Adam Sandler as a lonely astronaut in Netflix’s SPACEMAN — PHOTO: Netflix.
Directed by Johan Renck — Screenplay by Colby Day.
Based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 science-fiction novel Spaceman of Bohemia, Johan Renck’s Spaceman follows Jakub Procházka (played by Adam Sandler), a Czech astronaut, while on a solo mission in space to investigate a mysterious particle cloud nearby Jupiter. His mission is in direct competition with that of a South Korean ship, which is also part of a relatively untraditional space race compared to the real world. By his lonesome on the spaceship, Jakub is feeling the effects of solitude and long-term space travel, and he desires contact with his pregnant partner Lenka (played by Carey Mulligan). Lenka has indeed prepared a video for Jakub to see, but, fearing that Jakub’s depression may worsen if it reaches him, the commander of the Czech space agency, Tuma (played by Isabella Rossellini), prevents it from reaching the most lonely human in space. That is because, in the video, Lenka expresses very clearly that she wants to leave Jakub for good. While Jakub gets lonelier and lonelier as he gradually gets closer to the mysterious particle cloud, he is approached by a massive spider-like alien creature, which has made its way into the spacecraft somehow. The alien arachnid, which is often referred to as Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano), insists that it doesn’t want to harm this ‘skinny human.’ Rather, it wants to investigate our species and help Jakub with his troubled headspace.
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in DUNE: PART TWO — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve — Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts.
I don’t know if I’ve ever told this story before, but I have this vivid memory where — when I was probably around the age of ten — I looked up at my mother and asked her a question. I had either just seen The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, or else it was about to come out and I knew it was going to be the last film in the trilogy. With a note of sadness in my voice, I looked up at my mother and asked her something along the lines of “What happens after the Lord of the Rings? Will we ever get anything as good as that ever again?” You have to understand that in those early 2000s, we were being treated to fantasy filmmaking of the highest order with Peter Jackson’s Tolkien adaptations, while Sam Raimi was hard at work on Spider-Man 2 following the success of the first one, and after George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, we all knew that there was only a single film left in the so-called prequel trilogy. At the age of ten, I was blown away by what I was seeing, but I could also see an end to what we were getting. I wasn’t quite sure if this was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of perfect storm for fantasy and blockbuster filmmaking or not. Of course, in the years to come, Hollywood would go on to shovel dozens upon dozens of films with similar aims down our collective pop culture gullet, in an attempt to recapture what was so addicting and marvelous about Jackson, Raimi, and Lucas’ films. Hollywood, we must admit, often failed to recapture that. Now, it’s not like the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Spider-Man is dead and buried — not by a long shot — but there is an argument to be made that none of those franchises have ever been afforded the same level of creative freedom for its principal filmmakers as was the case back then. So, what did my mother say? Well, with generosity and kindness in her voice, she assured me that, of course, major motion pictures with that sense of scale, scope, and artistry were not going away for good. She assured me that I had so much more to look forward to. My mother was right. Every so often something comes along that both feels like a throwback to the days when creative freedom was to be expected for filmmakers but which also feels like the perfect utilization of modern sensibilities and technical mastery. Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic science-fiction novel Dune is the perfect modern example of that. I feel so lucky. Now more than twenty years after my mother reassured me about the future of filmmaking — though perhaps not in as many words as I put it above — I have had the wonderful opportunity to watch Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Parts One and Two in theaters with my mother, and both times the French-Canadian filmmaker has managed to both transport us to another world full of fantasy and science-fiction wonders, but also remind us — both mother and son in love with film’s transportive power — of the kind of storytelling that we love with all of our hearts.
(L-R) Sydney Sweeney, Dakota Johnson, and Isabela Merced on the poster for MADAME WEB — PHOTO: Sony Pictures.
Directed by S.J. Clarkson — Screenplay by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, and S. J. Clarkson — Story by Kerem Sanga, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless.
If Avengers: Endgame represented the absolute zenith of the 21st-century golden age of the Hollywood superhero movie craze — which was, in a sense, kickstarted in 2008 by Jon Favreau and Christopher Nolan — then I think it would be fair to say that this current moment could be the trend’s nadir. At the very least, this is undoubtedly one of its lowest points. Warner Bros.’s DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is sleeping with the fishes after the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as Warner is preparing a clean reboot. The once always consistently good Marvel Studios — and their Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — is struggling in the post-Endgame era, as the existence of Disney+ has led them to wrongly focus on quantity over quality (though some hope exists that they may have learned the error of their ways in time to properly course correct). Meanwhile, Sony and their half-in/half-out relationship with Marvel Studios and their MCU have led to a series of Spider-Man-related spin-offs that are, at best, superfluous curiosities and, at worst, ill-conceived cash-grabs. Credit where credit is due, Sony did create some of the most beloved superhero films of the early 2000s under the direction of Sam Raimi, their animated Spider-Man films are universally beloved, and whenever they’ve teamed up with Marvel Studios on a Spider-Man film, it has led to a final product that fans and the vast majority of critics agree is quite good. But, for some reason, Sony has struggled to cross the finish line without having to limp across it each and every time it has come to their live-action Spider-Man spin-off films. This was already apparent with both of their Venom films (Fleischer’s Venom and Serkis’ Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and it was impossible to deny with Morbius. Unfortunately, S.J. Clarkson’s Madame Web doesn’t change that downward trajectory for live-action Spider-Man spin-offs. Madame Web feels disconnected and desperate.
Still from Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II, in which we see Ashley Johnson (the actress portraying Ellie in the games) — in full mo-cap gear — performing the extremely controversial scene that sparked outrage from a toxic vocal minority of the fanbase when presented out of context.
Directed by Ryan O’Donnell, Jason Bertrand, Cesar Quintero, and Matt Chandronait.
Normally, I’d agree that a behind-the-scenes documentary about a video game isn’t necessarily the most fascinating premise for a documentary. However, with The Last of Us: Part II (one of my favorite games ever made — and the sequel to my favorite game of all time), it is an entirely different story. The original game (i.e. Part I), which spawned an HBO adaptation last year (which I’ve reviewed every episode of, click here to have a look at those), is widely regarded as one of the best narrative games of the modern era, and, since its sequel is largely critically beloved, you might expect its releases to be all breezy and undramatic. In actuality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only was this video game about a global pandemic and zombie-esque outbreak released in the middle of an actual global pandemic in 2020, but the studio was also the victim of a massive leak of the game that detailed its most controversial and boundary-pushing twists leading to toxic online vocal minorities review-bombing it and harassing the people involved with it, despite the critical acclaim.
Poul Bundgaard, Ove Sprogøe, and Morten Grunwald in the Olsen Gang-films (Nordisk Film) — Robert De Niro in Michael Mann’s HEAT (Warner Bros.) — George Lazenby in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (United Artists).
Whenever a new year begins, people bring up the same tired resolutions that most of them can never live up to. Some want to lose weight, some want to travel, while others want to quit smoking. Well, what I want to do is make a list of films that I want to finally watch or that I want to finally take the time to write full written reviews for. So, what is on this film nerd’s list of film-related New Year’s resolutions for 2024? Well, let’s have a look.
Another year is coming to an end. Today, we all say goodbye and farewell to 2023. It has been a whirlwind of a year with notable highs, tragic lows, and shocking surprises. Even tonight — the last night of the year — the people of Denmark (including myself) were shocked to find out that Queen Margrethe II, who was the longest-serving monarch in Europe following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, is stepping down. In her annual New Year’s address, the Danish Queen announced that on 14 January 2024, she will abdicate after 52 years as the Queen of Denmark. At that point in time, Crown Prince Frederik will become King Frederik X. Although we all knew it would happen one day (and had thought it might’ve happened sooner at one time), tonight was the night. Shocking news. A historic announcement. Thank you for your service, Queen Margrethe II. “Mange tak,” as we say in Denmark. Sending her love and wishing her well.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 