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THE GOOD HALF

(Robert Schwartzman)

Grief films and indies often go hand and hand. Many times however, the melodramatic seeks through and becomes more of a showcase for an up and coming actor. Thankfully that is not the case for Robert Schwartzman’s latest THE GOOD HALF which takes the usual man comes home for family funeral but instead allows it to be a grounded and subdued approach to grief and the realization that it is easier to just understand that things are truly not going well rather than run towards the acceptance. THE GOOD HALF also chooses to not have a new actor but rather a megastar that is spreading his talents in a different field. Nick Jonas leads a strong ensemble and Jonas as Renn Wheeland is a strong step for the singer semi actor who is never given that big moments of shouts and tears, but instead quick sarcastic remarks which turn to gentle observations.

Renn has been estranged from his family once his mother Lily (Elisabeth Shue) starting going through heavy chemo. To Renn his mother was also there (minus an important memory where she lost him at the mall) in their quiet Cleveland suburban home. A woman who was his Peter Pan, a woodland creature in an otherwise tame world. This left his sister Leigh (Brittany Snow) on the outside and a broken marriage with her their father (Matt Walsh). Schwartzman makes it known early on that Renn always received “the good half” of their mother. His running off to L.A. to be a writer allowed him to miss the final years, and the film told through both present day and continuous flashbacks is a reminder that when a loved one is near their final days, every bad memory becomes reevaluated. The film may go through some of the more conventional beats such as Renn meeting a charming woman to help him process his grief (Alexandra Shipp) and of course tons of indie music, but there is always the feeling in Schwartzman’s directing and a script by Brett Ryland that there is nothing but empathy for every moment and not just Renn. Brittany Snow as Leigh gets to show the other side of what happens to siblings when they are not the “favorite” but not through anger but instead adapting and taking advantage of the other siblings absence. THE GOOD HALF finds its way to a become a film that while dealing with a major moment is always human and delicate. There may feel like a comfortability but that is only because it never wants to give anything that cannot actually be found. THE GOOD HALF is not just a pleasant surprise it is one so engrained with natural behavior you practically feel a member of its family.

B+

THE GOOD HALF PREMIERED AT THE 2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY SEEKING DISTRIBUTION

BAD THINGS

(Stewart Thorndike )

On the horror side things didn’t get off on a good note. BAD THINGS directed by Stewart Thorndike is a perfect example of when being too heavily influenced becomes unoriginal. When Ruthie (Gayle Rankin) invites her two friends and a tag along to her grandmothers old hotel which she has inherited things go from strange to deadly. Right off the back it isn’t hard to see the obvious homage to The Shining which because it is so influential isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The film and its director, however, seem to have very little handle on what they want to say or add to the story. Ruthie’s girlfriend Cal (Hari Nef) gets saddled with the Shelley Duvall role and while alcoholism may not be the driving factor infidelity and mother issues certainly are. As the weekend progresses the minds digress especially that of Ruthies. BAD THINGS tries to bring its queer elements into play and while it’s great to see a lgbtq horror film avoid constant trauma the characters are simple unremarkable and are given not nearly enough time to be anything more than classic horror staples. The worried friend, the wild card and the angry girlfriend. Even when things turn to a bloodier route the buildup has become overtired that it not only feels stale by the time of its execution it feels downright lazy. There are too many moments where you can practically play them side by side with Kubrick’s film and it just doesn’t enter the same atmosphere. Comparing one film to another is also quite lazy but when the filmmakers offer nothing else in their creative process it’s hard to see any other way to discuss it. BAD THINGS unfortunately lives up to its title one that is as forgettable as it is unoriginal.

D

BAD THINGS PREMIERED AT THE 2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. IT WILL BE RELEASED THROUGH SHUDDER ON AUGUST 25

THE LISTENER

(Steve Buscemi)

Sometimes you just need to sit back and listen. Allow people to have their space to be heard. THE LISTENER directed by Steve Buscemi is a terrific showcase for the always wonderful Tessa Thompson. Thompson stars as Beth who works overnights for a crisis line, a place where those in dire need of help can call to hopefully be heard and taken care of. But whereas a lesser film may have used this delicate topic to create something of constant tension, Buscemi and screenwriter Alessandro Camon have created a quiet and greatly empathetic look at not just people in need of their own space, but the woman who does her best to keep that safe space alive even if it grows on her own psyche.

Beth now works from the as the film shot during the height of the pandemic uses the covid-19 situation not as a tactic but rather a reminder of the many people who were not heard during an already strenuous time. The film only allows us to see Beth as it is filmed throughout her home and the conversations are heard through post audio. Her callers are a who’s who of “I swear I know that voice” but each actor gets his or her moment which speaks to the already established theme of the film. This causes the film to feel somewhat episodic at times, but one thing it stays true is the theme of Beth’s commitment to each caller. As the night goes on Thompson’s performance grows deeper into both exhaustion but clarification for herself on why she keeps coming back night after night. She tells a caller that she is leaving in two weeks but there is always that sense of uncertainty. While THE LISTENER might not be a film that is always accessible to return to it is one that leaves you with a reminder to allow yourself and others the space to open up and let out all that’s inside. When a caller slowly turns the questions on Beth it is a great example of how every party in this scenario is doing their best at trying to stay safe. A night for Beth may seem like a year’s worth for most but even as the sun shines on the next day it is both the start of a new day and a continuous cycle of the rest. The toll it takes on her, however, still doesn’t compare to the strength she and her callers give to one another. That alone makes it worth the call.

B

THE LISTENER PREMIERED AT THE 2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY SEEKING DISTRIBUTION.

CATCHING DUST

(Stuart Gatt)

This critic is always up for a western especially when brought into the modern world. The western genre has always been tied to complexity even when its characters may find themselves more in the silence than always outspoken. CATCHING DUST the feature debut from Stuart Gatt is a multilayered character study that seeks under your skin and leaves grit on your hands. A rough and tumble film elevated by its four performers who must take on the notions of class elitism, false love told through violence and the strained idea of trying to be good when already corrupted. It is an impressive debut all the more amusing when you find out its Texas set tale comes from a man straight from the streets of London. CATCHING DUST has several surprises in store all based on an idea that sometimes chasing something leads to nothing.

Geena (Erin Moriarty) feels trapped, mainly because she is. Trapped living in a trailer in an empty commune her only company is her abusive husband Clyde (Jai Courtney flexing new and great acting muscles) who rather spend his days hunting knowing his wife is at home with little to do. This should be enough for her he believes after whisking her away from their previous life that we don’t hear much about but are led to believe (by Clyde) was not much better. Geena sketches to pass the time, and her drawings are a clear sign of the pain she feels. Gatt with his cinematographer Aurelien Marra use land off the Canary Islands to fill in for Texas but the imagery feels like it could be the great state’s wide open land. There is a modern feel while reminding the audience of more recent westerns specifically Coen brothers. The tension grows strong as each night sky comes upon these to leaving Geena to fear for her husband’s next move. Erin Moriarty a strong young performer continues to grow in a role that could be her most challenging yet. Armed with a natural and never stereotype Texas accent she moves between loving housewife to her more genuine emotions of one of the many southern women trapped by dominating men. Courtney on the other hand is an actor straddled with not so great films and not always able to deliver good work. Here however he is a strong overshadowing presence that proves the actor could and should move in a direction of playing roles that are men of few words. When Clyde swings the door open or walks near Geena there is great intensity as Courtney gruffs and scuffs his way.

This lifestyle they’ve unfortunately grown accustomed too changes though as quick as the wind when one morning a New York bougie couple arrive in a decked out mini home. Andy and Amaya (Ryan Corr and Dina Shihabi respectively) come out to the commune in hopes of escaping the hectic New York life, but everything about them reads looking for the perfect Instagram shot and bullshitting their way through actual work. Maybe that is because this was Andy’s idea much to Amaya’s dismay. She can see through her husbands inability to face their marital problems head on and refuses to acknowledge the Texas outdoors can fix any of this. Gatt has fun with his four actors clearly showing a look in the mirror images of the two couples. Andy and Amaya practically look like Geena and Clyde after a real shower and fifth avenue shopping. But the film never belittles one over the other, instead as we learn more about each of the couple’s issues it becomes difficult to decipher where there problems begin or end. Genna finds herself drawn to Andy’s skills as an art etacher, and while Amaya is disgusted by the way Clyde treats his wife there is still the hidden appeal she feels for the straightforwardness of all his actions. CATCHING DUST finds its characters in the crossroads of one another’s beliefs and way of living and the film wonderfully moves from out yonder story to western noir that could be a distant cousin from the class observation film, “Nocturnal Animals.”

CATCHING DUST eventually finds its way to unresolved issues and endings, but in doing so it has allowed itself to fit well into the staple of lost souls in a western. It knows the characters fates have been decided long before they stepped on screen and even with hopes of change or new ways of living they will remain in the desert no matter how much they bury their wrongdoings.

A-

CATCHING DUST PREMIERED AT THE 2023 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY SEEKING DISTRIBUTION