What to watch: ‘Vesper’ is way more than just another dystopian movie
As September draws to a close, Hollywood is already gearing up for the awards season.
This week, we take a look at a stunning new dystopian feature, a great reboot of a PI series, Zac Efron’s latest, a “Munsters” reboot, a documentary on Sidney Poitier and and a piercing comedy/drama featuring an outstanding performance from Sigourney Weaver.
Here’s our roundup.
“Vesper”: The post-apocalyptic genre is more prevalent and relevant today with most entries hinging on climate change and bumming us out long afterwards. While there is room and a need for that, the relentless bleakness can get a bit much. Enter the brilliantly imagined and realized “Vesper,” which unearths compassion and kindness amid a wretched ecological collapse that finds the “haves” holed up in safe environs while the “have nots” suffer in a hostile land of genetic new creations. When 13-year-old Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) finds and harbors Camelia (Rosy McEwen) who fell from the sky and is now a stranger in this strange land, others take an interest. Directors Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper have created a world filled with original wonders while addressing numerous potent issues, including a growing chasm between the wealthy and anyone else. It’s stunning in its look and texture and bold and original in its storytelling vision. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in select theaters and available for streaming Sept. 30.
“Confess, Fletch”: With negligible buzz and limited studio promotion, director Greg Mottola’s wry murder mystery snuck into theaters and streaming services a couple of weeks ago and generated modest interest. It deserves much better than that. The continuation of a franchise in which Chevy Chase bumbled his way through two so-so efforts in the ‘80s, “Confess,” too, is based on the late, great author Gregory Mcdonald’s detective series and. But this one does everything right with the comedic PI mystery — from casting the charming Jon Hamm to take over as quick-to-retort former journalist and amateur sleuth I.M. Fletcher, to rekindling the spirited, easy-going essence that made Mcdonald’s series such an escapist joy for countless readers. Fletch stumbles into a lot this time out: There’s a dead body, a kidnapping, a romance (Lorenza Izzo), a wackadoodle neighbor (Annie Mumolo, in one of the film’s most riotously funny bits), a germophobe art collector/professor (Kyle MacLachlan), a countess (Marcia Gay Harden) with a shopping addiction and two put-upon crime-solvers (Roy Wood Jr. and Ayden Mayeri) whom Fletch outwits. Hamm is terrific and the most of the gags work in what one can only hope will be a rebooted franchise. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters and On Demand Sept. 30.
“The Greatest Beer Run Ever”: Ignore the bad reviews. Peter Farrelly’s appealing, if occasionally disorderly, follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Green Book” is more entertaining than that surprise best picture Oscar winner. In this film that’s based on a true story, Zac Efron does a fine job as real-life civilian/Merchant Marine John “Chickie” Donouhue, a New Yorker who came up with a goodhearted but cockamamie notion to deliver PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) beer to his chums serving in the Vietnam War. At first a devout supporter of the war and an opponent of protesters, Chickie sees his rigid views challenged from the moment he steps off the plane. His unbelievable journey reunites him with shocked buddies (including one played by Livermore native Kyle Allen) and into the path of a Look magazine photojournalist (Russell Crowe) who points out to him how the government is not being truthful to the American public about the war. Farrelly has a gift with material such as this, and while “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” isn’t as structured as “Book,” it has its heart and mind in the right place — reminding us to question official accounts of things and rely on legit sources of news — even if we might not want to hear what they are telling us. Details: 3 stars; begins streaming Sept. 30 on Apple TV+.
“Sidney”: In this engrossing Oprah Winfrey-produced tribute to one of our finest actors — the late Sidney Poiter — director Reginald Hudlin culls together numerous interviews with relatives, friends and historians to create a rich portrait of a groundbreaking performer. Poitier defied racist attitudes and became an influential force as both a director and an actor in a career that included unforgettable performances in such films as “In the Heat of the Night,” “To Sir With Love,” “Lilies of the Field” and countless others. While the reflections from Denzel Washington, Oprah, Robert Redford help define Poitier’s career and life, it’s when we hear from the legend himself that “Sidney” comes to life. Details: 3 stars; available on Apple TV+.
“The Munsters”: Everything that could possibly go wrong does in Rob Zombie’s stinker of a cinematic reboot of the classic ‘60s American sitcom about a goofball family of good-hearted monsters holding suburban court on Mockingbird Lane. This “origins” story is drained of any of the original show’s charm, with Zombie failing to draw even one convincing performance from a cast that apparently felt irritating was the way to go here. That cast includes Zombie’s own wife, San Jose native Sheri Moon Zombie, whose voice as Lily Munster is fingernails-on-the-chalkboard annoying. There’s a hint of a decent origin story here but it all crumbles like a vampire at daybreak. Aimed at kids, it’s much too long and meanders without a purpose. If you have a jonesin for silly monsters, watch “Addams Family Values” instead. Details: 1 star; available on Netflix.
“The Good House”: Don’t be fooled by the Nicholas Sparks-esque packaging of this Sigourney Weaver-led comedy-drama. This is a smart, funny and redemptive film about a strong woman in trouble, not the wistful middle-aged-romance that it’s being billed as, even though Kevin Kline stars as an old flame that gets reignited. Weaver is outstanding as New England Realtor Hildy Good, a force within the community who is being upstaged by another Realtor. She downs wine casually but consistently even after her adult children — who are dealing with their own problems — steer her into rehab, which she considers a punchline for jokes. Directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, “The Good House” is based on Ann Leary’s novel, and elects to have Hildy break the fourth wall, speaking directly into the camera. That could be a disaster in a lesser actor’s hands, but Weaver handles it with skill, all the while reflecting a person who is ignoring that she’s in crisis as she tailspins to an inevitable day of reckoning. Details: 3 stars, in select theaters Friday)
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
As September draws to a close, Hollywood is already gearing up for the awards season.
This week, we take a look at a stunning new dystopian feature, a great reboot of a PI series, Zac Efron’s latest, a “Munsters” reboot, a documentary on Sidney Poitier and and a piercing comedy/drama featuring an outstanding performance from Sigourney Weaver.
Here’s our roundup.
“Vesper”: The post-apocalyptic genre is more prevalent and relevant today with most entries hinging on climate change and bumming us out long afterwards. While there is room and a need for that, the relentless bleakness can get a bit much. Enter the brilliantly imagined and realized “Vesper,” which unearths compassion and kindness amid a wretched ecological collapse that finds the “haves” holed up in safe environs while the “have nots” suffer in a hostile land of genetic new creations. When 13-year-old Vesper (Raffiella Chapman) finds and harbors Camelia (Rosy McEwen) who fell from the sky and is now a stranger in this strange land, others take an interest. Directors Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper have created a world filled with original wonders while addressing numerous potent issues, including a growing chasm between the wealthy and anyone else. It’s stunning in its look and texture and bold and original in its storytelling vision. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in select theaters and available for streaming Sept. 30.
“Confess, Fletch”: With negligible buzz and limited studio promotion, director Greg Mottola’s wry murder mystery snuck into theaters and streaming services a couple of weeks ago and generated modest interest. It deserves much better than that. The continuation of a franchise in which Chevy Chase bumbled his way through two so-so efforts in the ‘80s, “Confess,” too, is based on the late, great author Gregory Mcdonald’s detective series and. But this one does everything right with the comedic PI mystery — from casting the charming Jon Hamm to take over as quick-to-retort former journalist and amateur sleuth I.M. Fletcher, to rekindling the spirited, easy-going essence that made Mcdonald’s series such an escapist joy for countless readers. Fletch stumbles into a lot this time out: There’s a dead body, a kidnapping, a romance (Lorenza Izzo), a wackadoodle neighbor (Annie Mumolo, in one of the film’s most riotously funny bits), a germophobe art collector/professor (Kyle MacLachlan), a countess (Marcia Gay Harden) with a shopping addiction and two put-upon crime-solvers (Roy Wood Jr. and Ayden Mayeri) whom Fletch outwits. Hamm is terrific and the most of the gags work in what one can only hope will be a rebooted franchise. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters and On Demand Sept. 30.
“The Greatest Beer Run Ever”: Ignore the bad reviews. Peter Farrelly’s appealing, if occasionally disorderly, follow-up to his Oscar-winning “Green Book” is more entertaining than that surprise best picture Oscar winner. In this film that’s based on a true story, Zac Efron does a fine job as real-life civilian/Merchant Marine John “Chickie” Donouhue, a New Yorker who came up with a goodhearted but cockamamie notion to deliver PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) beer to his chums serving in the Vietnam War. At first a devout supporter of the war and an opponent of protesters, Chickie sees his rigid views challenged from the moment he steps off the plane. His unbelievable journey reunites him with shocked buddies (including one played by Livermore native Kyle Allen) and into the path of a Look magazine photojournalist (Russell Crowe) who points out to him how the government is not being truthful to the American public about the war. Farrelly has a gift with material such as this, and while “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” isn’t as structured as “Book,” it has its heart and mind in the right place — reminding us to question official accounts of things and rely on legit sources of news — even if we might not want to hear what they are telling us. Details: 3 stars; begins streaming Sept. 30 on Apple TV+.
“Sidney”: In this engrossing Oprah Winfrey-produced tribute to one of our finest actors — the late Sidney Poiter — director Reginald Hudlin culls together numerous interviews with relatives, friends and historians to create a rich portrait of a groundbreaking performer. Poitier defied racist attitudes and became an influential force as both a director and an actor in a career that included unforgettable performances in such films as “In the Heat of the Night,” “To Sir With Love,” “Lilies of the Field” and countless others. While the reflections from Denzel Washington, Oprah, Robert Redford help define Poitier’s career and life, it’s when we hear from the legend himself that “Sidney” comes to life. Details: 3 stars; available on Apple TV+.
“The Munsters”: Everything that could possibly go wrong does in Rob Zombie’s stinker of a cinematic reboot of the classic ‘60s American sitcom about a goofball family of good-hearted monsters holding suburban court on Mockingbird Lane. This “origins” story is drained of any of the original show’s charm, with Zombie failing to draw even one convincing performance from a cast that apparently felt irritating was the way to go here. That cast includes Zombie’s own wife, San Jose native Sheri Moon Zombie, whose voice as Lily Munster is fingernails-on-the-chalkboard annoying. There’s a hint of a decent origin story here but it all crumbles like a vampire at daybreak. Aimed at kids, it’s much too long and meanders without a purpose. If you have a jonesin for silly monsters, watch “Addams Family Values” instead. Details: 1 star; available on Netflix.
“The Good House”: Don’t be fooled by the Nicholas Sparks-esque packaging of this Sigourney Weaver-led comedy-drama. This is a smart, funny and redemptive film about a strong woman in trouble, not the wistful middle-aged-romance that it’s being billed as, even though Kevin Kline stars as an old flame that gets reignited. Weaver is outstanding as New England Realtor Hildy Good, a force within the community who is being upstaged by another Realtor. She downs wine casually but consistently even after her adult children — who are dealing with their own problems — steer her into rehab, which she considers a punchline for jokes. Directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, “The Good House” is based on Ann Leary’s novel, and elects to have Hildy break the fourth wall, speaking directly into the camera. That could be a disaster in a lesser actor’s hands, but Weaver handles it with skill, all the while reflecting a person who is ignoring that she’s in crisis as she tailspins to an inevitable day of reckoning. Details: 3 stars, in select theaters Friday)
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
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