CLOSE
Movie Review

by -
0 840
'The Goonies'

Middle Country Public Library, 101 Eastwood Blvd., Centereach will present the following free outdoor events for the community this summer:

Music Under the Stars: Petty Rumours

Thursday, July 12 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Join Petty Rumours for an unforgettable evening of music. This show will bring together over four decades of hits from Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac and the Traveling Wilburys. As this concert will be held outside, patrons should bring their own chairs and/or blankets. Food trucks will be on hand beginning at 6pm and performance begins at 7 p.m.

Music Under the Stars: 20 Highview

Tuesday, August 9 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Get down with 20 Highview, a nine-piece powerhouse band specializing in dance classics with funk grooves. They will cover classics from the 60’s up to the present day. As this concert will be held outside, patrons should bring their own chairs and blankets. Food trucks will be on hand beginning at 6pm and performance begins at 7 p.m.

MCPL Under the Stars Movie Night: ‘The Goonies’

Wednesday, August 17 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Join us for an outdoor viewing of the movie, The Goonies! As this movie will be held outside, patrons should bring their own chairs and blankets. In the event of rain, the program will be rescheduled for August 25. Food truck will be on hand beginning at 7 p.m. and movie begins at 8 p.m.

For more information, call 631-585-9393

by -
0 1268
1 of 5
Sope Dirisu and Freida Pinto in a scene from 'Mr. Malcolm's List.'
Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Zawe Ashton in a scene from 'Mr. Malcolm's List.' Photo by Ross Ferguson/Bleeker Street
Sope Dirisu and Oliver Jackson-Cohen in a scene from 'Mr. Malcolm's List.' Photo by Ross Ferguson/ Bleeker Street
Ashley Park in 'Mr. Malcolm's List.' Photo by Ross Ferguson/Bleeker Street
Sope Dirisu and Freida Pinto in a scene from 'Mr. Malcolm's List.' Photo by Ross Ferguson/ Bleeker Street

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

With the success of Bridgerton, Regency has currently eclipsed Victoriana as the go-to for period drama. While Jane Austen’s seminal work, Pride and Prejudice, has never been far from television and cinema, Dickens has more often been the primary source for historical adaptation.

In 2009, Suzanne Allain self-published Mr. Malcolm’s List and adapted it for the screen. After a 2015 podcast reading, Emma Holly Jones acquired the rights along with producer Laura Rister. A short film titled Mr. Malcolm’s List: Overture, directed by Jones, was released online in 2019. Subsequently, the novel was published by Berkley Books in 2020. 

The year is 1818, a time of tea and quills, empire waists, and oversized top hats. Mr. Jeremiah Malcolm (Sope Dirisu), the wealthy second son of an earl, seeks a bride. With “twenty thousand a year,” looks, and charm, he is the season’s catch. Courting and then moving on, none of the prospective ladies match the criteria on the titular list. These items include an amiable disposition and a knowledge of politics, a sense of charity, and a host of other desirable traits.

The lovely but vaguely shallow Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) fails to engage him during their time at the opera. Shortly after, a humiliating newspaper caricature featuring Julia’s rejection circulates throughout London. Bent on revenge, the spurned Julia—now out for a crushing four seasons—sends for her friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto). Julia grooms Selina as the perfect trap for Malcolm by having her embody all of the things on the list. Daughter of a poor Sussex vicar, Selina—surprise, surprise—is the perfect match for the man. 

While the plot is simplistic, it fits logically into the Regency world. With drawing rooms and drinking clubs, Mr. Malcolm’s List comfortably evokes the environment, if not the works of Jane Austen. The priority of marriage and money swirls around the principals, cloaking them in the power of society and the prevailing poison of gossip. Here, “what people say is what matters,” and often, they are “judged and found wanting.”

The elements for a delightful romp into the intrigue of romance gather at the outset as Julia launches into action.

So why doesn’t it work? The answer is simple: They are all too nice. Everyone is not just charming but, for the most part, kind. Even Julia, at her most vindictive, manages to be likable. The narrator states that Malcolm is a nice person. He is no Mr. Darcy, with his haughtiness and self-absorption. He has the reputation of a “trifler”—but his actions seem to belie this. Selina has no side to her; absent is the delightful edge that Elizabeth Bennet possesses, which gives her character dimension. 

Also, there is a dearth of characters that are “more than.” One looks for the mercenary Mrs. Bennet, the oily Mr. Collins, or the roguish Wickham. Here, only two minor characters—an older gentleman pursuing Selina and Selina’s twice-wed cousin, the flittering Mrs. Covington (a welcome scenery-chewing Ashley Park)—approach anything resembling the appealingly grotesque. The overall blandness of nice people makes for what amounts to a tedious two hours.

Pinto is smart, strong, and always watchable. She never allows Selina to become petulant, even when most frustrated. Dirisu embodies Malcolm with a wryness that peeks throughout. His good looks, rich voice, and ability to make even the smallest shift count create a likable (if too likable) protagonist. Oliver Jackson-Cohen manages to elevate the sidekick caught between opposing factions, mining the humor; sadly, he mostly disappears halfway through the film. Given the character’s inconsistency, Ashton finds some arc in Julia. Divian Ladwa’s servant John is funny but short-changed, as are all the “below stairs” characters.

There are weighty discussions about life and love but little wit. Sparks require friction, and the film lacks discord. Even the gossip appears fangless, and the hurdles seem low. Allain’s screenplay is so by the numbers; there is never doubt, not just about the outcome but what will happen moment to moment. Jones’ direction captures time and place but lacks tone. A vague sitcom quality hovers around the edges, including Selina’s clumsy training montage. The costumes and settings are detailed, lush, and a visual feast. But these are not enough to sustain interest.

Comparisons can easily be made to Bridgerton, especially in the show’s second season, a less-than-subtle take on Pride and Prejudice. Both are style over substance. But where Bridgerton manages to find some surprising choices, the facile and often banal Mr. Malcolm’s List offers no such revelations. 

In the end, one would hope for more Thackeray’s Vanity Fair and less Hallmark Movie of the Week. Nice is nice. But it isn’t fun. 

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

by -
0 439
Dawn Riley. Photo from CAC

The Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington closes its Maritime Film Festival with a screening of Maiden on July 12 at 7:30 p.m. 

In 1989, long dismissed and belittled as the only woman crewmember on the ships where she worked, British sailor Tracy Edwards set out to prove herself in the biggest way possible. She assembled the world’s first all-female international crew and entered the Whitbread Round the World Race, a 32,000 mile global circumnavigation competition that, until then, had been the exclusive domain of male seafarers. Featuring a post-film Q&A with Maiden sailor Dawn Riley, Director of Oakcliff Sailing School.

Tickets are $17, $12 members. Call 423-7610 or visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

by -
0 1095
1 of 4
Above, Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker and Austin Butler as Elvis. Photo courtesy ofWarner Bros.
Austin Butler in a scene from the film. Photo from Warner Bros.
Austin Butler in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
Austin Butler in a scene from the film. Photo from Warner Bros

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Australian auteur Baz Luhrmann has left his kinetic imprint on a range of cinematic works. Known for his bold visual style and thumping soundtracks, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), and The Great Gatsby (2013) are among his most prominent projects. With Elvis, he has turned his sights on one of the most iconic performers of the twentieth century. Working from a screenplay co-written with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner, Luhrmann presents an almost hagiographic portrait, smoothing out many of the rougher edges.

Elvis begins with Luhrmann’s usual frenetic assault. Slow-motion, quick cuts, aggressive music, and even a dissolve into a comic book set the tone for an original, if over-the-top, approach. However, within thirty minutes, the film settles into a traditional biography with only occasionally departing from a straight narrative. It becomes surprisingly pedestrian, given Luhrmann’s signature style. Predictable montages with cities superimposed on a map indicating travel seem a throwback to films of a previous century. Perhaps this is to put the action in its time, but it leans more towards creaky than homage.

The film tells the story from the perspective of Elvis’s agent, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). He serves as narrator and villain, tracing the singer from his poverty-ridden childhood through Parker’s elevation of the singer and Elvis’s meteoric rise. Much is made of Elvis’s fascination with African-American music of Memphis’s Beale Street. The huckster Parker becomes guide and gatekeeper to the naive young man, with something Faustian about the story: Parker as a corpulent Mephistopheles making dreams come true.

The film covers little new ground. In two and a half hours of playing time, Elvis reveals bits and pieces but never creates a full portrait of any of its characters. Luhrmann pulls his punches, making Elvis an almost benevolent figure, eschewing many darker elements. The drugs and sex are touched upon but then relegated to the background. While Parker states that Elvis was “the taste of forbidden fruit,” these are seen only in sanitized glimpses.

The greatest star of many generations was the victim of bad choices and insidious management. There are harrowing moments—particularly when his father decides to get him on stage when he should be in a hospital. But these moments are too few and far between. Instead, the movie focuses on performances and the push-pull relationship between the manager and the managed. Nods are made to Elvis’s devastation over the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy and his desire to make bigger statements. But they are skimmed over. 

His career is played in fast-forward, his army service and movies receiving only perfunctory glances, segueing to television, and finally to Vegas. The Steve Allen debacle, with Elvis in tails singing to a hound dog, makes for a decisive moment, and the entire residency at the International Hotel receives more than a cursory treatment. 

Tom Hanks gets points for giving the least “Tom Hanks” performance of his career. His almost freakish Parker is an obese fat suit and distorting prosthetics, calling to mind Jiminy Glick or Danny DeVito as the Penguin. The shadowy “Colonel” was a fraud and a charlatan, not southern but Dutch. For some strange reason, Hanks opted for an untraceable European accent (and sounding nothing like any of the available clips of the real Parker). One expects lines like “He’s the greatest carnival attraction I’d ever seen; he was my destiny” to be followed by a maniacal laugh. He creeps around the film’s periphery, wandering in his purgatory casino.

In theory, the reason for biographical films is to explore historical figures, acknowledge their accomplishments, explore them in the context of their times, or gain insight into what made them unusual, exceptional, and memorable. However, more often, the films become a celebration of the actors’ work: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln; Jennifer Hudson in Respect; Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line; Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody, etc. Somewhere along the way, the portrayal subsumes the persona.

Austin Butler delivers as Elvis. He captures the King in every look, shift, and shrug. He embodies the roiling doubts and the desire for more. Whether struggling with career choices or trying to care for his dysfunctional parents, he infuses each moment with integrity and star power. His vocals are excellent, and he has found the required nuances. (Butler sings all the earlier songs and then is blended with actual Elvis recordings for the later years.)

By the film’s end, little has been revealed about the man or the myth. There are events and interactions and a bit of trivia but not much depth. Unlike Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman, the gloriously messy look at Elton John, Elvis chooses not to reflect its subject in style or approach. There is nothing “Elvis” about Elvis. Instead, Baz Luhrmann offers a by-the-numbers biopic with a mesmerizing central performance. It is something, but perhaps not enough.

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

by -
0 1044
One of the most anticipated movies this summer is 'Where the Crawdads Sing.'

By Jeffrey Sanzel

A year ago, studios wondered whether there would be a “return to normal.” The summer of 2021 straddled a mix of theatre attendance and residual streaming. Delays in various releases continued through the fall and into the winter and spring. This summer, the options seem to reflect the pre-pandemic era. 

Elvis

Elvis is one of the most anticipated films. Directed by Baz Luhrman (from a screenplay by Luhrman and others), the biopic focuses on Presley (Austin Butler), from his early career to his iconic rise. Much of the story chronicles his complex relationship with Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Lurhman is noted for his non-traditional approaches (as evidenced in his Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, and The Great Gatsby), so his take will most likely reflect his unique style. Rated PG-13 · Release date June 24

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru offers a sequel to a spinoff. Minions (2015) followed Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013). The second film is in the wake of Despicable Me 3 (2017). For the franchise fans, the story picks up after the events in Minions, with twelve-year-old Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) striving to join the supervillains known as the Vicious 6. Rated PG · Release date July 1

Thor: Love and Thunder

For those craving the most traditional summer fare, there is Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8), the sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and the 29th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct. Taika Waititi directs Chris Hemsworth in the title role. The film also stars Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale. Rated PG-13 · Release date July  8

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens’ bestseller 2018 Where the Crawdads Sing reaches the big screen with Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya, a self-raised girl from the marshlands of North Carolina who becomes the prime suspect in a murky murder case. One of the most popular novels in the last ten years, this tale of secrets hidden and revealed is one of the more serious offerings. Not Yet Rated  · Release date July 15

The Gray Man

For those looking for action thrillers, The Gray Man offers the CIA’s most skilled mercenary (Ryan Gosling), uncovering dark, incriminating secrets about the organization. Chris Evans plays a psychopathic former colleague assigned to hunt him down. Produced and directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, The Gray Man hopes to be the first of a franchise based on Mark Greaney’s Gray Man novels. Rated PG-13 · Release date July 15 

Nope

One of the more intriguing releases is Nope (July 22). Residents of an isolated town in California, including ranch owners James and Jill Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer), witness a mysterious and abnormal event. This science-fiction horror film is written, directed, and produced by Jordan Peele, whose brilliant and distinctive style always informs his work, including the highly effective Get Out and Us. Rated R · Release date July 22

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Equally as interesting is Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, a live-action/stop motion-animated mockumentary that trails the titular character (voiced by Jenny Slate) who embarks on a journey to locate his family. Rated PG · Release date July 24

The Black Phone

No summer is complete without the usual dose of horror. The Black Phone (June 24) reunites Ethan Hawke with Scott Derrickson, his director from Sinister (2012). Here, a kidnapped boy trapped in a basement realizes he can communicate with this captor’s previous victims. Rated R · Release date July 24

Bullet Train

Bullet Train is a hybrid action comedy/thriller based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle. Brad Pitt heads an ensemble cast as trained killer Ladybug (Pitt), who wants to give up the life but is pulled back in by his handler (Sandra Bullock). On a train from Tokyo to Kyoto, competing assassins discover they are after the same briefcase. (There has been some backlash on the film’s casting, with two of the novel’s main characters becoming non-Asian.) Rated R · Release date July 29

DC League of Super-Pets

The family-friendly DC League of Super-Pets is an animated adventure with Superman’s dog, Krypto (voiced by Dwayne Johnson), organizing shelter pets who have special powers to free the Justice League, which mastermind Lex Luthor has captured. Rated PG · Release date July 29

Bodies Bodies Bodies

The satirical slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies (August 5) sees a group of friends gathering for a house party to play a murder mystery game, only to discover an actual murder has taken place, and they must now play the game for real. Rated R · Release date August 5

Samaritan

In Samaritan, a young boy (Javon Walton) realizes that a famed superhero, who was thought to have gone missing, may still be around. The film also stars Sylvester Stallone. Rated  PG-13 · Release date August 26

3000 Years of Longing

There is a surprising dearth of fantasy, with Three Thousand Years of Longing being one of the few. Adapting and directing A.S. Byatt’s short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye, George Miller returns after a seven-year hiatus. The epic romantic fantasy chronicles a woman (Tilda Swinton) who encounters a djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Rated R · Release date August 31

Clearly, this summer hosts a variety of choices for all filmgoers. 

*This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement.

by -
0 263
Catherine Deneuve and Benoît Magimel in a scene from Peaceful. Photo courtesy of Staller Center

Stony Brook University’s Staller Center  for the Arts turns into a movie lover’s mecca when new independent films screen at the Stony Brook Film Festival on evenings and weekends from Thursday, July 21 to Saturday, July 30. The popular festival, now in its 27th year, pairs memorable short films with an array of features you won’t see anywhere else, making it a favorite of moviegoers and filmmakers alike.

Presented by Island Federal, the 2022 Festival lineup offers 38 films from over 28 countries. The Festival kicks off with the North American premiere of Peaceful, starring Catherine Deneuve, Benoît Magimel, and Gabriel A. Sara. A life-affirming drama about acceptance and resilience, Peaceful follows Benjamin, an acting teacher with a terminal illness as he navigates his final months and days. The beating heart of the film comes from Gabriel Sara — a cancer specialist from Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan in real-life — who portrays Benjamin’s very humane specialist Dr. Eddé. Catherine Deneuve’s powerful performance as Benjamin’s mother is unforgettable.

“This year’s Festival is somewhat of a family affair, with several real-life family members making films, and members of our Stony Brook family returning,” says Festival co-programmer Kent Marks. “Our Sunday night independent feature, the very touching This is a Film About My Mother, which was shot in Ithaca, New York, stars real-life siblings Tess and Will Harrison and was written and directed by Tess.”

The theme of family continues with the mesmerizing Korean independent film, Seokkarae. Written and directed by Mike Beech, and starring his wife, Jiwon Lee, the character-driven film depicts a quiet twenty-something attempting to keep the family business going despite tough odds. Jungle is another such collaboration, written by real life partners Claudia Verena Hruschka and Kieran Wheeler, with Wheeler directing and Hruschka giving a gut-wrenching performance in this hard-hitting short from Australia. 

From Australia to Stony Brook, The Switcheroo is co-directed by Stony Brook brothers Ryan and Anthony Famulari. Made for next to nothing during COVID, this hilarious comedy has the brothers serving as the entire crew, with Anthony cast in the very funny role of a man and his clone. Two more co-directors are sisters Austin and Westin Ray with their UK-based quiet thriller Before Seven. The Ray’s, Festival alums from 2014, served as directors, writer (Westin) and composer and cinematographer (Austin). Another SBFF festival alum is John Gray, who won the audience choice award for his 2020 film Extra Innings, and is back this year with the intriguing family drama The Little Drummer Boy.

Women will take center stage at this year’s SBFF, both in front of and behind the camera. SBFF’s opening and closing night features and shorts were all helmed by female directors. In all, 17 of the Festival’s 38 films were directed by women. Two films, Kitchen Tales and Before Seven, were made with nearly all-female crews. 

The Jackie Stiles Story and Nasima are two completely different documentaries about female athletes from the middle of nowhere — a small Kansas town and a small seaside village in Bangladesh — who both beat the odds and made a huge impact in their respective sports of basketball and surfing. 

There are heroines from all walks of life, whether in the New Zealand drama The Justice of Bunny King, the Israeli epic Image of Victory, the Albanian thriller Vera Dream of the Sea, or the American indie Peace in the Valley, all of which feature knock-out performances by their lead actresses.

Reflecting on current issues, two films in the Festival, Olga and Berenshtein both take place in and around Ukraine, and both are from times when the Ukrainian people faced down an oppressive regime — whether it be from the Nazis or their own government.

Mila, a must-see short film on SBFF’s closing night, is a debut effort by writer/director Cinzia Angelini and made by 350 animators from 35 countries, who volunteered their services to help Angelini get her story made after all major studios turned it down. Inspired by events of the 1943 Trento bombing in Italy, this heart-warming story depicts a young girl who has lost everything but still clings to hope. 

The closing night feature, Lost Transport, is a powerful and deeply moving film set during the final days of World War II, uniquely told from a female perspective. When German soldiers abandon a deportation train, leaving the fate of its occupants in the hands of advancing Russian troops, three women from vastly different backgrounds, set aside their differences, working together to survive.

“The diversity of filmmakers is a hallmark of Stony Brook Film Festival, with student filmmakers, seasoned pros, and nine first-time directors represented this year,” says Festival Director Alan Inkles. “We are very excited to have filmmakers from all over the world join us in-person this year for their premiere screenings. Our audience can gather in a huge theater with Long Island’s largest screen, to see movies the way they were meant to be seen. Not only are these films not available on any streaming format, but you also get to hear directly from the filmmakers themselves, ask them a question at our live Q&A, and even vote for your favorite.”

For 27 years, the Stony Brook Film Festival has hosted 549 filmmakers from 78 different countries, featured nearly 55 World Premieres and over 75 U.S. premieres. In total, the Festival has screened almost 1100 independent films from all over the world. The Festival kicks-off with an Opening Night Party and closes with an Awards Ceremony and Closing Night Party.

FILM SCHEDULE

OPENING NIGHT

Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m.

Feature: Peaceful, France

Short: Lentini, United States

 

Friday, July 22 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Olga, Switzerland, Ukraine,  France

Short: Kitchen Tales, United Kingdom

 

Friday, July 22 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: Glob Lessons, United States

Short: Before Seven, United States

 

Saturday, July 23 at 4:30 p.m.

Doc Feature: The Jackie Stiles Story, U.S.

 

Saturday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Contra, Germany

Short: The Little Drummer Boy, U.S.

 

Saturday, July 23 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: Peace in the Valley, U.S.

Short: Elevate, United States

 

Sunday, July 24 at 4:30 p.m.

Documentary Feature: Nasima, U.S.

 

Sunday, July 24 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Berenshtein, Israel & Ukraine

Short: The Switcheroo, United States

 

Sunday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: This is a Film About My Mother, U.S.

Short: North Star, United States

 

Monday, July 25 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Hit the Road, Iran

Short: Summer of Bees, Finland

 

Monday, July 25 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: Seokkarae, Korea

Short: Saving Elodie, United Kingdom

 

Tuesday, July 26 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Hard Shell, Soft Shell, France

Short: Almost Winter, United States

 

Tuesday, July 26 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: The Justice of Bunny King, NZ

Short: The Dress, United States

 

Wednesday, July 27 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Image of Victory, Israel

Short: Milk, United Kingdom

 

Wednesday, July 27 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: The Test, France

Short: Free Fall, France

 

Thursday, July 28 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Haute Couture, France

Short: Jungle, Australia

 

Thursday, July 28 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: Sons of the Sea, South Africa

Short: Ousmane, Canada

 

Friday, July 29 at 7 p.m.

Feature: Vera Dream of the Sea, Kosovo & Albania & Republic of Macedonia

Short: All that Glitters, United Kingdom

 

Friday, July 29 at 9:30 p.m.

Feature: Black Box, France & Belgium

Short: Aysha, Germany

 

CLOSING NIGHT

Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m.

Feature: Lost Transport, Netherlands & Luxemborg & Germany

Short: Mila, United States

 

CLOSING NIGHT AWARDS

10:30 p.m.

Ticket information

All screenings are held at Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook in the 1,000-seat Main Stage theater. Festival goers can choose from a Gold Pass, Festival Pass, or Individual Pass. Passes start at $20. All passholders will hear from filmmakers throughout the Festival and have the opportunity to rate and vote on favorite films to help choose the winners of this year’s Festival. 

Gold Passholders receive entry to all films, VIP reserved seating, a Stony Brook Film Festival swag bag, discounts at local restaurants and businesses, access to Opening and Closing Night After Parties, filmmaker Q&A’s, and the Closing Night Awards Ceremony. Festival Passholders receive entry to all films and guaranteed seating for sold-out films, filmmaker Q&A’s, access to the Closing Night Awards Ceremony, discounts at local restaurants and businesses, voting for Audience Choice Award, and a Stony Brook Film Festival Passholder gift. For more information or to order, call 631-632-2787 or visit stonybrookfilmfestival.com.

*This article originally appeared in TBR News Media’s Summer Times supplement on June 24.

by -
0 1438
A scene from 'Lightyear'. Image courtesy of Disney/Pixar

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

“To infinity and beyond” takes on a different context in Pixar’s excellent Lightyear. Instead of a pithy catchphrase, the words become a heartfelt exchange between Buzz Lightyear and his friend and commanding officer, Alisha Hawthorne. This adjustment encompasses the tonal shift from Buzz’s cinematic origin in the world of Toy Story.

Here, Lightyear is the favorite film of Toy Story’s young Andy Davis, who received a Buzz Lightyear toy in 1995 when the movie was released. Lightyear is a meta-spinoff of the Toy Story series but its own entity. Buzz Lightyear is not the action figure but the source character himself. He is less the stiff, oblivious punchline and more a mildly but easily exasperated military careerist. The Star Command Galactic Ranger and Alisha explore the planet Tikana Prime, which is overrun with attacking vines and insectoid creatures. In trying to evacuate, Buzz damages the vessel, leaving the crew marooned as they conduct repairs. 

What follows is a classic science-fiction story dealing with the variegations and complications of time travel. Each time Buzz attempts to go into hyperspace, a time dilation of the four-minute journey passes as four years on Tikana Prime. Buzz fixates on liberating the stranded team. Meanwhile, the crew continues to live and flourish, developing a community that does not include the alienated (and often alienating) Buzz. 

A scene from ‘Lightyear’. Image courtesy of Disney/Pixar

The societal growth is shown most vividly in Alisha, who marries and raises a son with her wife and eventually passes on her love of being a ranger to her granddaughter, Izzy. While Buzz obsesses on the world left behind, Alisha thrives in the world that is present. (This beautifully integrated LGBT element caused it to become the first children’s animated film to be given an NC16 rating in Singapore, equivalent to an R rating in the US.)

The film is not without laughs, but they are often of a subtler variety. Alisha chides Buzz for his constant self-narration, reminding him that no one ever listens to his logs. Buzz receives a robotic service animal, a feline named Sox, whose running commentary and support function as an emotional connection for the lonesome Buzz. Underneath the “I’m Buzz Lightyear—I’m always sure” is a lost and slightly damaged ranger. 

After sixty-two years of failures, Alisha’s replacement, the insensitively bureaucratic Commander Burnside, shuts down Buzz’s attempts. By now, robots have invaded the planet under the control of the mysterious Emperor Zurg (the only other character from the Toy Story canon). A laser shield has been the sole protection from the machines overrunning the vulnerable community. Bruised but undaunted, Buzz goes rogue to complete the mission. He encounters ragtag members of the colony’s defense force who eventually become his team.

There is nothing strikingly new in Lightyear. In its beautiful, rough cinematic animation, it conjures the Lucas universe. Sly references permeate the canny, straightforward screenplay by Jason Headley and Angus MacLane. The stock characters are written with wit, but more importantly, humanity. The revelation of the antagonist provides a powerful “ah-hah” moment, giving Buzz a personal epiphany. 

Chris Evans provides the voice for Buzz Lightyear in the new Toy Story spinoff.
Image courtesy of Disyey/Pixar

Chris Evans embodies Buzz with the right balance of bombast and guilt, never sacrificing the pain for a laugh. Uzo Aduba’s Alisha is the perfect foil: smart, clever, and fully aware. The trio of under-trained recruits form Buzz’s eventual entourage. Keke Palmer captures Izzy’s mix of eagerness and fear. Taika Waititi’s Mo Morrison possesses the right touch of wide-eyed naïveté. Dale Soules, channeling her Orange Is the New Black persona, ideally assays the elderly paroled convict with a penchant for blowing things up. As Sox, Peter Sohn is simultaneously warm and deadpan—with several references to R2-D2. (There is an amusing bit with Sox providing sleep sounds.)

MacLane has directed Lightyear with a sure hand and a clear vision. He has led his voice actors and animation teams to create a story that echoes the importance of belief in others with striking and often thrilling visuals. Told through a man out of time (landing in a world where the sandwich is rethought), Lightyear finds its head and heart in ideas of life and home. More Star Wars than Toy Story, the film plays on an adult level but offers much for young audiences to enjoy. It is most on the nose (i.e., children’s movie) in the lessons of teamwork. But the ideas are smoothly introduced in action (no catchy theme songs like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”). Like with Encanto, the layers only enhance the watching experience.

With Lightyear, Pixar has found a fresh, enjoyable, and original concept. The creators adeptly transformed a character from one universe to another. Handling the shift with style, Lightyear celebrates wonder, adventure, and, ultimately, integrity. Rated PG, the film is now playing in local theaters.

by -
0 448
CatVideoFest

Featuring a Pop-up Kitten Adoption from Golden Paw Society 

CatVideoFest returns to the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington on Sunday July 10 at 2 p.m. (come early for the cats) with a hilarious and adorable compilation reel of the latest, best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and, of course, classic internet powerhouses. The screening will include a kitten adoption pop-up with the local rescue Golden Paw Society, Inc. Everyone is welcome to come and meet the cats, with a portion of the film’s ticket sales going to help support the Golden Paw Society.

Bringing the joy of cat videos to the masses and raising money for cats in need, CatVideoFest is a cute and hilarious collection of the cat videos – brought to the big screen for one special day each year. Come celebrate our love of our feline friends at this great family-friendly screening and adoption event.

Tickets are $17 Public | $12 Cinema Arts Centre Members
Tickets: https://bit.ly/CatVideoFest2022CAC

You can also purchase tickets or find more information about this and other events on the Cinema Arts Centre website: www.cinemaartscentre.org

by -
0 681
MULTI PASS: Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Fathom Event

Fathom Events and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are giving fans a chance to relive the Summer of ’97 by bringing Luc Besson’s groundbreaking The Fifth Element back to over 800 cinemas nationwide in celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary. This two-day only presentation is in theaters on Sunday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 29. As an added bonus, the theatrical presentation will also offer audiences an interview with Besson plus outtakes from the film.

From its opening scenes in 1914 Egypt to its towering views of 23rd Century New York City, and its mind-expanding journey to the faraway world of Fhloston Paradise, The Fifth Element follows cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) as he discovers that the fate of the world is contained within the mysterious Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), who literally drops from the sky and into his life. To save humanity, he must protect her from the evil industrialist Zorg (Gary Oldman), who is embroiled in an intergalactic war between the Mondoshawans and the Mangalores.

The spectacular odyssey across space and time also stars Ian Holm as the mysterious Vito Cornelius, Chris Tucker as hyperactive radio host Ruby Rhod, and Luke Perry as Billy Masterson. 

Conceived by Luc Besson when he was 16, The Fifth Element became a passion project and took more than 20 years to bring to the screen. The film was nominated for eight César Awards, France’s top cinematic honor, and received three awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.

Locally, the film will be screened at Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville on June 26 at 3 p.m. and June 29 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas in Farmingdale on June 26 and June 29 at 3 p.m. To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.

See the trailer here

by -
0 782
Kurt Russell in a scene from 'The Thing.' Photo from Fathom Events

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, John Carpenter’s 1982 cult classic, The Thing, returns to select cinemas nationwide on Sunday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 22, courtesy of Fathom Events and Universal Pictures.  

Hailed as one of the best sci-fi horror films of all time, The Thing fused Kurt Russell’s outstanding performance with incredible visual effects to create a chilling new adaptation of the 1938 short story by John W. Campbell Jr., “Who Goes There?”

Set in the winter of 1982 at a research station in Antarctica, the film, featuring an iconic score from Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer Ennio Morricone, follows a twelve-man research team that discovers an alien being that has fallen from the sky and has remained buried in the snow for more than 100,000 years. Soon it is unfrozen and unleashed, creating havoc and terror as it changes forms and becomes one of them.

The special screening will also feature vintage, behind-the-scenes footage from the 1998 documentary The Thing: Terror Takes Shape by Michael Matessino. 

Locally the film will be screened at Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville and Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas in Farmingdale on June 19 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on June 22 at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.

See trailer here.

Prev1...181920...53Next Page 19 of 53
TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©