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Authors Posts by Jeffrey Sanzel

Jeffrey Sanzel

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Christopher Reeve played the cinematic hero Superman in four films. Photo courtesy of © Warner Bros./ DC Studios

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Born in 1952, Christopher Reeve graduated from Cornell before studying acting at the Juilliard School, appearing in a range of stage productions. His cinematic work encompassed nearly two dozen films, including Somewhere in Time (1980), Deathtrap (1982), and The Remains of the Day (1993). But he will be forever remembered as the legendary Man of Steel in Superman (1978) and its sequels Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). 

In 1985, after learning to ride for the television version of Anna Karenina, Reeve became an avid equestrian. On May 27, 1995, his horse made a refusal (a failure to jump a fence which stops forward movement). Reeve fell and shattered his first and second vertebrae, resulting in a cervical spinal injury that resulted in paralysis from the neck down. 

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a well-crafted, riveting documentary chronicling Reeve’s life, emphasizing his career as the cinematic superhero, his accident, and its aftermath. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui (who co-wrote the script with Otto Burnham) created a loving, dimensional tribute to a beloved personality in a sensitive but unflinching account. 

In the film’s first ten minutes, Reeve is established as Superman and superstar and quickly shifts to the accident: “In an instant, everything changed.” Over one hundred and four well-paced minutes, the filmmakers interview his children from his relationship with British modeling executive Gae Exton—Matthew Reeve and Alexandra Reeve Givens—and his son from his marriage to actor-singer Dana Morosini—Will Reeve. Exton, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Daniels, and John Kerry are interviewed, sharing their working and personal relationships with Reeve. 

The film touches on Reeve’s difficult childhood with unsupportive parents who divorced when he was three and remarried. In archival footage, Reeve discusses his father’s perpetual disappointment in his choices. Reeve saw theatre as providing a “neutral place that felt like home.” Theatre offered security with a beginning, middle, and end. The filmmakers emphasize his friendship with Juilliard classmate Robin Williams as well as his early days as a stage actor. While appearing in an off-Broadway play, Reeve flew to London for a Superman audition at Pinewood Studios. (Fellow castmate William Hurt discouraged him from selling out.) Immediately cast, the milestone changed the entire course of his career.

The film alternates between tracing the Superman films with his life post-accident, smartly weaving and contrasting the two worlds. His personal life is respectfully but thoroughly explored, focusing on his time with Exton and the birth of their two children. Realizing that they were incompatible, they separated but shared custody. Over the next several years, Reeve led a more Hollywood lifestyle until meeting Morosini. After a short courtship, Reeve realized he was ready to settle down, and they married in 1992. Their idyllic life was devastated just three years later.

The days immediately following the accident segue into the years of challenges and soul-searching. He states, “I ruined my life and everyone else’s.” The highly active Reeve pondered his shift from intensely “no fail” and “never quit” to a more reflective worldview. His sense of isolation, his weeks on the ventilator, and his fear of not just death but if I live, “Now what?” are part of the many interviews documented with Reeve. His shift in his approach to parenting is intimate and insightful. 

Super/Man draws on hundreds of hours of footage of Reeve’s struggles. (One odd note is the use of clips from the 1998 remake of Rear Window; they seem strangely integrated as they are not indicated as fictional.) Reeve became an outspoken activist, raising awareness for others in similar situations. He and Morosini founded The Christopher Reeve Foundation (later The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation), whose mission is “dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by advancing innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis.” Reeve became a high-profile advocate, beginning with his first public appearance at the 68th Annual Academy Awards.

Central is the committed family bond—all three children, Exton, and, especially, Morosini—supported Reeve, who required twenty-four-hour care. (At the time, the cost was $400,000 a year.) Reeve’s gradual return to film, directing In the Gloaming and occasional acting appearances are traced until his sudden death on October 10, 2004 of heart failure at the age of 52. The coda is Morosini’s cancer diagnosis and passing two years later. 

The film is raw, compelling, and heartbreaking. Reeve lost much but embraced a difficult future: he made his path about giving visibility to those in similar straits. Ultimately, Super/Man is an honest and eye-opening look at the person who once said, “I am not a hero. I never have been, and I never will be.” On the contrary, Reeve was a hero in the real sense of the word—a person who has “the strength to persevere in the face of overwhelming obstacles.” Super/Man celebrates this truth.

The documentary is now playing in local theaters.

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‘Wicked’ heads to the big screen on November 22. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

By Tim Haggerty and Jeffrey Sanzel

Looking for entertainment? Distraction? Introspection? This fall’s crop of new films offers a wide range of possibilities, from documentaries and biopics to comedy, horror and sequels.

WOLFS (September 20) Two professional “fixers (Brad Pitt and George Clooney) discover they are hired for the same job. While seemingly a throwback to an early time, the star power makes this a top choice for an evening of good old-fashioned escape. Rated  R

A DIFFERENT MAN (September 20) Sebastian Stan plays Edward, an actor with neurofibromatosis who is cured of his facial disfigurement by an experimental surgery. But the change turns out to be a mixed blessing. Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis, gives one of the year’s most compelling performances. Rated  R

LEE (September 27) This biopic includes an all-star cast, led by Kate Winslet as Lee Miller, the model-turned-photographer, whose photos of World War II—especially the Nazi concentration camps—changed the way the world viewed war. In addition to Winslet, the cast includes Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgard, and Marion Cotillard. Rated  R

MEGALOPOLIS (September 27) After decades of development, Francis Ford Coppola offers an epic tale of a crumbling fictional empire that reflects the contemporary United States. A visionary (Adam Driver) dreams of a utopian society in this massive undertaking that includes Giancarlo Esposito and Shia LeBeouf in drag. Rated  R

WILL & HARPER (September 27) Will Ferrell first met Harper Steele when the two joined “Saturday Night Live,” and they remained close friends and collaborators for nearly three decades. When Harper came out as a trans woman in 2022, they embarked on a road trip —creating a film that reflects how the country views the LGBTQ+ community. Rated  R

JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX (October 4) The much anticipated/dreaded sequel shows Joaquin Phoenix in his unique take on the infamous villain, joined by Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, the Joker’s partner in crime. And, apparently, it is a musical. Rated  R

THE OUTRUN (October 4) The great Saoirse Ronan portrays writer Amy Liptrot in this adaptation of the latter’s memoir of addiction and redemption from London to the Scottish Isles. Rated  R

PIECE BY PIECE (October 11) Filmmaker Morgan Neville presents a documentary on the life of musician Pharrell Williams, the creator of “Happy” and “Get Lucky.” The twist? Neville tells Williams’ story via LEGOs. Rated PG

SATURDAY NIGHT (October 11) The Saturday Night Live origin story focuses on creating the extraordinary show’s first episode. As producer Lorne Michaels, Gabrielle LaBelle heads a company that includes Willem Dafoe, Dylan O’Brien, Cooper Hoffman, Finn Wolfhard, Lamorne Morris, J.K. Simmons, and Nicholas Braun. Rated  R

RUMOURS (October 18) World leaders get lost in a hallucinogenic forest the night before the annual G7 summit. The bizarre premise shifts into a survivalist turn. Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Charles Dance appear in Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin’s startling outing. Rated  R

SMILE 2 (October 18) The Halloween season would be incomplete without a horror sequel—in this case, the 2022 hit about an entity that feeds on trauma and causes people to grin maniacally. It is a good bet that this will not be a one-off follow-up but, instead, the launch of a new franchise. Rated  R

THE NICKEL BOYS (October 25) Documentarian RaMell Ross wrote and directed this adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel chronicling a 1960s reform school, suggested by the Dozier School, the brutal and infamous real-life institution. Rated  PG-13

HERE (November 1) Forrest Gump veterans Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite with director Robert Zemeckis in this high-concept story that focuses on one patch of ground over thousands of years—from ancient civilization to modern-day suburbs. Rated  PG-13

GLADIAT0R 2 (November 22) Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandal sequel to his 2000 Oscar-winner presents Paul Mescal as the adult Lucius Verus (nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus). He is joined by Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and I, Claudius star Sir Derek Jacobi. Rated  R

THE PIANO LESSON (November 22) Denzel Washington’s commitment to presenting August Wilson’s Century Cycle plays continues with the playwright’s 1987 drama about a feud over a piano representing a family’s history. If it is half as good as “Fences,” this promises to be one of the best fall films. Rated  R

WICKED (November 22) The first part of the adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical comes to the big screen, with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the woman who will become the Wicked Witch of the West. Ariana Grande joins her as her frenemy, G(a)linda, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz. Rated  PG-13

MOANA 2 (November 27) Disney’s 2016 animated hit gets a follow-up in “further adventures of,” featuring original voices Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. Rated  PG

MUFASA: THE LION KING (December 6) A prequel to “The Lion King,” director Barry Jenkins tells the tale of Simba’s late father Mufasa and how he became king of the jungle. Rated  PG-13

NOSFERATU (December 25) Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse) helms the second remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film, the first cinematic telling of Dracula. Bill Skarsgard dons the vampiric cloak of Count Orlock with Lily-Rose Depp, the object of his desire. Rated  R

This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Harvest Times supplement on Sept. 12.

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Wynona Ryder and Michael Keaton reprise their roles in the 'Beetlejuice' sequel. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

The concept of objectivity in a review is nearly, if not completely, impossible. Yet reviewers often avoid using “I” in their analyses. In this case, I am breaking the rule for context: I did not see Beetlejuice (1988) until last week. I knew that viewing the original was necessary, but also felt it only fair to be forthcoming of my lack of nostalgia in connection to a film that many hold with fond memories. So, I judged a film made over thirty years ago to evaluate its sequel. End of “I.”

Michael Keaton reprise his role in the ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel.
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice (1988) garnered mostly positive reviews upon its release, receiving multiple nominations and a handful of awards. Tim Burton, whose previous film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, had become a cult favorite, directed a script by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren. 

Over the years, it has been labeled a “comedy classic.” Viewing it three and a half decades later, the film seems quaint and a bit creaky, not so much offbeat but slightly pressed zaniness, and almost reminiscent of The Canterville Ghost. Some design elements foreshadow Tim Burton’s later and more mature, refined visions. 

Michael Keaton, as the titular demon “bio-exorcist,” Betelgeuse, appeared in a mere seventeen minutes. Beetlejuice possesses a sweetness and charm if a bit light on substance. Over the years, multiple sequel attempts (Beetlejuice in Love, Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian) were shelved for various reasons. 

Tim Burton returns to the director’s chair, this time with a screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara reprise their original roles. The now grown-up Goth daughter, Lydia (Ryder), returns to Winter River after the unexpected death of her father, Charles Deetz.

Lydia, now host of the talk show Ghost House, struggles with her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). In the attic of the Deetz home, Astrid discovers the town model and accidentally opens the portal to the afterlife. 

The cast of ‘Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’

The film contains enough plot threads for half a dozen movies, but none are fully realized. At the center is the conflict between Lydia and Astrid over Lydia’s failed marriage to Astrid’s father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who died in South America after the divorce. Lydia struggles with her engagement to her television producer, Rory (Justin Theroux). 

Betelgeuse is hunted by his ex-wife, the soul-sucking witch, Delores (Monica Bellucci), who poisoned him before he murdered her with an axe. Another branch is Jeremy (Arthur Conti), Astrid’s love interest, who is not quite what he seems. Add to these the ghost detective, Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a second-rate action star with a new career post-life.

While this promises a rich spectrum of opportunities, the results are thin and underdeveloped. The movie oddly manages to be chaotically frenetic yet simultaneously turgid. The hundred-and-four minutes seem at least an hour longer. 

There are funny spots and clever moments—an ode to the “Day-O” of the first movie, a joke involving Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting,” a Soul Train bit (that stays too long in the station), and even a smart Newhart reference. 

The Betelgeuse-Delores history plays perfectly as a subtitled Italian Art film by way of Mario Bava. But these moments get lost among jokes belabored to the point of losing any humor. 

One senses that the script meetings were mutual admiration societies in which the writers and director greeted every idea with joy and no bit left behind. 

Tonally, the film is all over the place. Winter River feels less like the idyllic Mayberry of the original and more like Halloween’s dread-steeped Haddonfield. The delightful Catherine O’Hara plays a milder version of her genius Schitt’s Creek creation, Moira Rose (including a sly parody of The Crows Have Eyes 2). Ryder seems uncomfortable in the role, not sure where the teen Lydia left off and the adult began. Keaton delivers an identical performance—logically, as the character is not about growth. But most of his jokes are either gross or … well, gross. 

With Sylvia Sidney’s and Glen Shadix’s passing, the film lost two of the original’s most interesting characters—Juno and Otho Fenlock. The Maitland’s—Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis—are also absent—dismissed in a single line about a loophole that freed them. While they killed off patriarch Charles Deetz (the disgraced Jeffrey Jones), his image and presence remain—first as a Claymation character, then as an image on his grave, and finally as a headless talking corpse. 

The film’s major bright spot is Ortega. With shades of her Wednesday Addams, she manages to avoid sulky teenager and creates the character’s angst and frustration without losing the warmth. She is completely sincere and wholly watchable, elevating the performances around her.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is clearly a much-anticipated movie. Much like Barbie, many audience members wore t-shirts celebrating the “event-ness,” with Keaton’s image or catchphrases from the film or even shirts mimicking Betelgeuse’s stripes. Unlike Barbie, in the end, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice contributes little to its own—or any cinematic—history.

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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Naomi Ackie in a scene from 'Blink Twice.' Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

After nearly twenty years of high-profile performances (including multiple franchises), actor Zoë Kravitz makes a first-rate directorial debut with Blink Twice. 

Channing Tatum and Naomi Ackie; below, Ackie in a scene from the film.
Photo by Carlos Somonte, Amazon MGM Studios

Kravitz collaborated on the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum, a writer from her 2020 Hulu series, High Fidelity. They have created an interesting, edgy, slightly over-long film that nods to The Most Dangerous Game and, more recently, The Hunt. Blink Twice focuses on intertwining issues of memory and power, but the foremost thread is the abuse of women—specifically by rich, white men. While in this context taken to the extreme, the film makes the point no less honest and valuable. 

The opening image of Frida (Naomi Ackie) scrolling through her phone while sitting on the commode perfectly presents her dead-end life. “I need a f— vacation,” she says. This prescient statement provides layers of pay-off.

She and her best friend, Jess (Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat, in a grounded performance), cater-wait at tech billionaire Slater King’s (Channing Tatum) pretentious high-end gala. After a “meet cute”—that is anything but—King invites the pair to his island. Arriving by private jet, the entourage of King and his buddies and a gathering of young, attractive women land in paradise for days of eating, drinking, bathing, and drugs. Literally, there is “a tsunami of champagne.” 

Stripped of any outside world connection (including the ubiquitous cell phones), continual and unchecked hedonism ensues. The unbridled existence is emphasized by the women’s apparel, diaphanous white dresses provided by their host; these further King’s bacchanalian environment. For nearly forty minutes, Kravitz presents endless days of relaxation, meals of detailed extremes, and nights of excess. 

While the view of no one wanting the trip to end, Frida’s reality begins to jar. The new refrain is that “something is wrong with this place.” This, coupled with the idea that the ability to forget is a gift, spurs the latter half of the film. Indigenous serpents, mysterious perfume, and the shadowy natives serving the guests become increasingly important. The turning point is Jess being bitten by one of the snakes. The film kicks into high gear, building to terrible revelations in the final twenty minutes. The violence is appropriately brutal and relentless and cannot be unseen.

While the plot has been explored in various incarnations, Kravitz shows great skill, imbuing every scene with low-boiling tension. Even the brightest sunlight and the clearest swimming pool project an atmosphere of dread. She employs often-trod tropes—a creaking door, a stack of hidden Polaroids, a particularly sharp knife—but nothing seems gratuitous. Even the omnipresent red gift bags project a menace.

Naomi Ackie in a scene from ‘Blink Twice.’ Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Ackie beautifully arcs Frida from uncomfortably passive to a resourceful and righteous warrior. She is matched by the extraordinary Arida Arjona, as Sarah, a C-list celebrity from a “babes-as-survivors” reality show. The adversarial relationship underlies the point that society pits women against women. When the situation shifts, so does their dynamic; together, they own the film’s final stretch. Tatum (in seemingly Brad Pitt mode) is appropriately slimy, if a bit obvious, as the mogul. However, his take on forgiveness provides a brief but pointedly disturbing monologue; he is also effective in King’s flashes of doubt. 

The supporting cast, including Simon Rex, Liz Cabel, Levon Hawke, Trew Mullen, and Haley Joel Osment, serve their functions and play the few notes provided with ease and abandonment. Christian Slater turns in a familiar performance. Likewise, Kyle MacLachlan’s cameo as King’s therapist harkens to much of the actor’s earlier work. However, Geena Davis, as put-upon assistant Stacy, has one of the most memorable and alarming moments in the entire film. 

Blink Twice’s original title directly referenced the #MeToo movement, but presenters balked, and Kravitz changed the title to the more benign moniker. While initially resisting, she eventually embraced the reality that “we’re not there yet. And I think that’s something I have the responsibility as a filmmaker to listen to.”

While the film would have benefited from judicious cuts to the one-hundred-and-fifty-minute running time, Adam Newport-Berra’s exceptional camera work and Kravitz’s smart, taught direction build to a thrilling climax. She slyly introduces gallows humor when the story turns darkest, and her resolution borders on brilliant. 

While Blink Twice is not perfect, it is strong, riveting, and significant. It also heralds Kravitz as a significant new filmmaker who earns the titles of up-and-coming and accomplished.  

Rated R, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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Scott Peterson is currently serving life in prison for the murder of his wife, Laci. Photo courtesy of Netflix

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

The facts are these:

On Christmas Eve 2002, 27-year-old Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant with her first child, disappeared from her home in Modesto, California. Her husband, Scott, claimed to have last seen her at 9:30 a.m. Originally, Scott announced he was golfing but later revealed that he had gone fishing at the Berkeley Marina. When he returned home that afternoon, he found their dog, McKenzie, still leashed in the backyard. After showering and washing his clothes, Scott contacted Laci’s mother to see if Laci was there. Both Scott and Laci’s stepfather reported Laci missing. While investigating, detectives found Laci’s keys, wallet, and sunglasses in her purse and closet.

Scott Peterson is currently serving life in prison for the murder of his wife, Laci.
Photo courtesy of Netflix

Immediately, a massive search was underway. Initially, Laci’s in-laws defended Scott, but as the investigation continued, the police became more suspicious. On Dec. 30, Amber Frey contacted the hotline, revealing that she had been dating Scott since November as she believed he was single. She recorded their conversations over the next month. On Jan. 24, 2003, the information went public.

On April 13, the fetus remains of Conner, Laci’s unborn child, was discovered in San Francisco Bay. The following day, the remains of a woman—later identified as Laci—washed up a mile away from where Conner’s remains were found. The area was just a few miles from where Scott had been fishing.

Police arrested Scott Peterson on April 18 in La Jolla, California. In addition to knives and credit cards (and his brother’s I.D.), Scott had fifteen thousand dollars in cash. He had grown a mustache and beard and dyed his hair.

Scott’s trial began on June 1, 2004, with jury deliberations beginning on Nov. 3. On Nov. 12, Scott was found guilty of first-degree murder for Laci’s death and second-degree murder for Conner’s death. On Dec. 13, the jury recommended the death sentence, which a judge enacted on March 16. After years of appeals and accusations of an unfair trial (2012 to 2015), the death sentence was overturned on Aug. 24, 2020. He was resentenced on Dec. 8, 2021, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On Dec. 20, 2023, Scott Peterson’s request for a new trial was denied, and in January 2024, the Los Angeles Innocence Project began its representation of Scott Peterson, claiming that he was innocent.

Since 2002, millions of words have covered the tragic death of Laci Peterson. Thousands of articles and hours of media coverage. The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story aired on USA Network in 2004. In 2005, CBS broadcast the movie Amber Frey: Witness for the Prosecution. 

The case featured on The E! True Hollywood Story, True Crime with Aphrodite Jones, Murder Made Me Famous, Crime Junkie Podcast, The Laci Peterson Story: A Dateline Investigation, Snapped, Truth and Lies: The Murder of Laci Peterson, How It Really Happened, 48 Hours, 20/20, etc. A&E produced a six-part series, The Murder of Laci Peterson (2017).

Netflix now presents American Murder: Laci Peterson. Directed by Skye Borgman (Girl in the Picture, Abducted in Plain Sight), the three-part documentary offers little new information. It mostly focuses on interviews intercut with archival footage and blurry, slow-motion B-roll recreations. 

Part 1: “What Do You Mean, Missing?” highlights the first six days and establishes the Petersons as the “perfect couple.” Part 2: “I Wasn’t a Mistress” follows Amber Frey, Scott’s girlfriend, as she aids the police by taping their conversations. Part 3: “Nothing Can Change the Truth” takes the story from arrest through trial and conviction.

There is no question that this is a heartbreaking story. Laci’s disappearance and murder was terrible in every respect. However, the point of revisiting the murder is to shed new light and a new perspective. For the most part, American Murder fails to do this. 

Throughout the two-and-a-half hours, the filmmakers fail to address why this particular case grabbed the country’s attention from the first moment. It acknowledges that Scott Peterson was tried on a great deal of circumstantial evidence (no DNA, no witnesses, no definitive weapon) but goes no further, emphasizing his disturbing behavior and questionable personality. It almost celebrates the mob mentality at the announcement of the verdict. It also never addresses the Innocence Project taking up his case, suggesting that Laci was murdered by the burglars of the neighbor’s house. In short, the documentary leans into ominous chords, peripatetic cuts, and eerie images.

For the most part, the interviews add little insight. The detectives revisit the same material and perspectives. Journalist Gloria Gomez speaks of the media frenzy but takes no responsibility for being part of that circus. There is an uncomfortable interview with two of the jurors that offers little perspective. 

The one powerful throughline is Laci’s mother, Sharon Rocha. While reliving this is painful, she maintains dignity and clarity. She divides her life between before Laci and after Laci and knows that this changed everybody’s lives. One of the last things she states is, “You don’t get over it; you just get through it.” Her interview is the most valuable part of the documentary.

On Aug. 20, Peacock presents Face to Face with Scott Peterson, featuring his first interview in decades. Undoubtedly, this will be a different perspective, emphasizing alternate theories. 

Stepping back from pure objectivity, Scott Peterson was a liar, a cheat, a narcissist, and most likely murdered his wife, Laci, a kind, gentle person. Like any victim of a violent crime, her story deserves and needs to be told—but always with integrity, sensitivity, and raw honesty. Unfortunately, American Murder does not rise to this standard.

The three-part documentary is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Colleen Hoover’s romance novel It Ends with Us, released in 2016, drew inspiration from her complicated family history. By 2019, the book sold over a million copies and was translated into over twenty languages. In 2021, the novel and Hoover’s other works gained renewed popularity from the #BookTok on TikTok. In 2022, It Ends with Us reached number one on both The New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestsellers lists, with nearly three million in print. The sequel, It Starts with Us (2018), became Simon & Schuster’s most pre-ordered book ever. (In full disclosure, this reviewer has read neither.)

Blake Lively in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Justin Baldoni (best known as Jane the Virgin’s Rafael Solana) directs his third film, following Five Feet Apart and Clouds. Christy Hall, the director/screenwriter of Daddio and co-creator of the Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This, penned the adaptation. 

The writer and humorist Dorothy Parker once wrote of how often people would say: “Well, you might like it.”

Lily Blossom Bloom (Blake Lively) reluctantly attends her father’s funeral, where she attempts to deliver a heartfelt eulogy. Unable to say anything positive, she flees the church and returns to Boston. Contemplating life out on a random roof (unexplained), Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) enters in a rage, kicking a chair. Anger management issues, perhaps? Warning signs? He reveals he is a neurosurgeon who just lost a patient. This claim is much more complicated, revealed later in the narrative.

The emotionally elusive Lily and the player Ryle meet cute(ish). “Love isn’t for me; lust is nice,” he confesses. They embark on a friendship that is quickly aborted when Ryle leaves for emergency surgery. Lily opens her dream flower shop and meets quirky Allysa (Jenny Slate), who hires herself to work for Lily. The “twist” is Ryle is Allysa’s brother. Lily and Ryle rekindle the friendship, which shifts to passion. A generic build-up results in an unintentionally sparkless kiss. Love follows, ending up with marriage. 

Through flashbacks, the filmmakers reveal Lily’s father (Kevin McKidd) abusing her mother (Amy Morton). Additionally, high school student Lily (Isabela Ferrer) falls in love with a homeless boy, Atlas (Alex Neustaedter). Thrown out by his mother, Atlas bided his time until he could enter the military. 

In the present, Lily and Ryle coincidentally dine at Root, the restaurant the adult Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) opened upon completing his service. A love triangle results in jealous and violent reactions from Ryle, eroding the already tenuous bond. 

While little new is on offer, It Ends with Us contains enough plot and potential dynamic to make for a passable film. Unfortunately, the characters are so oddly and unevenly drawn that it feels simultaneously repetitive and confusing, as if the story was told over a soundtrack of white noise. The leaden pace emphasizes the clumsy dialogue composed of sentence fragments: “Uh … uhm … okay, okay … sure … yeah … okay. Yes.” Lily describes herself as an unreliable narrator—an intriguing concept if it were true. However, she seems to be almost unimpeachably upfront. 

The entire film seems to be what-you-see-is-what-you-get, down to the predictable montages: “Let’s go have fun” (karaoke and bowling), dating, and cleaning up the shop. Everything plays excruciatingly by the numbers. 

It Ends with Us is a meditation and—appropriately—an indictment of abuse. Eventually, it gets to the point but still pulls its punches. Just as with its whitewashed portrait of Atlas’s homelessness, the approach is facile and softens what should be even sharper and more brutal. The idea that we hurt the ones we love hovers in the background. 

One moment rises above the rest. After Ryle and Atlas lock horns, the next scene teams with raw desperation and emotional confusion. After this, it’s back to business as usual. The story’s final resolution is fair, uncompromising, but unsurprising. 

Lively is a solid actor and always watchable, but the forced layers of faux mystery do not help. Between the incomplete sentences and the nervous laugh, the character is less than indelible. Baldoni tries to balance Ryle’s two sides, but neither is fully realized. Unfortunately for Sklenar, he is saddled with the least variety. Slate’s Allysa is no different from her career’s other oddballs. As Lily’s mother, Morton is capable but uncomfortable. These are strong actors, but the material fails to reach their level. One bright spot is Ferrer, who captures the essence of Lively’s grown-up Lily; it is rare for two actors to assume a role at different points in their lives and truly seem like one person. 

The above opinion will most likely end up in the minority. The film grossed seven million dollars in its Wednesday and Thursday previews and is well on its way to a possible forty million dollar opening weekend. As with the novel, the story will satisfy most viewers. Just not this one.

Rated PG-13, the film is playing in local theaters.

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Josh Hartnett and Ariel Donoghue star in 'Trap.' Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Studio

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Will it have the craft of The Sixth Sense? The clumsy mess that was Lady in the Water? Or the true horror of the disastrous Old? Few directors inspire the puzzling mix of hope, disappointment, and divisiveness than M. Night Shyamalan. As the director, producer, and screenwriter, the king of the “twist” must take complete responsibility for his work.

His newest film, Trap, focuses on firefighter Cooper Adams (Josh Hartnett), who happens to be a serial killer dubbed “The Butcher.” Cooper takes his daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue), to a Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) concert as a reward for her stellar report card. With a massive police presence, Cooper quickly learns that, somehow, law enforcement knows he is attending the concert. Under the guidance of Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), an FBI profiler, every man of a certain age and type will be checked before they can leave the arena.

The premise is simplistic but not without interest. A concert setting is naturally charged—a closed universe of organized chaos—screaming teen fans, food counters, and a warren of dressing rooms, storerooms, and connecting doors. The scenario and location open a world of possibilities. Unfortunately, Trap fails to spring, plodding and creaking as the resourceful Cooper evades capture in a series of “close calls.” 

Eventually, Trap builds to a half dozen false endings, one more predictable than the last. The film’s minimal tension escapes like the air from a bicycle tire (a specifically selected metaphor). The Oedipal layer to the killer’s motivation has played in myriad films since the 1970s, and the revelation lands with a thud.

Hartnett (exceptional in last year’s Oppenheimer) seems to be vying for the Most Excruciatingly Goofy Dad Award in a performance of painful grimaces, pasted grins, and “gosh-heck” incredulity. He punctuates every line with a waggle of the eyebrows that would make Groucho blush. In the opening moments, his daughter urges him to drive faster so they do not miss the opportunity to glimpse Lady Raven leaving her tour bus. He responds that they do not want to break any laws:  “Trust me.” The aggressive lack of subtlety is almost impressive. Riley comments more than once, “You’re acting strange, Dad.” Strange acting, indeed. 

Hartnett and company are failed by a script composed solely of cliches. A subplot about a mean girl, Jody, who has been freezing out Riley, amounts to several shrill exchanges between Cooper and the girl’s mother (Marnie McPhail). After Cooper manipulates Lady Raven’s uncle and promoter (M. Night Shyamalan), Riley goes onstage as Lady Raven’s “Dream Girl.” Outraged by her peer’s opportunity, we glimpse Jody throwing a cup of soda in her mother’s face. 

Alison Pill is a strong actor but does not appear until the final act when she takes the mantle of clueless wife. Even with the character’s few extra shades, she cannot rescue the absence of surprise and dimension. 

The concert portions are grating. In another film, the director might comment on pop culture’s empty self-indulgence and repetitive nature. However, one suspects Shyamalan is showcasing his daughter’s singing career. (Social media also helps to save the day.) As an actor, Saleka is decent, but like Pill, given few notes to play. As for Jonathan Langdon’s duped t-shirt seller, Jamie—the stereotype borders on offensive, especially in the film’s tag. Hayley Mills’ Dr. Grant amounts to an extended cameo, but she lends a hint of gravitas with her rich voice and regal bearing. 

Shyamalan populates the world with enough police and SWAT extras to fill a Batman franchise. Visually, the shots are strangely static, often screaming, “Look here—he’s going to do something clever.” He liberally “borrowed” elements from The Hitcher, Silence of the Lambs, Dressed to Kill, Dexter, and even A Clockwork Orange. 

In particular, he saddled Hartnett with elements of these famous psychopaths but then directed him to play Cooper with the vigor of a middle school Thanksgiving pageant. Trap is less Hitchcock and more Parent Trap. 

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool the moviegoing public repeatedly—Shyamalan on all of us.

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Author Sarah Beth Durst

It is no surprise that Sarah Beth Durst’s latest novel forges intriguing new territory. The gifted author of over two dozen books (six reviewed in this publication) has penned a highly original fantasy novel: The Spellshop. While fantasy is not new terrain for Durst, she has populated her world with a blend of magic and humanity, creating a delightful but wholly grounded universe. 

Librarian Kiela is at the center of The Spellshop. She lives in Alyssium, the capital of the Crescent Island Empire, where freedom fighters instigated a revolution to bring free elections and knowledge sharing.

As the novel opens, the Great Library of Alyssium is on fire. “Its hallowed stacks were filled with centuries-old treatises, histories, studies, and (most importantly, in Kiela’s opinion) spellbooks. Only the elite, the crème de la crème of the scholars, were allowed to even view the spellbooks, as only the rarefied few were permitted, by imperial law, to use magic.” The narrative hinges on this last point. 

Kiela gathers up five crates of books and her sentient spider plant pal, Caz, and escapes in one of the library’s boats, heading to her birthplace, the island of Caltrey. “Behind them, the great city burned, with its people (both good and bad) and its history (both good and bad) and its books and its flowers. And she knew she wasn’t coming back.” Durst deftly sets the story in motion with quick, tense strokes, evoking a perfect intersection of fantasy and reality.

Kiela arrives on Caltrey, taking up residence in the family’s long-abandoned cottage. A loner by nature (and afraid of anyone discovering her literary contraband), she is reluctant to connect with the locals. “It wasn’t that she didn’t like people. It was only that she liked books more.”

To her dismay, Kiela discovers that her native island is depressed and desperate. Bryn, the local baker, shares with her the current state: “It used to be that the emperor would send his sorcerers on a regular rotation to tend to the outer islands, and they’d cast spells that balanced whatever nonsense they’d done in the capital city to throw them out of whack, but then they stopped coming.” 

This absence resulted in a scarcity of fish, dangerous changes in weather patterns, and depletion of crops. The capital’s abandonment of its responsibilities leads Kiela to the realization that “no matter who was in charge, the powerful always wanted to keep power for themselves.”

With serious poverty looming, Kiela delves into the rescued and forbidden tomes. Creating a jam shop as a front, she embarks on healing many of Caltrey’s problems, claiming her magic offerings are “old family remedies.” In Alyssium, Kiela was friendless by choice. Gradually, in Caltrey, she finds a welcoming community, a circle of friends, and a new sense of self. Eventually, the outside world threatens the enclave in the specter of imperial investigators. 

Along the way, romance appears in the form of her neighbor, Larran, the strapping merhorse herder and jack-of-all-trades. At first, she resists any interaction and then questions if he—or anyone—could be interested in her. But collaboration blossoms into more than just companionship.

Durst populates The Spellshop with a wonderful integration of the expected and fantastical. Here, four-armed harpists dwell side-by-side with centaurs. The forest is full of cloud-like bear spirits and unicorns. Winged cats take up residence on roofs and shelter in attics during storms. 

Possibly Durst’s greatest creation is the resourceful but angst-ridden spider plant, Caz, whose first words in the novel are “We’re going to die.” The anthropomorphic sidekick is hilarious, strangely human, and unique. “[Caz] crossed his leaves like a professor, preparing to listen to a student’s wildly incorrect theories. All he needed was a pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on his roof to complete the look.” (Later, he is joined by a non-binary cactus whose sole vocal communication is the single word, “Meep.”)

The Spellshop celebrates the power of books: Anything can be accomplished by reading, researching, and studying. “If everyone failed her, whatever they did, she had all the immortal voices caught in pages.” However, Kiela learns that it is not solely what you learn but the application of that knowledge. Her life transforms from clerical and theoretical to harnessing information in active, productive, far-reaching results.

Ultimately, the story traces Kiela’s emergence from a narrow and disconnected academic to a risk-taking hero embracing life. Durst writes with rich, engaging prose; even her most whimsical ideas resonate with deep truth. The story takes on several contemporary issues in subtle but formidable ways. She highlights sustainability. It is not who you love but how truly you care. Parallels between magic and science are sharply drawn. Laws should protect and elevate the population and keep it safe. And, finally, that “law” and “right” are not synonymous—but should be. 

The Spellshop is a far-reaching and insightful novel that speaks great and important truths. But, first and foremost, it is a terrific read.

Pick up a copy online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. For more information, visit sarahbethdurst.com.

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The cover of Beverly Tyler's latest book.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Imagine sailing five months on a ship from New York to China, while not knowing whether you will survive storms at sea or attacks by pirates.

Imagine living in a Japanese temple recently made over to accommodate British and American visitors in a country where most of the population has never seen a person from another country or another race.

Imagine exploring a country where you are not sure of your own safety and where many men, including Samurai warriors, carry two visible swords.

The cover of Beverly Tyler’s latest book.

These are just some of the thoughts posited by author Beverly C. Tyler in his latest book, Mary Swift Jones: Love and Letters from Japan, published by History Close at Hand and the Three Village Historical Society. The multi-hyphenate Tyler (writer-photographer-lecturer-local historian) is the author of Caroline Church, Founders Day, Down the Ways—The Wooden Ship Era, and Setauket and Brookhaven History (all reviewed in this paper). 

Mary Swift, who was Tyler’s great- grandaunt, married Captain Benjamin Jones sometime in the mid-1800s. In September of 1858, at only twenty-four years of age, she embarked with him from New York on an extraordinary journey on the Mary and Louisa, a 145-foot square-rigged medium clipper bark that was constructed in Setauket. 

The voyage would last three years and take Mary to China and Japan. While abroad, she wrote extensive letters to family and friends and returned with remarkable furniture, fine china, fabrics, and spices. Tyler touches on the ship’s traveling from port to port, carrying cargo between the Chinese ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai to the Japanese ports of Nagasaki and Yokohama. 

Mary’s letters give the perspective of an American in a world completely foreign to her knowledge and experience. She reflects on the Mary and Louisa’s shifting crew; she shows fascination with the citizens of the various towns and cities; she pays tribute to the breathtaking landscapes. 

Tyler highlights the appreciation of the countries and cultures with quotes from a range of visitors, often selecting lyrical passages from a variety of letters.

Voyages of this breadth faced storms, strong winds, illness, the threat of piracy, and the fear of the ship sinking. Additionally, violence was a shadow cast by the Japanese, who were less welcoming to a foreign presence. 

The Mary and Louisa

In his journal on April 15, 1860, a passenger on the ship, New York Tribune reporter Francis Hall wrote, “It seems odd to start out for a walk by putting a revolver in one pocket and a copy of Tennyson in the other.” The possibility of losing family members at home was something that deeply concerned Mary. Of course, the Civil War broke out during their time at sea. 

Tyler gives perspective on the perils of such undertakings. Quoting from the memoir of Egbert Bull Smith (the ship’s cabin boy, who later published Voyage of the Two Sisters): “Mrs. Jones did not know, nor did I, at the time, that when we sailed none of her friends expected to see her again in this life, and that all of the necessary articles for preserving her body had been placed on board.” 

Mary survived the journey but contracted consumption, dying shortly after her return to the States at the age of 26. She is buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Cemetery. 

Like all of Tyler’s work, the material is meticulously researched with exceptional documentation, details extracted from both primary and secondary sources. The book is highlighted with color illustrations, photographs, maps, and woodcuttings, giving his “narrative alive” tomes an almost three-dimensional quality.However, Tyler’s inherent sense of history and commitment to telling the American story are what truly imbue his works.

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Copies of Mary Swift Jones: Love and Letters from Japan by Beverly C. Tyler are available for purchase for $10 at the Three Village Historical Society’s gift shop at 93 North Country Road in Setauket. Tyler will also be selling  and signing copies of the book at the Three Village Farmer’s Market at the same location on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m.

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From left, John Ashton, Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold reunite in the fourth installment of Beverly Hills Cop. Photo courtesy of Netflix

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Beverly Hills Cop (1984) introduced Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, the street-smart Detroit detective who comes to Beverly Hills to solve the murder of his best friend. The blockbuster won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture, along with nominations for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. More importantly, Murphy garnered a nomination for the Best Actor Golden Globe. His two previous films—48 Hours (1982) and Trading Places (1983)—made the stand-up comic a household name. Beverly Hills Cop made him a superstar. 

Two sequels followed: Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). After several aborted attempts at a new installment (including a television series), Netflix presents Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.  Murphy is joined by Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot, reprising their roles from previous films in the series, joined by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon. Mark Molloy makes his feature film debut, directing the serviceable screenplay by Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten. 

The film opens in Detroit, where Axel (Murphy) stops a changing room theft during a Red Wings hockey game. This leads to the first of many of the film’s car chases—here with Axel driving a city snowplow. After the usual dressing down at the station, Axel receives a call from cop-turned-private investigator Billy Rosewood (Reinhold), who is pursuing a case involving a young man (Damien Diaz) framed for a cop’s murder. The boy, a drug mule, is the nephew of a cocaine trafficker (a flamboyant Luis Guzmán). Foley’s estranged daughter, Jane (Taylour Page), represents the young man, but powers-that-be threaten Jane, leading Billy to reach out to Foley, who gets on the next plane.

His first drive through Beverly Hills effectively contrasts with the Detroit opening, emphasizing Axel’s fish-out-of-water vibe. Like the entire movie, it does not aim for subtlety but makes its point about California’s mecca of facades. (There seem to be myriad pampered canines whose presence permeates restaurants, cars, and sidewalks.) A predictable but wholly enjoyable action comedy follows with the requisite number of car chases, shootouts, and generic hoodlums. At the center is a corruption ring led by a dirty cop, Captain Grant (Kevin Bacon, in a performance that seems lifted from Gotham City). The entire plot hinges on a missing SD card and a page Axel rips from a calendar. 

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley works because Murphy is not just in his element but is at home. Unlike in 2021’s painfully misguided Coming 2 America, the ageless actor easily lands every joke, quip, and aside. The writers crafted the screenplay to Murphy’s style, ably balancing the comedic with the human. After being arrested following the commandeering of a parking patrol vehicle, he shrugs, “I’ve been a cop for thirty years and black for a whole lot longer.” His response is smart, funny, and to the point—which describes the entire film.

One of the best moments is his reunion with Jane. After a beat, he says, “It is extremely good to see you.” The usually comical Axel is stiff and formal. His face registers a mix of pain, loss, and joy—but above all, a palatable discomfort, one of the most complex emotions to signal. The gifted Murphy shows himself as a great actor, infusing a single glance with a lifetime of regret. The lone “swashbuckler,” married to his job, yearns to know his only child. 

Finally, Murphy is one of the great cinematic scene partners. He not only connects but elevates the supporting cast. His rapport with Page is equal but wholly different from his wonderful work with Reinhold. While many stars seem to pull complete focus, Murphy allows us to see the other characters fully develop through Axel’s eyes. Page evokes a strong and human Jane—clearly her father’s daughter. Their scenes spark adversarial energy, underlaid with the need to connect. 

Newcomer Gordon-Levitt balances the snark and the concern in Jane’s ex-boyfriend, Bobby Abbott. While initially bland, he manages to grow the detective’s dimensions. The returning entourage makes the brief appearances work within the confines of some of the creakier writing: Reinhold is a mix of charm and caring. Ashton’s ulcerated Chief John Taggart is a blend of crusty and caring. Reiser’s retiring Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman is long-suffering and caring. Pinchot’s Serge is over-the-top and caring (if shockingly politically incorrect for 2024). 

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley is a film with no surprises. There are no twists and no revelations. Even the refrain “a child is always the child, and a parent is always the parent” is not just projected but stated repeatedly. However, the thematic sentiment does not detract from a well-paced and thoroughly enjoyable two hours. In June, Murphy and Jerry Bruckheimer announced a fifth Beverly Hills Cop. If they can maintain the charm and energy of Axel Foley, it is worth the anticipation.

Rated R, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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