thing in UHD/HDR so it can be experienced in its full splendor.” read more

The Banshees of Inisherin

Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Editing, Original Score

“The Banshees of Inisherin will no doubt go down as one of the most divisive films of this awards season but likely not for the reasons you might suspect, mainly because I can’t imagine anyone outright hating it. It’s one of the most captivating films of the year. No scene—indeed, no frame—is wasted and its closing credits seem to nip at the heels of its opening imagery. Then again, if you said you found it ploddingly paced, I’d have a hard time arguing with you.” read more

The Batman

Visual Effects, Sound, Makeup & Hairstyling

“At nearly three hours, the pacing is slow, and there are often long periods between the next ‘event,’ making it feel long at times. Even when it feels the film is wrapping up, there is another 30 minutes! But, while I don’t think this is the best Batman movie ever, it’s still engaging and entertaining, and director Matt Reeves gives us an interesting new take on the Dark Knight that certainly looks and sounds better when screened at home.” read more

Blonde

Actress

“Writer and director Dominik’s liberal use of artistic license and unorthodox filmmaking techniques in telling the story of the legendary Marilyn Monroe is risky. As often as it works, there are equally as many times that it comes across as lurid and cringey. Blonde is sometimes beautiful to look at, with a heroic performance by de Armas, but its content is bleak and disturbing.” read more

Causeway

Supporting Actor

“Causeway may be a small film that hasn’t received much attention but it is an exquisitely crafted character study with two very fine performances by Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry that elevate it to something special.” read more

Elvis

Picture, Actor, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Production Design

“I can’t comment on how closely the film hews to actual events, or if Colonel Tom Parker was truly as controlling and influential on Elvis Presley as the film portrays, but I did find Elvis entertaining, though a bit long at 2 hours 39 minutes. If you’re a fan of Presley or Baz Luhrmann, it’s definitely worth a watch.” read more

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Costume Design

“Despite being a work of legitimate cultural significance, with a message that will still be sending shockwaves through my brain years from now, Everything Everywhere All at Once is also incredibly accessible and wildly entertaining, not to mention slap-happily zany.” read more

The Fabelmans

Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Production Design

“The two-hour 31-minute run-time can be a bit plodding. Don’t expect a lot of—or really any—action other than of the emotional kind. While I found the film interesting, scenes can drag a bit. But if you’re a Spielberg fan, this is definitely a movie you’ll want to see, as it accurately depicts his early life and influences.” read more

Fire of Love

Documentary Feature

“Of the two documentary films cobbled together last year from footage shot by Maurice and Katia Krafft, Fire of Love is ultimately the better one. Sara Dosa doesn’t cram her own personality into the film the way Wenrer Herzog does, but she also takes a more childlike and irreverent approach that suits its subjects and subject matter better. I’d love it if you watched both because there are some ways in which Herzog’s film is superior. But if you have to pick one, make it this one, whether it wins the Oscar or not.” read more

Glass Onion

Adapted Screenplay

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is lighter and breezier than the original film but with a similarly clever and intricate plot. It also features first-rate sound and picture quality, making it one of the premier streaming releases of the year.” read more

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Animated Film

“Del Toro’s Pinocchio—a re-imagining of the 1883 novel that has nothing to do with Disney’s take on the property—is a weird and wonderful, utterly soulful fantasy adventure and allegory that almost seems to have been made with no other audience in mind than del Toro himself. “ read more

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Animated Film

“This is such a compelling little film that anyone with a hint of tolerance for weirdness will get altogether lost in the experience. It’s refreshing to watch a movie that leans so hard into its adorableness without ignoring the difficulties we all face in life. It’s also a delightfully strange feeling to watch a film made with so much sincerity and so little cynicism. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if the original shorts resonated with you in the slightest, I think you’ll love the feature-length Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.” read more

RRR

Original Song

“RRR may not have been India’s entry in the Academy Award International Feature category this year, but it is a hugely successful and highly accessible film that you don’t have to be a film connoisseur to enjoy. So check out this not so hidden gem of a film on Netflix if you haven’t already.” read more

The Sea Beast

Animated Film

“Chris Williams’ The Sea Beast is not perfect but it brings all the charm and well-crafted storytelling of his previous efforts for Disney to his new partnership with Netflix Animation.”
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Tár

Picture, Director, Actress, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing

“Tár can be a maddening film to watch—which makes it an even more maddening film to review. It ticks off all the trendy boxes, not just weighing in on gender politics and the blind destructive power of the howling virtual mob but also adopts a chill, distant, elliptical style that constantly holds the characters at arm’s length. Most troubling of all, it dips into the au courant fantasy realm by having certain key actions hinge on the implausible. It’s hard to take the film’s take on the contemporary world seriously or care a fig about any of its characters when it’s so willing to conveniently veer away from any kind of convincing reality.” read more

Top Gun: Maverick

Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Original Song, Visual Effects, Sound

“Maverick is like a master class in how to make a blockbuster sequel. The casting and acting are great, the cinematography is fantastic, the plot is simple but compelling, and the action is fast-paced and (mostly) believable. And it plays terrifically in a luxury home theater. It looks and sounds great, is a near-guaranteed crowd pleaser for your next get-together, and has great replay value. In fact, I already can’t wait to watch it again, and it will likely have heavy rotation in your theater’s demo showoff reel!” read more

Triangle of Sadness

Picture, Director, Original Screenplay

“It’s nearly impossible to tell if writer/director Ruben Östlund desires to watch the ultra-wealthy suffer himself or if he simply assumes his audience is cruel and morally bankrupt. Either way, this muddled and overly long exercise in unfocused schadenfreude manages to be both shallow and thematically incoherent, callous and distant, shockingly disgusting and punishingly boring, and even its contradictions aren’t enough to make it interesting. It’s one of the most soulless and repugnant works of cinema I’ve seen in ages, and the fact that it’s getting any attention this awards season is as scathing an indictment of entertainment industry as I can imagine.”
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Turning Red

Animated Film

“Turning Red seems to have critics and audiences split, with critics giving it a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating, matching both Soul and Wall-E, and audiences scoring it a more mediocre 66%, closer to The Good Dinosaur’s 64%. While I didn’t find Turning Red to be among Pixar’s strongest outings, it’s entertaining and looks fantastic, and certainly worth checking out for Disney+ subscribers.” read more

Review: Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

review | Matilda the Musical

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The award-winning musical makeover of the Roald Dahl classic vividly comes alive on Netflix

by Roger Kanno
January 22, 2023

Netflix has been on a roll in recent months with the release of films such as All Quiet on the Western Front and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, as well as the both critically acclaimed and soon to be one of their most viewed films of all time, Glass Onion. So, you might have initially missed catching, as I did, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical with all the other releases around last year’s holiday season.

Based on the award-winning 2010 stage musical originally produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company that was inspired by Dahl’s most successful novel, Matilda, this film enjoyed an exclusive and hugely successful theatrical release in the UK last November prior to its worldwide Netflix release on Christmas Day. I’ll admit that I am not a huge fan of musicals but it’s easy to see why this delightful adaptation of the Dahl classic has done so well at the box office and also via streaming. The production values are simply spectacular along with the many entertaining performances of the infectiously catchy songs by Tim Minchin. The opening musical number will immediately grab your attention with a large-scale production involving intricate tracking shots, loads of dancers with complex choreography, and a playful color palette filled with myriad soft pastels. We also first meet Matilda’s parents here, the Wormwoods, played hysterically by Andrea Riseborough and Steven Graham, who usually inhabit grittier, more dramatic roles, but appear totally at home in this charming musical.

Emma Thompson is also unrecognizable in her makeup as Agatha Trunchbull, the evil headmistress of Crunchem Hall, where Matilda attends school. While Thompson’s physical transformation and performance are remarkable, the story is most engaging when revolving around Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch), a teacher who develops a special bond with the delightfully precocious Matilda, played impeccably by Alisha Weir. Lynch may be better known for her action-packed roles in the Marvel universe, the latest Bond film, or The Woman King, but she portrays Miss Honey with an endearing vulnerability and humility.

Matilda the Musical is full of fantastic performances of Minchin’s songs but the production of “When I Grow Up” is especially memorable, with emotive and appealing visual imagery and touching lyrics poignantly performed by the entire cast of children that had me humming the song long after I had finished watching the film. Another highlight is the performance of “Revolting Children,” with its frenetic choreography featuring scores of children and a massive scale of production that covers the entirety of the interior and grounds of Crunchem Hall for this brilliantly energetic composition.

Video quality is exceptional. The opening scenes are eye-catching with their many pastel shades of rooms in the hospital where Matilda is born and the medical staff’s uniforms creating a fairy-tale-like atmosphere, filling the screen with a sense of whimsy. This color scheme is carried over to the décor of the Wormwood’s home, which is a deliciously tacky, memento-filled homage to the 1970s, and the carefully curated set decoration is a visual feast.

While the indoor scenes look crisp and detailed even with their pale pastel coloration creating a surreal atmosphere, when Matilda attends Crunchem, the colors and lighting of outdoor scenes appears extremely natural with a gorgeous-looking picture. The children’s uniforms are mostly drably gray, but there is an authenticity to the textures and the varying shades of the woolen garments that looks spot-on. The red detailing, such as piping, really pops but still looks organic when contrasted with the other, more somber tones. As the children walk across the school grounds, the manner in which light reflects off the many shades of green in the uneven grass mixed with a few weeds looks smooth and natural. Not only is the Dolby Vision color grade nearly perfect but the HDR highlights give the visuals a filmlike quality by providing plenty of detail to display a bright, sharp picture with just the right amount of contrast.

The actors’ complexions also look totally realistic, especially during extreme closeups. The pores and faint blood vessels and even the stray hairs on Trunchbull’s chin, though her face is enhanced with prosthetics, look completely convincing, as do her crooked and yellowing teeth. The superb video quality showcases the tremendous artistry and attention to detail in the makeup transforming Thompson into the monstrous Miss Trunchbull.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is very good although it is used infrequently for discrete directional effects, but when it is, it is done so effectively. For example, when Trunchbull speaks over the PA system, her voice reverberates ominously and omnipresently all around the children. The songs are well recorded with a solid presence in the front speakers, but the stereo effect is also enhanced significantly by the use of the surround and height channels. This provides additional depth and width to the presentation so that the sound filled the entire front hemisphere of my room and stretched well outside of the speakers and back behind them.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical has rousing musical numbers, marvelous production values, outstanding performances, and excellent picture and sound quality. There are some dark themes as with other Dahl stories, including a few intense scenes, so it might not be suitable for very young children. Nonetheless, it is a simply wonderful and immensely enjoyable film.

PICTURE | Video quality is exceptional, with the indoor scenes looking crisp & detailed even with their pale pastel coloration, and with the colors & lighting of outdoor scenes appearing extremely natural

SOUND | The Atmos soundtrack is used infrequently for discrete directional effects but when it is, it is done so effectively

Review: The Pale Blue Eye

review | The Pale Blue Eye

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Strong performances and striking visuals make this slow-burn 1800s murder mystery worth a look on Netflix

by Roger Kanno
January 14, 2023

The Pale Blue Eye, based on the book of the same name by Louis Bayard, is the third project to star Christian Bale and be helmed by writer-director Scott Cooper, both having previously worked together on Hostiles and Out of the Furnace. This dark murder mystery unravels as Augustus Landor (Bale) investigates the death of a young cadet at West Point in 1830. He is aided by another cadet, aspiring writer Edgar Allen Poe (Harry Melling), and together they set out to conduct the investigation. As with many films from streaming services, The Pale Blue Eye received a limited release in theaters on December 23, 2022 prior to its debut on Netflix beginning January 6.

The story unfolds in a relatively linear manner as cadet Poe and Landor, a retired detective enlisted by the senior officers at the academy, delve into the mysterious and tragic events. There are occasional flashbacks, with little dialogue, of Landor and his daughter Mattie, whom he says ran off, and is obviously haunted by her memory. And while he is tortured by her absence, the flashbacks serve mostly to demonstrate his pain, and do not explore the depth of their relationship, making it difficult to fully empathize with Landor or feel his sense of loss.

The cast includes several veteran and emerging actors who are excellent in their supporting roles, but the talents of Gillian Anderson and Robert Duvall especially are somewhat underutilized. That said, it is the performances of Bale and Melling that elevate this film. At first, the characterization of a young, exuberant Poe seems slightly over the top and out of place next to the stoic and measured nature of Landor. But as the story progresses, we see that this mirrors Poe’s station at West Point as a sensitive and aspiring writer in a rigid military academy. And in the end, his character and Melling’s performance are the equal of Landor and of Bale’s performance.

The visual style perfectly captures the gothic atmosphere of the story. Outdoor scenes are bathed in a soft bluish-white light, giving everything an austere appearance. Plenty of detail is captured in the texture of thick wool fabrics of the winter attire that conveys their density and heavy weight, with deep, rich blacks in the men’s overcoats and fine differentiation of the blues and grays in the cadet’s uniforms. The cinematography of Masanobu Takayanagi is striking, with overhead shots of snow-covered forests and lingering images of weathered buildings, many with light dustings of bright white snow to contrast with the somber grays of the architecture.

The relatively brighter and richer Dolby Vision color grade of wintery shots of landscapes and structures are eye-catching, but interior night scenes have an entirely different but equally impressive visual aesthetic. Many of these scenes are bathed only in faint candle light, creating flickering shadows on the actors’ faces that are surprisingly detailed yet have a smooth and organic quality. The low levels of light illuminate the backgrounds, making them appear slightly obscured as they would in reality with the dancing flames of the candles brightly popping but not excessively so. In one scene where Poe walks through the woods, the foggy backgrounds illuminated by his lantern appear eerily gray and gloomy while his absolutely jet-black silhouette is perfectly etched into the foreground. The result is a stunning visual that will look superb on displays with superb black levels.

The Dolby Atmos audio presentation is not particularly dynamic and lacks bass energy but is successful in providing a delicate and fitting accompaniment to the onscreen action. At the beginning of the film, a bucolic scene features Landor washing his hands in a stream as the flowing currents gurgle around him, and the music swells briefly then recedes to be replaced by the far-off fanfare of a bugle in a wonderfully atmospheric manner. The sound design is subtly effective throughout the film but there are a few instances where the object-oriented capability of Atmos is utilized to provide extremely conspicuous effects within the soundfield, such as voices or wind outside of the building where the scene is set. While this sounds very realistic, it is slightly distracting as it occurs infrequently, and only during a few scenes.

The Pale Blue Eye is a bit of a slow burn but the strong performances by the film’s two leads and some truly beautiful cinematography make it worth setting aside some time to stream this brooding mystery.

PICTURE | The relatively brighter and richer Dolby Vision color grade of wintery shots of landscapes and structures are eye-catching but interior night scenes have an entirely different but equally impressive visual aesthetic

SOUND | The Atmos audio presentation isn’t particularly dynamic and lacks bass energy but succeeds in providing a delicate and fitting accompaniment to the onscreen action

Review: Glass Onion

review | Glass Onion

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