Movie Review

From left, Harry Hadden-Paton, Laura Carmichael, Tuppence Middleton and Allen Leech in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

In 2015, the landmark television series Downton Abbey ended its six-season run. Four years later, Downton Abbey arrived on the big screen (reviewed in this paper in September 2019). Set in 1927, the story focused on a visit from King George V and Queen Mary. While the film lacked the weight and depth of the series, it was a satisfactory outing for Crawley fans, featuring almost the entire roster of principals. 

After several delays in release, Downton Abbey 2, rechristened Downton Abbey: A New Era, arrives. Picking up one year later, the film opens with the wedding of former chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech) to Lucy (Tuppence Middleton), the illegitimate child of Lady Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). The scene serves as a reverse curtain call of the entire cast—both upstairs and down. 

A New Era weaves two unrelated plots. In one, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) has inherited a villa in the south of France, left to her by a possible former paramour, the late Marquis de Montmirail. While the Dowager is too ill to travel, members of the household journey to meet the man’s irate widow (Nathalie Baye) and welcoming son (Jonathan Zaccaï). Here, questions arise regarding the Earl of Grantham’s (Hugh Bonneville) birth.

Meanwhile, in need of a cash influx, the family leases Downton to a film company. Lady Mary takes charge of the endeavor, dealing with the director (Hugh Dancy), who, in traditional Downton fashion, falls in love with her. The undertaking is made more difficult by its beautiful but crass leading lady (Laura Haddock), coupled with the reality that silent films are dying.

The plots serve to put the characters in action but do little more. However, they offer a reminder that the Downton universe revolves around property—acquisition, ownership, and maintenance. Beginning with Episode One, Downton Abbey was driven by the issue of entailment and succession. With this shadow no longer present, the tension is gone. Even the roof repairs seem less dire and more a whacky (and almost desperate) way to introduce a screwball element. There is something tamped down in the emergency.

The simplistic arcs are predictable and provide opportunities for glorious scenery and occasionally sitcom exchanges. There are many jokes at the expense of the film industry and the French, but the barbs are benign. The film is liberally sprinkled with minor subplots involving a peppering of romance and domestic frustrations, but these function to give the less active characters a bit of screen time. 

Ultimately, the problem at the core of both films is that the characters have matured. They no longer have the life-and-death conflicts that shook their worlds and forced them to look outward and inward. The entire clan has become not just better people but their best selves. The often dangerous and destructive relationship that fueled the conflict between Lady Mary and her sister, Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), no longer exists. If they are not best friends, they are as close as possible. 

Even the usually destructive Barrow (Robert James-Collier) has become a more benevolent soul. Happiness is not bad, but it is not the furnace that heats a story. The roadblocks and hurdles are minor; the experience is almost tacit. The culmination of emotional growth is not necessarily the best dramatic force.

Because of this, the first two-thirds of the film are composed of brief scenes (sometimes as short as two or three lines), jumping from place to place and from one set of characters to another, allowing for barely a breath. The frantic, frenetic, and often whimsical quality has a Muppets Take Downton Abbey feel.

Strangely though, these are minor cavils. Watching A New Era—which is an improvement on the first—reminds us of the journey taken. The actors are uniformly true to the characters who have aged and seem appropriately worse for wear. The delicacy and honesty of the performances echo a world created over many years. The final act allows the characters to breathe. Even in the most contrived situations, the company is incapable of a wrong or false note.

In one of the most beautiful scenes, Isobel (Penelope Wilton) and the Dowager (Smith) reflect on their history, reminding us how these longtime adversaries developed a deep bond. This is the film—and Downton—at its best.

Many loose threads are tied up, providing closure. But the ending also honors the circle of life, composed of births and weddings, illnesses and deaths. 

It would be a safe bet that there will be a Downton Abbey 3, probably dealing with the problematic situation in Lady Mary’s marriage to racing fanatic Henry Talbot (absent from the film as actor Matthew Goode had production conflicts). In addition, societal changes, financial challenges, and global conflict will likely offer myriad opportunities. And while nothing will take us back to the height of Downton Abbey, we will gladly join the Crawleys as they move forward.

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

Jim Broadbent and Neal Barry in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

In 1961, London’s National Gallery acquired Francisco de Goya’s early nineteenth century The Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. Valued at £140,000, the work was stolen on August 21, just nineteen days later. Falling into the “this is too far-fetched to be true,” the culprit was revealed as sixty-one-year-old Kempton Bunton, a taxi driver from Newcastle Upon Tyne (located in the northeast of England). Brought to life in The Duke, the film marks the final work of director Roger Michell (Notting Hill), who passed away in September 2021.

According to Bunton’s grandson, Chris, the screenplay takes very few liberties with the actual story and reflects his grandfather’s character—though the real Kempton was not as warm as his screen counterpart. Jim Broadbent fully inhabits Kempton Bunton, whose campaign against pensioners having to pay for a television license leads him to theft.

Two approaches could have been taken to tell this fascinating story. The first would have been a dark and serious exploration of the common man railing against the system (think auteur Mike Lee’s grittiness crossed with screenwriter Jack Rosenthal’s realism).

Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Or in contrast, the creators could have selected a more whimsical approach in the vein of the Ealing Studio comedies (those that featured character men such as Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers). Writers Richard Bean and Clive Coleman have opted for the latter, with the result being an engaging mix of old-fashioned caper with a sensitive and touching underpinning.

The film opens with Kempton on trial, then flashes back to his earlier tribulations, including a short stint in jail for using a T.V. without the necessary license. An eccentric of the first order, he writes and submits plays that are never produced. In addition, he chatters so much to his cab clients that he loses his job and eventually loses a later position in a bakery for calling out the boss for abusing a Pakistani worker. 

His wife, Dorothy (flawlessly played by Helen Mirren), cleans house and babysits for a local councilor and his wife (Anna Maxwell Martin, finding depth and nobility in a small role). Dorothy finds her husband’s never-ending antics and quixotic crusades overwhelming and perpetually frustrating. A shadow separates the couple: the death of their eighteen-year-old daughter in a bicycle accident a dozen years earlier. Kempton battles for the greater good of humanity but is often oblivious to his wife’s pain.

Jim Broadbent in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Their adult children include a supportive, good son, Jackie (a likable Fionn Whitehead), who dreams of being a shipbuilder, and the prodigal, Kenny (a surprisingly likable quasi-hoodlum played by Jack Bandeira). Kenny, along with his recently separated girlfriend, Pammy (Charlotte Spencer, wonderfully amoral and ambivalent), is hiding out with his parents. Pammy’s discovery of the painting stashed behind a false backing in a wardrobe drives the latter part of the story.

The film is brisk and often funny, with shades of Blake Edwards at his best and most focused. Split screens, Mike Eley’s spot-on cinematography, and a jazzy score by George Fenton complete the 1960s feel. 

Broadbent is in his element, whether trying to get petition signatures, struggling with his writing, going against a racist, or being delightfully honest when questioned in the dock. He easily nuances the performance without losing the broader comic strokes. His scenes with the always brilliant Mirren reveal a troubled but enduring marriage of two unlike but equal souls. 

Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey’s Henry Talbot, Lady Mary’s second husband) charms as Kempton’s barrister, Jeremy Hutchinson, in turn bemused and delighted by his client.

While courtroom scenes can be predictable, Broadbent’s quirky, raw honesty creates a riveting and satisfying climax. Through the wit and clever banter, the message of “I am you, and you are me” resonates. The trial’s outcome, the family struggle, and a surprising revelation make a satisfying resolution to The Duke, an entertaining and touching film. 

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

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

The informal definition of “meta” (according to Merriam-Webster.com) is “showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category: cleverly self-referential.” No term better describes Nicolas Cage’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. And while it is directed by Tom Gormican, from a screenplay by Gormican and Kevin Etten, Cage is the sole reason. 

Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage—or, at least, a version of Cage. Here, he is a larger-than-life star with a larger-than-life ego. It is hard to say whether this reflects or distorts the actual Cage. However, Cage, one of the busiest and most enigmatic actors, offers a delightful “meta” performance.

Nicolas Cage in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

The Cage on display in The Unbearable Weight is an ego-centric star just on the cusp of decline. Frantically pursuing a role, he auditions in front of a restaurant as the director attempts to get into his car. There is more than a whiff of desperation as Cage does everything but beg for the part in the upcoming film.

Driven by fiscal problems (he is in arrears to the tune of $600,000 for the apartment he rents), he agrees to attend the birthday party of billionaire playboy Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), being held on Javi’s compound in Mallorca, Spain. 

While there, CIA agents Vivian (Tiffany Haddish) and Martin (Ike Barinholtz) approach Cage. They inform him that Javi is an arms dealer who has kidnapped a politician’s daughter to drive him out of an upcoming election. The agents enlist the reluctant Cage to aid with the recovery mission.

The plot veers to Hollywood blockbuster. While initially elements nod towards something heightened and outrageous, in the end it is a buddy comedy between Cage and Pascal. There is an attempt to satirize (at least spoof) the genre, but mostly it lands in safe territory. There are funny moments (the wall scene spoiled by every trailer; a viewing of Paddington 2), but many situations seem forced (an acid-tripping scene; the sedative bit).

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is at its best when delving into Cage’s psyche and simultaneously mammoth and fragile ego. Several times he is confronted by his younger self. Regrettably, there are only three of these moments, and we are left wondering if there were not more that ended up cut because they were (once again) too “meta.” 

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Cage’s ability to put himself in the crosshairs of his own pretension make for the strongest fodder. He often speaks of his acting process—“nouveau shamanic”—and his desire to make a “character-driven adult film.” He struggles with the difference between actor and movie star, perpetually obsessing over his choices. He is not so much oblivious to his daughter, Addy (Lily Sheen), as his energy is misplaced, mistaking his own likes for sharing. His fractious but not unloving relationship with his estranged wife, Olivia (Sharon Horgan), highlights his inability to look beyond his career. He is where doubt and narcissism implode.

Both Sheen and Horgan give fine, understated performances, but they are minor characters on this broader stage. Neil Patrick Harris appears briefly as Cage’s agent, a character that barely has one dimension. The same is true of Alessandra Mastronardi as Gabriela, Javi’s faithful assistant. Paco León, as Javi’s cousin Lucas, is a by-the-numbers hoodlum. Haddish and Barinholtz hit the right notes but have very little to play.

Pascal makes the perfect fanboy who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of Cage’s career, complete with a trophy room (also spoiled by the trailers). While Javi is eager for Cage to star in the screenplay he has written, the burgeoning bromance drives the character. The plot creaks in fits and starts, and an unfortunate plot twist softens the entire nature of the relationship. But Pascal and Cage have real chemistry and make the more conventional stretches watchable.

The film is an uneasy mix of comedy, abduction thriller, and meta-exploration. If the creators had leaned more into the last (think Being John Malkovich), the result would have been both engaging and surprising. But, in the end, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent delivers an entertaining parody that does not quite live it up to its greater potential. One suspects that they had a bigger concept and lost their way. Or perhaps, they got spooked thinking that just like the discussion of film within the film, something more esoteric would not play to a general audience. Or, even a greater heresy, sell. 

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

One of the newly renovated theaters at the Cinema Arts Centre. Photo by Nate Close

After a long closure, and full renovation, Huntington’s Cinema Art Centre has reopened for in-person screenings and events

After more than two years, the Cinema Arts Centre (CAC), 423 Park Ave., Huntington has reopened with a newly renovated space. Independent film screenings and special programming are back at the cinema, with great events planned for this spring and summer, and more on the way.

Having first closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CAC decided to use the opportunity to embark upon a large scale renovation of its lobby and three theaters. The work on the theater includes brand new seats, carpeting, ceilings, an updated ventilation system, as well as new paint and carpeting in the lobby and new seats and tables in the café, which are set to arrive any day. The floors in the theaters have also been re-profiled to create better sight lines, the bathrooms have been refurbished, and additional handicap seating has been added to the theaters.

New lobby carpeting at the Cinema Arts Centre. Photo by Nate Close

During its closure the Cinema Arts Centre stayed busy presenting pop-up and drive-in screenings along with a diverse range of virtual programming, some of which will continue in some capacity into the future.

The Cinema is now open for in-person programming, and tickets are on sale for a number of films and special events this year. One series that particularly excites that staff is the Maritime Film Festival.

A celebration of Long Island’s coastal culture, the multi-day Maritime Film Festival, will explore topics such as Long Island’s bay houses, the first all-female crew of sailors to circumnavigate the globe, and the Bungalows of Rockaway. The festival will feature a number of special guests including filmmakers, subjects of the films, and experts on Long Island history. You can purchase tickets or find more information about these and other events at www.cinemaartscentre.org

“It has been a long road to get us to this point,” said Nate Close, director of communications at the CAC. “We experienced a few delays along the way but we are thrilled to be finally reopening as an even better version of the Cinema Arts Centre. With our comfortable new seats and more modern theater design, we are excited to once again provide a space where people in our community can come together. We want to sincerely thank our members, donors, and everyone in our amazing Huntington and Long Island communities who made this possible.”

Alexander Skarsgard and Anya Taylor-Joy star in a scene from the movie "The Northman." Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Writer-director Robert Eggers made his feature debut with the slow-burn horror film The Witch (starring Anya Taylor-Joy). He followed this up with the slow-burn horror fantasy The Lighthouse. While audiences had mixed reactions, he received critical acclaim for both. His newest work, The Northman, is his most accessible and certainly most commercial. 

The story begins in 985 AD. Young Prince Amleth’s (Oscar Novak) father, King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke), returns from battle and is murdered by his half-brother, the bastard Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Fjölnir takes the throne and abducts Aurvandill’s queen, Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). 

If the plot sounds vaguely familiar, there is no surprise as it draws from the same source as Hamlet. Shakespeare derived his play from the legend of Amleth, preserved by the 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in Gesta Danorum and retold in the 16th century by François de Belleforest.

And while the two works share DNA, tonally and stylistically, they are opposing forces. The Northman is a film of great violence and fewer words. Eggers relies on strong and effective visuals rather than dialogue to tell his story. The screenplay (written in collaboration with the Icelandic poet, novelist, and lyricist Sjón) presents a universe of blood and blood oaths, visions and vengeance. Amleth repeats, “I will avenge you, Father. I will save you, Mother. I will kill you, Fjölnir.” This litany becomes the watch cry of the adult Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), whose sole purpose is to right this wrong. 

After witnessing his father’s murder,  Amleth flees. Vikings find the boy and raise him as a berserker. Years later, following a brutal Viking attack in the land of Rus, a seeress (Björk) tells the now grown Amleth he will soon have his revenge. Amleth learns that soon after the betrayal, Fjölnir was ousted. Amleth has himself branded a slave and sent to his uncle’s pastoral exile. 

While being transported, he connects with Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), a Slavic sorceress also captured in Rus. They form an alliance that becomes a bond. Eventually, she tells him, “You have the strength to break their bones; I have the cunning to break their minds.” On the Icelandic farm, Amleth discovers that his mother became Fjölnir’s wife and bore him a son, Gunnar (Elliot Rose).

The Northman is steeped in death—by arrow, axe, spear, knife, and sword. The savagery extends to slaughter, rape, and slavery. Eggers never shies from the perpetual devastation, embracing the primal existence. His hero is not the indecisive Hamlet but a warrior with a monomaniacal purpose.

Cinematically, the film is compelling and moves along, but always at the same brisk pace, both the film’s strength and weakness. The Northman never becomes “more than.” The characters never surprise because their actions alone define them, no less but no more. As they must live moment to moment, they are not individuals of nuance or subtlety, reflecting this unyielding world.

The cast uniformly delivers, but there are few complicated arcs because there is no subtext. The exception to this is Kidman’s queen, whose revelations shock Amleth. Kidman gives an unbridled and ferocious performance. 

Skarsgård manages to find different if limited shades, but Amleth’s almost unwavering focus does not provide a great number of opportunities. He states later in the story, “Hate is all I have ever known. I wish I could be free of it.” Taylor-Joy (best known for her outstanding performance in The Queen’s Gambit) mines the limited role for as much variety as possible. 

There are a few odd elements in an otherwise consistent realm. The accents seem to be rooted in some “once-upon-an-oldie-timey.” The CGI ravens that rescue Amleth seem out of step with Eggers’ hyper-reality. And in a world of dirt and mud, Olga manages to keep her nearly white dress and blonde tresses immaculate. While this could be symbolic, it is jarring.

Eggers’s attention to detail is the driving force that climaxes with a sword fight on the side of a volcano. Whether he is showing an attack, a close-up of a brooding Skarsgård calculating his next step, or drug-induced prophecies, Eggers offers a raw and brutal world in this predictable but powerful film. 

Rated R, The Northman is now playing in local theaters.

A scene from 'We Feed People' Photo courtesy of National Geographic

By Melissa Arnold

When Russia first began its major assault on Ukraine earlier this year, the whole world turned its eyes on the conflict. As days turned into weeks and scenes of destruction played out on screens everywhere, it seemed like everyone had the same questions: How will this end? What can we do?

Among them was Lyn Boland, co-director of the Port Jefferson Documentary Series (PJDS). “I must ask myself at least once a day what more I could be doing, because this situation is so heartbreaking,” she said.

A scene from ‘We Feed People’
Photo courtesy of National Geographic

Boland, co-directors Barbara Sverd and Wendy Feinberg, and board members Honey Katz, Lorie Rothstein and Lynn Rein put their heads together to create an inspiring event to support Ukrainian people in need. On Monday, May 9, they will host a screening of the film We Feed People, a family-friendly documentary about generosity, food and its power to heal.

Directed by Ron Howard, the National Geographic film tells the story of chef Jose Andres, the Spanish-born founder of World Central Kitchen. The not-for-profit organization is dedicated to feeding communities impacted by natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the globe. 

“I have found that in the most challenging moments, food is the fastest way to rebuild a sense of community,” Andres said in the film. “A humble plate of food is just the beginning … there is no limit to what we can achieve when we come together and just start cooking.”

The documentary was already completed when Ukraine was invaded, but World Central Kitchen has been on the ground there ever since, helping to provide food and other basic needs.

Boland said that a contact from National Geographic reached out to the arts council recently, offering the film for consideration in the Port Jefferson Documentary Series. The spring lineup was already planned, but Boland asked if they’d be willing to screen the film as a benefit instead. All proceeds from the screening will be sent to World Central Kitchen to provide immediate support to Ukrainians in need. 

“Getting to see Jose Andres in action, and the embrace of humanity that he has, is incredible. He has a way of pulling everyone in,” Boland said.

A scene from ‘We Feed People’
Photo courtesy of National Geographic

Andres started from the bottom in various kitchens when he arrived in America in the 1990s. Over time, he worked his way through the ranks and eventually became a restaurant owner and cookbook author with his own massive following. He founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 in response to the earthquake in Haiti, and since then, it’s been his way of giving back through his greatest passions.

We Feed People takes viewers inside planes, trucks and kitchens as Andres and his team deliver food over a 10-year period. 

Following the movie screening, there will be a live Q&A session via Zoom with the film’s producer Meredith Kaulfers and Ukrainian singer Olha Tsvyntarna, who fled her country for safety a month and a half ago. Tom Needham, host of “The Sounds of Film” on 90.1 WUSB-FM radio, will serve as moderator.

“What’s happening in Ukraine is an abomination, and the people there need the whole world to step up and help them,” said Allan Varela, chair of the Greater Port Jefferson-Northern Brookhaven Arts Council, which sponsors the Port Jefferson Documentary Series. 

“Our mission at the arts council is to bring joy to our communities and expose people to ideas and subjects they may not otherwise know about. For us, we can use our artistic mission to raise awareness, create a fundraiser and ultimately do our part to assist the Ukrainian people.”

Varela also expressed gratitude to Lori and Tom Lucki of Riverhead Toyota for covering all expenses for the screening.

We Feed People: A Fundraiser for Ukraine will be held at John F. Kennedy Middle School, 200 Jayne Blvd, Port Jefferson Station on May 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.69 per person online at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com ($10 from each ticket will be sent to World Central Kitchen, and the remaining $0.69 will be used to cover Paypal fees for the donation) or $10 at the door (cash only). 

For more information about this event, email to [email protected].

A scene from 'Fantastic Beasts 3' Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

In 2011, the Harry Potter franchise concluded with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. The eight films have grossed over $7.7 billion. So, for this reason alone, it was no surprise when a new series was announced.

In 2016, Potter creator J.K. Rowling penned the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, launching a proposed five-movie arc. Directed by David Yates, the uninspired film was followed by the disastrous mess, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (reviewed in this paper in December 2018).

Now Yates has returned for his third film, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. This time, Rowling has collaborated with writer Steve Kloves. Perhaps it is the addition of the Academy Award-nominated Kloves, but the newest chapter is a vast improvement over its predecessors.

The film opens in 1932, with Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) present for the birth of a Qilin, a magical creature that sees into the soul. Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Madds Mikkelsen, replacing Johnny Depp) has dispatched his acolytes to capture the animal he then murders and reanimates. But, unbeknownst to Grindelwald, the mother had given birth to twins, the second of which Scamander hides in his enchanted suitcase.

The thrust of the action centers on Grindelwald’s campaign for world domination by running for Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Future Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) has rallied the forces of good to thwart the evil wizard. These include Newt’s brother and Head of the Auror Office, Theseus (Callum Turner); charms professor Eulalie “Lally” Hicks (Jessica Williams); French wizard Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam), who goes undercover; and No-Maj (the American equivalent of Muggle) Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), WWI veteran, baker, and Newt’s friend.

The film begins as a muddle with characters paraded through and multiple threads touched upon but not clarified. Eventually, the plot focuses first on Grindelwald’s acquittal of criminal charges and then on his full-on crusade. His followers are a rabid mob and always on the brink of violence. His rhetoric is the elevation of purebloods and absolute rule over the non-magical (later taken up by Lord Voldemort).

It is no coincidence that much of the film takes place in 1930s Germany. It is not difficult to draw the parallels between Grindelwald and Hitler, his followers and the citizens of that country, and his closest servants, trenchcoated agents suggesting Gestapo. The images are chilling and effective, making the magical world less fantasy, and the heroes need to triumph all the stronger. (There are also more than thinly veiled nods towards recent politics.)

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore offers glimpses of the better known Potterverse. Several scenes take place at Hogwarts and the Hog’s Head, the tavern run by Albus’s brother, Aberforth (Richard Coyle). An important plotline involves the Dumbeldore family, connecting them to Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller). Even transfiguration teacher Minerva McGonagall (Fiona Glascott) makes a cameo. The filmmakers are smartly connecting the better-known canon with this burgeoning prequel universe.

Most of the characterizations are broad strokes as the narrative is story driven. However, overall, the performances are strong. Law easily creates a Dumbledore that is knowing and in control, suggesting the Dumbledore he will eventually become. But he also brings shadows of doubt, pain, and regret, enriching the man behind the magic. Mikkelsen makes the villain both cruel and charismatic. The creators did not pull punches on the romantic history between the two, allowing their relationship to inform all their scenes.

Fogler is once again a true delight as Kowalski, a human navigating the wizarding world. Williams’ Lally shows strength and grounding but also mines the role for humor. Turner’s Theseus represents the government agent who understands the big picture, somehow managing to be both stiff and self-aware. Miller brings the right amount of pain and danger to Credence. The weakest link is Redmayne, whose Newt remains a string of stutters and mutterings as if he was more concerned with being precious than present.

The highest praise goes to Stuart Craig and Neil Lamont for the extraordinary production design. Colleen Atwood’s costumes smartly lean towards a dark reality, eschewing the more fanciful dress seen in the Potter films. In addition, the visual and special effects (created by hundreds of artists and craftspeople) are first-rate, whether animating the magic or producing truly fantastic CGI beasts (ranging from the adorable to the horrifying).

The Secrets of Dumbledore breathes life into a series that had neither focus nor purpose before this entry. Hopefully, the production team will build on the film’s integrity and bring Fantastic Beasts to a powerful and welcomed resolution.

Rated PG-13, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now playing in local theaters.

TAKE ON ME Relive the 1980's with a movie about the boy band a-ha at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson on April 18 at 7 p.m., part of the award-winning Port Jefferson Documentary Series spring line-up. Photo from PJDS

The Port Jefferson Documentary Series continues its Spring season with a screening of ‘A-HA: THE MOVIE’ at Theatre Three, 412 Main Street, Port Jefferson on April 18 at 7 p.m.

The music of Queen and the Velvet Underground instilled a sense of destiny in three teenagers living in a small town in 1970s Norway. That dream led to A-ha: the synth-pop trio featuring keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, vocalist Morten Harket, and guitarist Pål Waktaar-Savoy who burst onto the international scene with 1985’s “Take on Me,” buoyed by an iconic sketch-animation video by Irish-British director Steve Barron.

The band became global sensations and heartthrobs overnight, but it remained to be seen how they would adapt to their newfound fame. How would they follow their original dream: to make music? Featuring new interviews with the band and previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage, A-HA, THE MOVIE delves into this very question. By following the band’s ups and downs—sojourns to post-punk-era England, their James Bond theme song for The Living Daylights thriller, and slow-simmering interpersonal rifts—Robsahm captures a band that constantly strove to challenge itself, never content to simply repeat earlier successes. The result is a moving story of creative intuition and invention.

Preceded by a special concert with singer-songwriter Bryan Gallo who will perform a curated set of Rock, Pop and New Wave Classics from the 1980’s at 6 p.m. and followed by a Q&A via Zoom with Director Thomas Robsahm. Tickets are $10 per person. Advance tiickets are available until April 18 at 6 p.m. at: portjeffdocumentaryseries.com/ticketsvenues or at the door cash only.

 

 

Photo courtesy of A24

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The famous opening line of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina could also apply to the chaos and vexation that emanates from Everything Everywhere All at Once, the twisty science fiction black comedy from writer-directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as “Daniels”).

Photo courtesy of A24

The film opens with Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) struggling to get ready for an IRS audit while the family prepares for a Chinese New Year party. Her kind but mostly ineffectual husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), does all he can to calm her, but his eagerness to please is more of a hindrance. Adding to the familial strife, Waymond has just served Evelyn with divorce papers, which barely registers with his overwhelmed spouse.

Evelyn’s father, Gong Gong (James Hong), for whom Evelyn has been a life-long disappointment, has arrived from China to live with them. Her conflicted daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), tries to get the family to accept her girlfriend, Becky (Tallie Medel). Finally, they are confronted with Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis), the IRS inspector who embodies the worst elements of bureaucracy.

There is enough here to generate a domestic drama of complexity and interest. However, Everything Everywhere All at Once is an exploration of multi-universe theory. As Evelyn and Waymond ride the elevator to their IRS meeting, Waymond shifts to his Alpha/alternate self, explaining that the Alpha Evelyn is dead and only this version of Evelyn can save the multiverse. The entire structure of parallel existence is threatened by Jobu Tupaki, Alpha Waymond and Alpha Evelyn’s daughter. Jobu Tupaki experiences all universes simultaneously and can verse-jump and manipulate matter.

What fascinates is this Evelyn is the worst of all the Evelyns. Alpha Waymond tells her she has made every wrong choice and bad decision. But ironically, since she is the least gifted, she has the greatest capacity for change. Drawing on her many selves, she begins to own not just the powers of these different incarnations, but she becomes more connected to herself in “the present.”

The film presents a range of universes during the brisk (if slightly long) two hours and fifteen minutes. Evelyn’s many faces included a martial arts film star, an opera singer, a chef, and more. Some are glimpsed; others are revisited multiple times. From each, she gains not just skills but understanding.

Photo courtesy of A24

Along the way, the filmmakers present well-known sci-fi tropes, dramatic and emotional encounters, and a plethora of action sequences. But added to the mix are outrageous concepts, including a world where the inhabitants have hotdogs for fingers. The mispronunciation of Ratatouille results in a story focused on a cook and raccoon and the most nihilistic and heart-warming encounter between two rocks on a planet with no life. The extreme absurdity somehow plays winningly into the overall chaos.

Jobu Tupaki’s manifestation of oblivion is a black hole that she refers to as the Everything on a Bagel. The idea is that evil is when nothing matters.

The uniformly strong cast adeptly portrays various versions of themselves. And while they play the story straight, their comedic timing appropriately shines. Yeoh anchors the film in her pain and triumph, facing her foes and her inner demons, sliding from one manifestation to another.

Quan’s alternating between the self-actualized Alpha Waymond and the Thurber-esque husband is seamless. Hsu manages to embody the stressed, frustrated daughter and the manipulative destroyer and allows elements of both personalities to inform the other. Hong easily goes from the vaguely unaware grandfather to an almost militant leader. The always wonderful Curtis brings depth to the most extreme characters.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is an artistic triumph, due in no small part to Larkin Seiple’s peripatetic, vivid cinematography. Jason Kisvarday’s production design, along with Shirley Kurata’s costume design, create a range of unique worlds, from the pedestrian reality to the wildly inventive.

The smallest decision creates a new branch in time; a missed chance affects the course of both the individual and the entire world. Deftly harnessing the concept of infinite parallel universes, Everything Everywhere All at Once’s heart suggests every choice is an opportunity. But more than that, as Alpha Waymond states: “We are useless alone.” The final message of connection rises above all else. Don’t miss the chance to take this very meta, often bizarre, but finally uplifting journey.

Rated R, Everything Everywhere All at Once is now playing in local theaters.

In honor of its 70th anniversary, “Singin’ In the Rain” heads to select cinemas nationwide on Sunday, April 10 and Wednesday, April 13, courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Turner Classic Movies. Starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen, Cyd Charisse and Rita Moreno, the 1952 classic musical is still as fresh and delightful as the day it was released.

Photo courtesy of Fathom Events

Musician Don Lockwood (Kelly) rises to stardom during Hollywood’s silent-movie era–paired with the beautiful, jealous and dumb Lina Lamont (Hagen). When Lockwood becomes attracted to young studio singer Kathy Selden (Reynolds), Lamont has her fired. But with the introduction of talking pictures, audiences laugh when they hear Lamont speak for the first time–and the studio uses Selden to dub her voice. Set during the advent of “talkies,” this film’s classic song-and-dance numbers celebrate the beginning of movie musicals.

Written by legendary musical “book” writers Betty Comden and Adolph Green and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards and is the No. 1 musical on the American Film Institute’s (AFI) list of the “25 Greatest Movie Musicals.” 

This 70th anniversary event includes exclusive commentary from Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz.

Locally, the film will be screened at AMC Loews Stony Brook 17, 2196 Nesconset Highway, Stony Brook on April 10 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on April 13 at 7 p.m.; Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas, 1001 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale on April 10 at 4 p.m. and on April 13 at 7 p.m.; and Island 16 Cinema de Lux, 185 Morris Ave., Holtsville on April 10 at 4 p.m. and on April 13 at 7 p.m.

To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.