Review: 'Seberg', Kristen Stewart Shines As The French New Wave Icon, But Can't Save This Misguided Biopic

Perspective is everything. A great movie can be ruined if the story is told from a perspective that undercuts its strengths. Such is the case with Seberg, which takes the compelling true story of liberal actress and activist Jean Seberg, a target of Hoover's FBI, and sidelines it in favor of one of her pursuers. It's an unusual choice by director Benedict Andrews and the writing duo of Anna Waterhouse and Joe Shrapnel, but fortunately for them they have Kristen Stewart holding it together as best she can.

Stewart plays Jean Seberg, the French New Wave icon whose 1960 film Breathless cemented her as a giant of the movement. Seberg saw herself as "woke", and to a certain extent she was, sympathizing with political groups considered radical at the time, primarily the Black Power Movement. She donated much of her wealth to their cause, attending their functions and becoming a close friend, then lover to controversial leader Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie). But this also made her a focus of the FBI's COINTELPRO operation, which had her under intense surveillance, and set out on a campaign to smear her in the press and harass her at every turn.

Seberg is a terrific story, one that approaches governmental corruption and abuses of power in a way very similar to Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell. Interesting that two movies covering much of the same ground are opening in the same week. And the film is truly captivating when focused on the impact the FBI's disinformation campaign has on Jean Seberg professionally and personally, with Stewart capturing her slow descent into madness. Lies are spread about her that have a deteriorating effect on her grip with reality, and it's heartbreaking to watch, especially because Stewart fleshes her out so well in fairly limited time. What's interesting about the Seberg portrayal is that, while she is someone who genuinely seems to care about the causes she champions, she's also very shallow and easy to manipulate. Jamal is someone who had a reputation for taking advantage of wealthy white women and bringing them over to his cause (Gale Benson, for one, which ended violently), and Seberg was an easy mark.

So then why is so much of the attention centered on a fictional character, conflicted FBI agent Jack Solomon (Jack O'Connell), who goes along with but regrets the destruction he has done to Seberg and her family? We follow Jack as he lives the life of a company man; we see his boring by-the-numbers marriage (with Margaret Qualley wasted as his new wife) and are supposed to sympathize with him, but he's not particularly interesting. Nor is he the one having vicious rumors spread about him by the most powerful government entity in the country, so....why do we care about him and his internal struggles? There's no tension in his story; but it all comes back the moment Seberg returns to focus, as she tries to hold on to her marriage, her career, and being a mother. It's no wonder she starts to crack.

Also of little use in this movie is Vince Vaughn in a bland role as a racist agent who just wants to see Seberg destroyed. Zazie Beetz doesn't fair much better as Jamal's jealous wife, with Mackie not being given much to work with, either. Lots of star power that could've been put to better use.

There's a better movie about Jean Seberg out there that's dying to be made. Maybe the best that'll come from Seberg is that someone else will pick up the mantle and do it justice. Sadly, what's going to be lost is another great performance by Stewart in a film that few will see and less will remember.

2.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Lucy In The Sky', Natalie Portman Is Set Adrift In Noah Hawley's Misguided Space Drama

Lucy in the Sky is an entire cosmos of wasted opportunities for Legion and Fargo creator Noah Hawley.  His feature debut draws inspiration and a wealth of potential from the insane true story of Lisa Nowak, the astronaut whose love triangle and subsequent kidnapping attempt spiked Google searches for "adult diapers" by 100%, but Hawley squanders it with odd stylistic choices and a misjudged shift in tone that send his space drama crashing down to Earth in flames.

Natalie Portman once again gives her best in a flashy role for a film that can't support her, just like with last year's pop star drama Vox Lux. She plays the awfully-named Lucy Cola, and when we meet her she's adrift. Yes, existentially but also literally, an astronaut floating through the void of space. She wants just a few more minutes to take in the enormity of it, just a few minutes more. She's reeled back in and then it hits her that she must return to the real world. How small her life looks after an experience like that, with her schlubby husband (unconvincingly played by Dan Stevens), a NASA PR guy who might as well have "cuck" stamped on that dumb mustache of his.  After going to space, normal life will never be enough again.

"Everything is so small. We are so small", she would later say. Not many people understand what that's like. The number of people who can say they've been to space is few, and Lucy encounters one of them in Mark Goodwin, played to maximum flair and manliness by Jon Hamm. Immediately, we know Lisa's poor husband is in trouble. He doesn't stand a chance against a guy like Mark, and before long Lisa is part of his bowling team (NOT a euphemism!!), sneaking off for secret rendezvous, and more. That is, until she starts to sense that Mark is moving on to another girl, an upstart astronaut (played by Zazie Beetz) who is younger and just as hungry.

If Hawley had stuck with this examination of a woman who had literally seen the enormity of space and being forced to accept how little meaning there is to her life by comparison. The complexity of coping with that realization, and attempting to fill the gap through adultery is compelling, even more so when seen through the eyes of a woman in a high-pressure career largely occupied by men. Portman is especially good at this point, as Lucy tries to hide her desperation for a return trip off-planet, and then later her desperation for Mark's attentions. Hamm does what he's good at, which is to show a hint of vulnerability under that paragon of virility always at the surface. Ellen Burstyn spices up some of the flat domestic scenes with a salty turn that is sorely missed when she's gone. If Hawley had just leaned on them a bit more, we'd be talking about a very different movie than what we ended up with.

Unfortunately, Hawley decides to go elsewhere. Rather than portraying Lucy's slip into madness with the honesty and seriousness the film had commanded up to this point, they go full steam ahead into trash cinema, portraying her as just another crazy, jealous woman lusting after her wayward man. Set to the tune of the titular track, Lucy's grip on reality shatters like something out of a psycho-thriller, or maybe an episode of Legion. Hawley's awkward and overused shifts in aspect ratio add little value and are like a film school student showing off some new trick he learned. It's a distraction that does nothing but take away from the performances of Portman and Hamm, who are invested no matter where Hawley takes them. There's no sympathizing with Lucy's plight as she goes flying off the rails, ultimately roping in others in her mad quest to stop Mark and his new lover.

What it looks like is that Hawley and his co-writers saw the salacious aspects of the Lisa Nowak story and wanted to make a movie about THAT, only to realize it wouldn't really fly in our current climate. So they attempted to make a sensitive drama about this woman's break from reality but were ill-equipped to do it. If there's ever a case to be made for the need of more female screenwriters working on complicated dramas about women, Lucy in the Sky is it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Joker', Joaquin Phoenix's Frighteningly Real Portrayal Masks An Uncertain Message

In some ways Joker is an unfathomable movie. Maybe in a post-Black Panther world it's not so crazy to have a film about a major comic book character be the belle of the awards season, but it's still pretty unlikely. Unfathomable that a dramatic actor the level of Joaquin Phoenix would turn in a bravura performance all but assuring him of a Best Actor nomination, for director Todd Phillips whose greatest claim to fame up til now were goofball comedies Old School and The Hangover. That a film about the origin of Batman's greatest nemesis not only doesn't feature any Batman in it, but reflects such dark corners of our current society that fears about its impact are pretty damned valid...also pretty unfathomable. Whether you see Joker or not, one thing for sure is that you have to fathom its existence now and all that it brings.

Regardless of the foot-stomping-out-of-interviews denials by Phoenix and Phillips, Joker is undeniably a movie that sees its central character, the lonely societal outcast Arthur Fleck (Phoenix), as something of an everyman. I wouldn't go so far to say he's labeled a hero, but "everyman" might be worse. Being a hero takes rare bravery. An everyman is by definition representative of any common person. We don't want a bunch of people like Arthur Fleck. In Phillips' vision of 1980s cesspool Gotham City, Fleck is a nobody who exists on the margins. He has a job, such as it is, as a clown who gets sent out wherever a clown would be seen as useful. But Arthur isn't happy, despite all of his laughter. His laughter, the high-pitched shriek we've heard from every actor whose played Joker since the days of Cesar Romero, sounds like a pig crying out its last breath. In a very early scene, Arthur can't stop himself from laughing in a social worker's office, due to . We don't know if we're meant to laugh with him or flee in terror.

That's a pretty apt description for the entire movie, honestly.

Arthur doesn't seem like a bad guy, but life has beaten him down both figuratively and literally. When not treating his unnamed mental illnesses with a number of prescription meds, he cares for his aging mother Penny (Frances Conroy), who holds out hope former employer and mayoral candidate Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) will come to their rescue. Arthur is more realistic, marginally. Told he was meant to spread joy into the world, Arthur idolizes late night talk show host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro, basically playing the Jerry Lewis role from Scorsese's The King of Comedy) and sees himself as a standup comedian. No amount of humor is going to change the rancid conditions of Arthur's living situation or the growing anti-rich sentiment in Gotham. Not even Arthur's connection with Sophie (Zazie Beetz), a single mom who lives down the hall, can fully change his fortunes.

Phillips' vision of Gotham City is one of unending squalor, you can practically smell the tons of garbage littering the streets and feel the supposed super-rats scurrying by your feet. Scorsese's anti-establishment classic Taxi Driver has been cited as an influence, and if you're going to ape somebody you can do far worse than ol' Marty. But Phillips latches on to Scorsese too much, from the grimy imagery and use of eclectic soundtrack to balance it, and in other visual cues. We don't see enough of what Phillips is bringing to the table, other than one particular joke involving a little person that, if it weren't placed in such a deadly context, would feel right at home in The Hangover.  The darkness of Joker is oppressive and a little bit scary, with bursts of violence that are as shocking and unpredictable as Fleck himself.  Some will be surprised to see a movie this grim and cynical from Phillips but it's a journey he's been on since the The Hangover 3, followed by his gun-running dark comedy War Dogs. His answer to those movies failing to measure up either financially or critically seems to be to go in the complete other direction into utter pitilessness. It's also worth noting both of those movies went a long way in letting their morally-questionable protagonists off the hook.

And that is a problem Joker is going to have to contend with, or better put, we might have to contend with. That Arthur Fleck is mostly portrayed as a victim of circumstance, clumsiness, a failed mental health system, and the machinations of powerful men is troublesome. In a lesser movie, one less impactful and well-made, we might be able to pretend it's not an issue. But Joker is a well-crafted film that Phillips makes to feel disturbingly contemporary, and Phoenix has never been better in capturing a man so terrifyingly unpredictable; it's inevitable that some will connect with Fleck and his plight in dangerous ways.  Phoenix's initial refusal to respond to questions Joker might inspire real-life violence was a mistake, but it's a by-product of his complete commitment to the role. His emaciated frame appearing too frail to carry the sadness settling within Arthur, Phoenix's physicality is best described as chaotic. Somehow scarier at his most tranquil, Phoenix occasionally erupts into fits of dance or...well, something resembling dance? His sharp elbows and knees flailing triumphantly one moment, Phoenix shifts on a dime and yanks us with him in a totally different direction. We absolutely have no idea what his Arthur Fleck is going to do next, and I think that's what separates Phoenix's version from Heath Ledger's. I'm not going to sit here and say which one is better; both are just different. Ledger's version was, at heart, a criminal mastermind. A psychotic one, yes, but a criminal mastermind with a twisted goal in mind. Phoenix's is a little too grounded, a little too close to home for comfort.

Joker occupies a weird space in that it's been billed as completely separate from Warner Bros.' other DC Comics movies, but too often Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver try to have it both ways.  While you're not going to see any capes or super-powers, certain allusions made only serve to take you out of the moment and muddy what the movie's true intentions are. If there's one thing Joker doesn't need to do it's tease something that isn't there, when all that it shows us is frighteningly real enough.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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'Wounds' Trailer: Armie Hammer And Dakota Johnson Are Haunted By A Cursed Cell Phone

Oh, Wounds. I had forgotten you existed. The film by Under the Shadow director Babak Anvari made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, bringing with it some serious star power in Dakota Johnson, Armie Hammer, and Zazie Beetz. Despite that, reviews for the film were mixed at best, which should explain the lack of buzz just a couple of weeks before it premieres on Hulu.

Without giving away too much, think of Wounds as an updated version of The Ring, only with characters haunted by a cursed cell phone. Anvari's gift for malevolent atmosphere and shocking imagery is in full effect, but for me it was all in service of a story that never made any sense. In fact, it was comical how nonsensical it was.

However, in my review I noted that there would undoubtedly be a certain segment of folks who will see more in the movie's creepiness than me. Perhaps you will be one of them.  Wounds debuts on Hulu on October 18th.

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'Joker' Final Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix Laughs In The Face Of Chaos

With new trailers for the Venice-bound Ad Astra and The Laundromat, it's not only clear the prestigious festival is right around the corner, so is the time of year when we start figuring out who the major Oscar contenders are. While it's not shocking to find that Joaquin Phoenix is in the discussion, that it's for his role as Batman's nemesis the Joker is so crazy it makes this season unlike any other we've seen before. Although, to be fair, we've seen actors such as Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, and Jack Nicholson play the Joker and earn serious accolades for it. Well, two of them did. Sorry, Jared.

A new trailer for Joker gives us another look at what Phoenix's take on the character will be, and it's safe to say he's bringing something different to the table. Directed and co-written by Todd Phillips, this looks to be an exploration of a mentally ill man's descent into madness, rather than someone who is born to be one of DC Comics' greatest supervillains.

Martin Scorsese, once thought to be a creative force behind the film, still has a pretty significant influence as Phillips channels aspects of Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. If there's a major question mark it's Phillips, who is still best known as the guy who made The Hangover and Old School. Does he have the dramatic chops for a significant movie like this? Or will it all rely solely on Phoenix's performance?

Also starring Zazie Beetz, Robert De Niro, Marc Maron, Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, and more, Joker hits theaters on October 4th, but will premiere in Venice later this week.

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'Lucy In The Sky' Trailer: Natalie Portman Only Wants To Return To Outer Space

Over the weekend we learned of the first reported "space crime", in which an astronaut attempted to illegally access her ex-spouse's bank records...while off-planet aboard an international space station. Damn, now that's stalker dedication for your ass! A while back we had the case of Lisa Nowak, an astronaut who went to similarly extreme lengths to stalk a romantic rival. These kinds of cases aren't unique to astronauts, but they're a damn sight more interesting because they've been off-world. Fargo and Legion creator Noah Hawley attempts to explain why space travel could actually be the catalyst in his upcoming drama, Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman as a woman finds life on Earth just isn't the same after her time among the stars.

It's been suggested that Nowak's story inspired the story by writers Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi, but clearly this goes way beyond that. Portman plays an astronaut who, after a length mission in space, returns to Earth and begins an affair with a colleague. At the same time, she begins to grow distant from her family. She spirals out of control when her lover begins an affair with another woman.  The film co-stars Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz, Ellen Burstyn, Colman Domingo, Dan Stevens, Tig Notarao, Nick Offerman, and many more.

SYNOPSIS: In LUCY IN THE SKY, Natalie Portman plays Lucy Cola, a strong woman whose determination and drive as an astronaut take her to space, where she’s deeply moved by the transcendent experience of seeing her life from afar. Back home as Lucy’s world suddenly feels too small, her connection with reality slowly unravels.

Lucy in the Sky hits theaters on October 4th, but will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 11th.

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Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, & Bill Skarsgard To Headline Soulful Thriller 'Nine Days'

In what is shaping up to be a hot project for a first-time filmmaker, Black Panther's Winston Duke, Deadpool 2's Zazie Beetz, It star Bill Skarsgard, and Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong are set for metaphysical thriller Nine Days. The film marks the feature-length debut of commercials director Edson Oda.

Here's the synopsis, which sounds like it came from an episode of The Good Place: In a house, distant from the reality we know, a reclusive man (Duke) interviews prospective candidates, a personification of human souls (Beetz, Skarsgård, Wong & Rysdahl) – for the privilege that he once had. To be born.

Also part of the impressive cast is David Rysdahl, probably best known for his role in Cathy Yan's breakout film, Dead Pigs. It speaks to the strength of Oda's script that he was able to attract this level of talent, and the concept is definitely intriguing. Worth keeping an eye on to see how this one develops. [Deadline]

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'Joker' Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix Is All Deadly Smiles In The Face of Tragedy

While we await the arrival of the universe-shattering Avengers: Endgame, it's important to remember there are other ways to do this comic book movie thing. We were taught that lesson quite well a couple of years ago with Fox's singularly gritty Logan, and Warner Bros. is taking a similarly dark path with Todd Phillips' anticipated Joker origin story, with Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime.

After yesterday's debut poster, the first trailer is here and it looks less like grim, demented character study about one man's descent into madness. Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a standup comedian who just can't catch a break, until it all becomes too much to bear, setting him on a course to becoming the maniacal villain we all know.

Phoenix obviously has some big shoes to fill given the unforgettable performances by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, and *ahem* Jared Leto that came before him, but he looks to be more than up to the task. Joining him are Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, Brian Tyree Henry (who I don't even remember being cast), and Robert De Niro. De Niro's casting is interesting in that many of the film's cues seem to have been taken from his classic 1982 film The King of Comedy.

Joker hits theaters on October 4th.

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'Lucy In The Sky' Trailer: Natalie Portman Longs For The Vastness Of Deep Space

After encountering an alien presence in Annihilation and becoming a pop sensation in Vox Lux, Natalie Portman is headed off into outer space in Noah Hawley's Lucy in the Sky. Formerly titled Pale Blue Dot, the film draws inspiration from the real-life astronaut Lisa Nowak, infamously known as the "Diaper Astronaut" who drove from Houston to Florida to kidnap the lover of a fellow astronaut. In Hawley's hands, this story takes on an almost otherworldly quality.

In the film, Portman plays Luca Cola, who returns from exploring the vastness of space and is unequipped for the mundane reality she faces. Her husband, played by Dan Stevens, can't relate, and so she forms a relationship with someone who can understand, a fellow astronaut played by Jon Hamm. When that too goes up in smoke, Lucy has a breakdown.

Alongside Portman, Hamm, and Stevens are Zazie Beetz, Ellen Burstyn, and Colman Domingo.

Here's the synopsis: “Lucy In The Sky” centers on a married astronaut who returns to Earth after a mission and begins an affair with a fellow astronaut. She heads into a downward spiral as she loses her connection to her family — a condition that can afflict those who spend a long time in space — and when her lover begins another affair with an astronaut trainee, the bottom drops out.

Lucy in the Sky opens later this year.

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Sundance Review: 'Wounds', Armie Hammer And Dakota Johnson Are Cursed With Bad Cell Service

Well, my quest to finally end a Sundance with some positive vibes continues to go unfulfilled. Babak Anvari's Wounds is exactly the kind of horror movie I hate, as it relies solely on a single vague idea and hope that's enough to illicit scares. It isn't, and despite the presence of actors Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, and Zazie Beetz, the film is laughably ludicrous and not for a good reason.

We're talking about a movie that centers on a cursed cell phone. That's right, cursed cell phone.  Going in, I had no idea this is what Wounds was about, and honestly, I was tickled when it became clear how dumb the central premise was. And the best part is how the whole thing started, as we're introduced to Hammer's New Orleans bartender, Will, a dude with a lot of issues. First of all, he's an alcoholic working as a bartender. He's still carrying a torch for his ex-gal, Alicia (Beetz), who shows up at the bar every night with her new guy (Karl Glusman), almost as if she's rubbing it in Will's face. Not that he seems to mind.  He's also stupidly irresponsible. After allowing a group of underage students to drink in the bar, they witness a brutal fight involving Will's war vet pal (Brad William Henke).  They jet before the cops arrive, but leave behind a cell phone with some seriously fucked up shit on it, like decapitated heads and other gory images. Will picks up the phone and keeps it for reasons that are never really clear, but he probably should've just turned it in at the nearest T-Mobile store.

The phone becomes the source of all Will's problems...or maybe exacerbates those caused by his drinking and general untrustworthiness. His girlfriend Carrie finds it weird he's holding on to the cell phone of "some chick at the bar", for very good reason, but when she looks at it she sees all the disturbing stuff Will was trying to keep from her. Plus, he keeps getting weird messages on it, from someone begging for help. Soon, Carrie is sucked into some dark mental void while he sees images of death, cockroaches, and worse everywhere.

Anvari, who also wrote the script, creates a nightmare scenario in which reality is twisted into knots and nothing seems to make sense. I'm perfectly fine with that as long as there's something substantial to base it on, but I need more than just flashing images of bugs, murder, and darkened tunnels. There's little else to grasp on to, other than a seeming connection to Joseph Conrad's book, Heart of Darkness, alluding to the emptiness of Will's soul.

I'll give it to Hammer, he brings with him big performances any time he's at Sundance. Last year it was in the wildly over-the-top Sorry to Bother You, but at least that was in support of a film with a lot to say. In Wounds, he's basically an arrogant prick who gets by on charm and good looks, but as he descends into madness all of his inhibitions fade. Hammer is the most interesting thing about Wounds, and certainly he's better than the sleepy-eyed Johnson, who offers him nothing in return. Beetz fares much better as Alicia whose conflicting feelings for Will are the closest thing to human this movie has to offer. It's just disappointing that her scenes with Hammer don't amount to much in the long run, and you'll often find yourself wondering what the point of some of the conversations were. They're so transparently meaningless that the film can't help but sway into unintentional comedy, and at the screening I attended laughs broke out when I'm sure Anvari would've preferred they not.

It's likely that some will find Wounds enjoyably unnerving and grotesque, or perhaps so bad it's entertaining. For me, it's just a waste of some very talented people and another disappointing end to my time in Park City.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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'High Flying Bird' Trailer: Steven Soderbergh's Sports Drama Takes On The Business Of Basketball

It was inevitable that Steven Soderbergh would one day connect with Netflix. He's spent a good part of his career reimagining the distribution process to benefit filmmakers, and say what you want about Netflix but they have opened their doors (and considerable bank account) to give more directors an opportunity. Soderbergh's first film with the streaming service is the sports drama High Flying Bird, which has released its first trailer before the world premiere at Slamdance next week.

A reunion of all sorts, the film stars Andre Holland, who is reconnecting with Moonlight writer Tarell Alvin McCraney and Soderbergh from The Knick.  Holland plays a sports agent who undertakes a dangerous gamble during an NBA lockout. Also in the cast are Deadpool 2's Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg, Sonja Sohn, Zachary Quinto, Kyle MacLachlan, Bill Duke, Jeryl Prescott, and Caleb McLaughlin.

Of course, this being Soderbergh don't expect this to really be about the NBA, but the people whose lives are affected by the business. High Flying Bird hits Netflix on February 8th.

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Review: 'Slice' Is A Disappointing Start To Chance The Rapper's Acting Career

It's clear right away what writer/director Austin Vesely wants to accomplish with Slice, his campy, B-movie horror that marks the big screen debut of Chance the Rapper. His deep love of horror is evidence, seen in the cheesy retro prosthetics used to create ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches, and more, all populating a town that could have been ripped straight out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And maybe that's the problem; Vesely loves this stuff so much that he can't part with any of it. The litany of bizarre ideas and off-the-walls changes in tone would be endurable if there weren't so many that a clear labor of love is no fun at all.

The  plot is insane as pineapple and anchovies on slice of deep dish. In the town of Kingfisher the human population lives alongside 40,000 ghosts, separated into a section known as Ghost Town. The people have come to accept ghosts, who just look like extras from The Walking Dead, as part of their everyday lives. They even have jobs, like working at a pizza shop that basically sits on top of a Hellmouth. When pizza delivery boys for one particular restaurant start getting killed while delivering in Ghost Town, a group of citizens begin blaming the undead, riling up public support against them.

That's just a tiny slice of Slice's unnecessarily convoluted plot that bogs this 79-minute film down to a halt. There's also Zazie Beetz as Astrid, the ex-girlfriend of one of the murdered deliverers, who starts investigating the crime in-between delivering pies, or 'za, as the characters often call it. Chris Parnell plays the town's goofy, but seemingly upstanding mayor, and Rae Gray is Sadie, an intrepid local reporter sniffing out her own angle on the murders.

A lot is going on, leaving Vesely barely a moment to clue us in to how things work in Kingfisher. He introduces a local gangster, Big Cheese (Y'Lan Noel), as a potential antagonist but it goes absolutely nowhere. And there are plenty of similar dead ends that cause so much of Slice to fall flat.

You'll notice I haven't even gotten to Chance the Rapper's role yet, and there's a reason for that. While he may be the most heavily-promoted face in all of the promos, Chance's role as pacifist werewolf and murder suspect Dax doesn't get introduced until well into the second act. A smart-aleck wolf who just wants to "deliver high quality Chinese food...REALLY quality Chinese food" rather than eat people, Dax is put in the position of clearing his name and avenging his dead homies from the Yummy Yummy Chinese food joint. Chance isn't a terrible actor by any means, and he flashes some potential as a comedy act. But he always comes across as trying too hard to express whatever Dax needs to be in that moment. Some of the problem may be Vesely's strange editing, which lingers too long on Chance, in particular any time a joke is cracked. It's like he's waiting for someone to insert the laugh track.  The intent to amuse stretches to the visual gags, which like the script tend to be hit or miss. Vesely doesn't really do gore, although you do get a lot of slit throats and one case of a ghost with his head flopped to the side after a nasty neck wound. But clearly Vesely isn't looking to gross anybody out here, perhaps wanting to make it easier for those who want to check out Chance's big acting debut.

Slice would have been better served with a little more focus on a central character, whether it be Dax, Astrid, or Sadie. None of them get much time to shine, and the lack of a lead character to follow only hurts momentum as Vesely tries to give them all equal time. He gets some quality work from funnypeople like Paul Scheer, Hannibal Buress, and Stranger Things' Joe Keery, all cranking up the goofball quotient, but their roles feel heavily edited down, which may be the case given the film's long gestation period since being shot in 2016 and delayed on at least one occasion. The impression Slice leaves is of a sincere but overstuffed curiosity that will be an interesting footnote in Chance's career.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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'Joker': Todd Phillips Reveals First Look At Zazie Beetz As Sophie Dumond

Set photos have become the building block for every movie news site out there. Get somebody planted around the set of a major film and post early, often shitty, looks at people standing around in costume. They're annoying, at least to me, and rarely indicative of the final product. Todd Phillips' Joker has only been in production a short time and the Internet was ablaze with set snaps, which is why he went and posted the first look at Joaquin Phoenix as Joker early. Now he's getting out in front of the press again with our first official look at Zazie Beetz in her role. Basically she just looks really sad, which I'm guessing will be the default emotion for everybody in this movie.

The Atlanta and Deadpool 2 star plays Sophie Dumond, a single mother who catches the interest of Arthur, Joker's civilian name before he goes all nutso. She sees in him another person who has been crushed by the wealthy elite. The story has dark echoes of Robert De Niro's King of Comedy, but is an original, gritty crime story penned by Phillips and Scott Silver.

View this post on Instagram

So excited to be working with @zaziebeetz. Joker. 📷@nikotavernise

A post shared by Todd Phillips (@toddphillips1) on Sep 22, 2018 at 5:53pm PDT

Phillips was understandably upset at the number of press posting photos and videos from his movie set, so when confronted by an Instagram user that he's releasing images a year before the movie comes out, the director offered this as a response...

“Here’s the issue. We have paparazzi all over our set, at every turn. And it bums me out that they constantly put out their bad shots. So I figure, may as well put out some good ones.”

Phillips isn't the only one to take this approach. Marvel often tries to get ahead of things by dropping teasers from the first day or so of shooting. It's one way of beating images that reveal key story points, cameos, or surprise twists, because many sites just don't give a crap if that stuff gets leaked as long as they get hits. There's no way to completely stop this from happening, unless you do the other thing Marvel does which is shoot completely fake scenes, invite actors on set who aren't even in the film (hello Jeremy Renner!), and so forth. Not every production has Marvel's budget to do that, though.

The Joker opens October 4th  2019.

Photo Gallery: Joaquin Phoenix goes wild as The Joker in Bronx subway https://t.co/1WkyBDZEzP pic.twitter.com/d9sc4cCxaO

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) September 23, 2018

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'Slice' Trailer: Chance The Rapper And Zazie Beetz Take On A Pizza Delivery Serial Killer

I guess in a world that has Ice Cube, Ice T, Common, and LL Cool J as major Hollywood actors, Chance the Rapper joining their ranks shouldn't be that big of a deal. Slice, the hip-hop artist and Kit-Kat spokesman's debut feature as well as that of music video director Austin Vesely, was basically shot in secret a couple of years ago, then dropped an animated teaser months after its completion. But now we have the first real trailer for it, and I have to say it looks like a lot of fun, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer levels of horror enjoyment.

Chance stars along with Zazie Beetz as a pair of pizza delivery drivers who have survived the murders of other pizza delivery boys. Together they team up to catch the culprits behind the crime spree, but one of them has a secret and clearly there's more than just murder going on here. The cast for this includes Stranger Things' Joe Keery, comedian Paul Scheer, Hannibal Buress, Will Brill (The OA), and Y'lan Noel (The First Purge).

Slice has yet to get a release date but expect A24 to announce that soon.

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Zazie Beetz May Join Joaquin Phoenix's 'Joker' Movie

From one absurd antihero to the ultimate Clown Prince of Crime. Zazie Beetz, who kicked ass as Domino in Deadpool 2, is now in talks to join Todd Phillips' and Joaquin Phoenix's Joker film, making her one of the rare actors to work with both Marvel and DC.

Domino's stroke of good luck is carrying over to the DCEU, or at least a darker, standalone offshoot of the superhero franchise. Beetz will play a "single mother who catches the interest of the man” who will eventually become the Joker. Chances are Beetz will be playing a new character based on that description, so if you were thinking Harley Quinn that's probably not happening.

Joker begins shooting in September, with Phillips directing and co-writing the script with Scott Silver. The film then opens next year on October 4th. [THR]

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Review: 'Sollers Point' Shows The Harsh Realities Of Life After Prison

Sollers Point follows the story of a 24 year old man named Keith who after being released from prison attempts to rebuild his life while still dealing with a lot of the same problems that he dealt with before going in. It stars McCaul Lombardi, Jim Belushi, Zazie Beetz, Tom Guiry and is directed by Matthew Porterfield.

I applaud the filmmakers for choosing to highlight the issue of criminal justice, more specifically the idea of recidivism, and how challenging it is for someone who has spent time behind bars to properly integrate back into the society and circumstances that landed them behind those bars in the first place. It's not this easy journey where once you've done the crime and time everything clears up because more often than not your payment for your actions don't cease to exist once the legalities of the situation have been figured out. Simply dealing with the label of "ex-convict" is enough to seriously damage your mental, social, and physical life for years to come.

Where this story falls short however is in the meat of the story. They introduce all of these ideas about Keith and relationships that he has, but never explore them in the way that you would think/hope that they would. We meet his father, father's friends, sister, niece and nephew, ex-girlfriend, Uncle, Grandparents, dog, friends, and enemies; but they never felt like they had any real impact on Keith. They just felt like these snapshot moments that didn't carry any real meaning.

We don't really get a backstory as to the tumultuous relationship between Keith and his dad. We don't know what events led to the falling out between him and his ex. We don't get to see any real depth to the friendships that he already has and randomly forms over the course of the story (this can be said for all his relationships in the movie as well). It's as if the filmmakers were a bit too preoccupied introducing these different characters and relationships that Keith could interact with to show just how connected he is to his environment for better or worse, that when it came time to actually setting up some kind of a sub-plot or explain a relationship, it's as if they forgot.

That's pretty much my only flaw with the movie, though it''s still a pretty important one. Because by the end of it we still don't really know anything about Keith, see him make any kind of real change, or see how the various relationships in the movie affect him - it makes it extremely hard to truly understand him, therefore making it hard to care about him or his story. I like the realism, but other than that this was a movie that left me feeling extremely indifferent and unimpressed.

Sollers Point opens at West End Cinema on May 25th

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Deadpool 2' Is The Overstuffed Chimichanga Of Awesomeness This Summer Needed

Here's something you probably didn't expect from Deadpool 2; it's a "family film." Or at least that's how Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, still in the role he was born to play) describes it early on in the sequel to 2016's surprising smash hit. It's doubtful anybody expected the first movie to be as great as it was, a foul-mouthed hyper violent take on Marvel's infamous merc that broke the fourth wall and superhero tropes right along with them. As far as comic adaptations go it's nearly perfect, so the sequel has a ton to live up to. But again...it's a "family film", which may sound like the wrong direction for the most successful R-rated movie of all-time to go.

Unless that family is really, seriously, terminally fucked up. Because Deadpool 2 definitely is.

Bigger, badder, funnier, and more meta than ever, Deadpool 2 is the overstuffed chimichanga of awesomeness we were hoping it would be. Now directed by David Leitch, who co-directed John Wick and directed Atomic Blonde, the film manages to be even leaner than its rail thin predecessor, and yet packs more quips, heart, bloodshed, and humor so self-aware it's like Deadpool is reading your mind. If there was a complaint about the last movie it was that sometimes it strained too hard to earn that R-rating, but screenwriters Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Reynolds hit a solid groove of vulgarity and run with it like a streaker across a college campus.

Deadpool continues on his hero's journey to become a better killer or something, or maybe someone who only kills bad guys, but this time he's faced with an unexpected tragedy that sets him on an unlikely, and explosive, course of action. It leads him back to his old pals the X-Men, or at least the ones Fox has agreed to pony up for like Colossus (Stefan Kapicic), Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), and her new girlfriend Surge (Shioli Kutsuna) . As for the rest of Xavier's mutant squad...well, you'll just have to wait and see what they're up to but I'll say it was the moment that gave me the biggest laugh.  Inspired by his lady love Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Deadpool sets out to protect an angry young mutant, Russell aka the horribly-named Fire Fist (Hunt for the Wilderpeople's Julian Dennison), from Cable (Josh Brolin), a warrior from the future sent back to kill the boy and prevent a disaster.

It's so very Terminator that they barely make fun of it. It's just too easy.

Not just a Deadpool sequel but an origin story for Cable and the launch of a possible X-Force franchise, there is a lot this movie needs to accomplish. The actual assembling of Deadpool's team of badass mutants to "carry the franchise for 10 or 12 years" goes in the opposite direction you're probably thinking and I'm not going to spoil it. There are some pretty big Marvel characters that join up, too, but the best among them is Domino (Zazie Beetz), whose wild hair and "good luck" powers provide some of the film's most cinematically pleasing moments. She has the coolest attitude and a car-flipping action sequence that rivals anything Deadpool gets to experience on his own. In fact, he seems to have taken a bit of a step back in terms of kicking ass this time, with the slack picked up by the numerous other characters introduced. Sure, he still lops off his share of heads and sprays plenty of bullets, but it's Cable and Domino who have the most fun. 

As a longtime fan of X-Force it's weird for me to see Cable and Domino on opposing paths like this, (Cable, Domino, and Deadpool had a very strange dynamic in the comics, long story), but Brolin and Beetz play it so well that I easily got over it. Of course Brolin is super rigid as the humorless Cable, becoming an impromptu straight man for Deadpool's many Marvel-themed jokes at his expense, some perfectly timed to the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Brolin's role as Thanos. The Cable character has always been less interesting on his own and the same applies here. He's pretty flat until forced to interact with Deadpool and X-Force, which is when he becomes more than just a dude with a really big gun and a metal arm. No, he's not the Winter Soldier, but don't think Deadpool missed the resemblance.

The supporting cast from the previous movie all return; Baccarin, TJ Miller as Weasel, Karan Soni as the taxi driver Dupinder, and Leslie Uggams as Blind Al. All get their moments, and some, like in the case with Dopinder, get more screen time than ever. I'm assuming his part was beefed up at the expense of Weasel's since nobody wants anything to do with TJ Miller right now. Of all the returning characters his is the most tacked on an unnecessary. Don't expect him to come back when/if there is a third movie.

One thing you don't have to worry about are the best moments being spoiled by the many trailers and promos. A lot has been cut out in the final version and it's actually for the better. One thing the promos completely leave out are the emotional stakes, and believe it or not there really are some this time. Deadpool goes through the wringer here, and while he's still just as idiotic as ever we are made to care if he makes it through to the other side with his fragile grip on reality intact. Everything is taken to the extreme and that includes the merciless tugging at our heartstrings, especially in the final act. Of course, Deadpool can't help but prick us in our bleeding hearts and laugh about it the whole time.

If there's still dust in your eyes over the grim Infinity War finale, Deadpool 2 might be the solution you need. And it has a post-credits scene that is more essential viewing than most whole movies. Let's see the Avengers try and top that.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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First 'Deadpool 2' Clip Is Full Of Double Entendres, Fox Cut Out A Dig At Disney

Deadpool 2 arrives in a couple of weeks, and you know? It's probably going to make a lot of chimichangas. Probably not Infinity War numbers but it should do well enough to inspire some funny tweets from Ryan Reynolds about coming close. And if it does, then maybe we'll get a Deadpool 3 after all, even if Reynolds doesn't think there will be one.

The sequel's first clip has arrived and it's everything we could have hoped for. Domino (Zazie Beetz) uses her luck manipulating powers to drive a big rig through traffic while Deadpool follows in a slow moving moped. Meanwhile he's making some hilarious, and fairly obvious, double entendres about Cable (Josh Brolin) who is entering the vehicle from the rear.  The action is slick and polished, just like we'd expect from John Wick and Atomic Blonde director David Leitch. If the rest of the movie is like this we are in for a treat.

Hopefully what we're seeing here is exactly what will be on the screen. Some of the jokes from previous teasers has already been revealed to not be in the final movie, but now Reynolds adds one joke in particular got cut. Why? Because it was aimed directly at Disney. Not even 20th Century Fox dares make fun of the Mouse. Especially with a potential deal in the works. Reynolds tells EW...

“This is a sore spot for me because there’s a joke in the movie that is not in the movie now because — I’m probably not even allowed to say this — Fox made me take it out,” he said. “It had more to do with Disney, and they made me take it out. As I look back at it, I think maybe that was a wise decision.”

Disney's already pulling the strings and the ink isn't even on the contract yet.

Deadpool 2 opens May 18th.

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"Pump The Hate Brakes, Thanos": Watch The Final 'Deadpool 2' Trailer Now

The chances of Deadpool 2 hitting the extraordinary box office heights of its predecessor are pretty slim. But so what?  The first movie hit $783M, broke numerous records including becoming the most successful R-rated movie of all-time. Recent weeks have seen rumors emerge that test audiences weren't happy with it, and while those stories were debunked it's good to get some visual confirmation that everything is okay.

Everything. Is. Okay.

The new and apparently "final" trailer for Deadpool 2 is a riot, with Ryan Reynolds' Merc with the Mouth taking liberal potshots at Marvel (see this post's title) and DC. Ahhhh yes, everything is okay. In this hilarious and action-packed footage we get confirmation of a few X-Force members, and the introduction of an awesome new one; Peter, a regular guy with zero powers played by comedian Rob Delaney. Zazie Beetz's Domino kicks ass, Colossus punches stuff and gets punched, Shatterstar gets a moment to shine, and Terry Crews as Bedlam makes you forget how lame the comic book version was.

As for the plot, Deadpool must stop Cable (Josh Brolin) from killing a kid, who may or may not be this former New Mutant, with devastating pyrokinetic powers he can't control. If all goes well we could see three more movies featuring Cable, including an X-Force spinoff.

Directed by David Leitch, Deadpool 2 opens May 18th.

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Zazie Beetz Joins Natalie Portman For 'Pale Blue Dot' And Kristen Stewart In 'Against All Enemies'

This is pretty much the definition of "having a moment."  Zazie Beetz, who was pretty much unknown before her terrific turns in FX's Atlanta, rocketed to the top of fanboys' attentions when she was cast as Domino in Deadpool 2. And now she's using that newfound notoriety to lock in major supporting roles opposite two of today's biggest stars: Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart.

First up, Beetz will join Portman and Jon Hamm in Noah Hawley's sci-fi drama Pale Blue Dot. The film centers on an astronaut returned to Earth after a long time in space on a mission. Upon returning she begins an affair with another astronaut, only to enter a downward spiral as she loses her connection to her family. Things only get worse when her lover begins an affair with a trainee, played by Beetz. Love triangle alert!

Next up, Beetz will be sharing the screen with Kristen Stewart in the Jean Seberg biopic, Against All Enemies. Stewart plays the Hollywood actress who became a target of the FBI because of her public support of the Black Panther Party. The film will center on their attempts to discredit her, which basically got her blacklisted from Hollywood. Beetz joins the previously-cast Anthony Mackie, Jack O'Connell, Margaret Qualley, and Colm Meaney in the film to be directed by Benedict Andrews. [THR/Variety]

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