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Nope: Devouring the Hollywood Dream

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No matter how good your work may be, you will always be judged by your greatest achievement.

Such is the case with filmmaker Jordan Peele. Having established himself with the gold standard of modern day, elevated horror with 2017‘s Get Out, Jordan Peele quickly became the hottest genre director in recent years. Comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock and other greats have been well-earned for his work as he continues to provide exciting horror entries that speak to the black cultural experience in the modern era. The problem is, of course, is maintaining the accolades. 

While his follow-up films and projects have proven to be incredibly well-executed and intricate puzzle boxes worth unlocking, they are inevitably going to be compared to the film that sent a shock through the system. (In some cases, one can compare Peele’s current career trajectory to that of M. Night Shyamalan who, after crashing through the door with The Sixth Sense, has found it difficult to escape from the legacy of that first film.) Now, with the release of Nope, Peele again has created a solid piece that entertains and challenges his audience. 

But, as unfair as it is to say, it’s simply not as good as Get Out. 

Nope tells the story of OJ and Emerald (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer), two Hollywood horse-trainers who live a quiet life in the desert of Agua Dulce in California. Having inherited the family business from their deceased father, the siblings have found the business to have fallen on hard times. Forced to sell off their horses gradually to Ricky (Steven Yeun), a local owner of a theme park, the two ponder what will become of their homestead. However, when they encounter a mysterious ship in the sky, the two join forces to get footage of this otherworldly encounter as a way to make their mark on history.

Leading the film may be solid performances by recent Oscar winner Kaluuya and Yeun but, unquestionably, Nope feels like a star-vehicle for Keke Palmer. Bounding around the screen with endless energy, Palmer is the fire cracker that lights the fuse of Nope and keeps it burning. There is simply an energy and enthusiasm about her performance that one can’t help but be drawn towards. Hers is a character that is not only often funny but frequently, the strongest voice of reason as well, creating a character that it feels more than an amalgamation of a collection of horror tropes.

In a lot of ways, Nope is a more intricate film than Peele’s previous two efforts as it makes use of its metaphors far more subtly than its predecessors. Whereas Get Out and Us had a clear, social conscience, Nope feels much more like a large-scale, popcorn flick. Certainly, this is not a problem… Except for those nasty expectations that have been established already for Peele’s work. Unfortunately, for many, this left Nope to be seen by many as more confusing film, despite the high praise from critics (mostly) across the board.

Although Nope works as an entertaining and fairly straightforward piece, it also feels like there’s something more to be discovered within it. Even without the clear social impetus of Peele’s other films, it’s relevant, sharply written, and entertaining and its own right. Set on the outskirts of Hollywood, Nope is an scathing look at our obsession with fame and notoriety. In an influencer-driven culture such as this, everyone seems to have an interest in cashing in their chips in the Hollywood game. OJ and Emerald fight tirelessly to unlock the mystery of the skies, not out of the sense of wonder, but out of a desire to catch their ‘Oprah moment’. Despite the trauma that he experienced in his youth, Ricky builds a shrine to his legacy within his office while Holst yearns to leave his mark with the ‘perfect shot’. (Even the fact that Kaluuya’s character is named ‘OJ’ brings to mind the infamous ‘Trial of the Century’ of the mid-90s.) 

In this film, everyone is fighting for their five minutes of fame as they look for their chance at immortality. But, even though Nope celebrates the Hollywood dream, it also cuts against it as well. Characters such as Ricky have been left scarred by their experiences with fame but still they clamour for it. In this way, dreams of stardom are seen to come at a price (even a deadly one). 

On the disc, features are surprisingly sparse for such a large release. As a result, there are few episodes to get excited about, generally. (Although ‘Call Him Jean Jacket’ has a surprising level of depth into the design and sound design for the creature itself.) Nevertheless, it’s also worth noting that the film looks stunning in its 4K release as the film’s visuals absolutely pop on the television screen. Although the film is meant to feel immersive on the big screen, the colour and scope translate well at home. In each scene, the dryness of the desert or (apparent) serenity of the sky look stunning, drawing the viewer into film’s scope. (“We wanted the sky to feel like the water in Jaws,” Peele’s team notes.)

But, no. If Get Out is the standard, Nope doesn’t make the grade. But, sometimes, the brass ring simply can’t be the expectation. On it’s own, Nope is a highly entertaining ride that’s worth saying yes to, even if it doesn’t match the standard of Peele’s best work.

Get Out is available on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital on Tuesday, October 25th, 2022.

Uncharted: Game for Adventure

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Films based off video games rarely go well. 

Despite their popularity, games seem to struggle to make the jump to the big screen. For every Sonic the Hedghog, there seems to be countless Street Fighters and Mortal Kombats that struggle to meet expectations. Every now and then though, one squeaks through and surprises moviegoers.

Uncharted is one of those surprises. 

Beloved for its puzzles and gruff lead character, Playstation’s Uncharted has been a series that fans have demanded to see onscreen for years. But the journey hasn’t been easy. Known for its solid storytelling, this particular gaming franchise carried high expectations. From poor scripts to miscasting, the games seemed destined to never satisfy. (Even the casting of the beloved Tom Holland raised eyebrows because he wasn’t deemed ‘old enough’ by fans.) 

For those who are unaware, Uncharted tells the story of Nathan Drake (Holland), a young thief who has a passion for ancient antiquities. When he is recruited by treasure hunter Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a 500-year-old treasure, Nathan is skeptical. However, when Sully points out that Nathan’s long lost brother may be nearby, he decides to hop on board. Now, the two men must race against the clock in order to nab the prize before the wealthy Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas) gets there first.

Thankfully, Uncharted is far more fun than failure. Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), the film unashamed works as an homage to Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones with its reliance on ancient puzzles and humour. Although the film contains countless references to its source material, this is an original story as opposed to being based upon any of the games. While stunts border on the insanity level of Pirates of the Caribbean at times, an enthusiastic performance by Holland keeps Uncharted from sinking. (In fact, while his portrayal of Nathan Drake doesn’t feel too different here from his time as Peter Parker, the success of Uncharted proves that Sony has a bonafied, bankable action hero on their hands in Holland, without the need of the Marvel Universe.)

Even though Uncharted’s bread and butter are double-crosses and ancient puzzles, the heart of the film lies with brotherhood. Having lost his brother at an early age, Nathan is a man without family or connections. As a result, when he’s approached by Sully, he’s apprehensive at best. For him, trust is a luxury that he can’t afford. Yet, as the two men begin to work together, so too do they begin to build a bond. United in purpose, the sense that there is something worth saving about the other. In other words, while their connect may have started with a treasure, they begin to see the value in the other as well. As they do that, the allure of the ancient gold begins to lose its shine if it means losing the other person.

Admittedly, Uncharted is an adventure designed for the big screen but the transfer onto home video does look good. Features are relatively unspectacular with all the standard ‘stunt featurettes’ and deleted scenes. But, Uncharted’s greatest treasure is its director’s commentary with Fleischer to give insight into the development of the project. (Commentaries are always welcome and increasingly rare so, any time a major release adds one, it’s noteworthy.)

So, for families looking for fun outside the MCU, Uncharted may be the treasure that they’re looking for. Fueled by fun and adventure, the film may be silly in places but it finds its worth by the end.

Uncharted is now available on Blu-Ray and VOD.

Marry Me: First comes Marriage, then comes Love

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Hey kids, gather around and let me tell you a tale.

Once upon a time, there was a film called ‘the mid-budgeted, adult-targeting romcom’ that roamed the Earth. These films featured notable, likeable (and usually bankable) stars in the lead and they would find themselves in an implausible romantic situation that could never happen in real life. After all, they’re too different.

But maybe, just maybe, it’ll work out for those crazy kids.

Obviously I’m joking but, in all seriousness, these sorts of romantic comedies do feel like dinosaurs in a cinema filled with brooding superheroes and gritty dramas. But it’s also possible that this is the genre that we didn’t know we needed as we come out of the bleakness of the pandemic. With Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City and Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson’s Marry Me becoming moderate box office successes, it’s possible that the genre is beginning to pick up steam once again. (Heck, even romcom icons Julia Roberts and George Clooney are back together later this year!)

But let’s get back to Marry Me, which is available on Blu-ray and DVD today.

Directed by Kat Coiro, Marry Me follows pop superstar Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) as she prepares to marry her boyfriend live onstage before her millions of fans. However, right before the nuptials take place, Kat discovers that he’s been cheating on her and melts down publicly. As an act of defiance (and insanity), she decides to marry a complete stranger instead. Locking eyes with Charlie (Owen Wilson), a single divorced father who teaches math, Kat invites him onstage and the wedding takes place. But, after the dust settles, the two must decide whether or not this marriage of convenience may actually have something worth fighting for.

Fueled by a non-sensical premise and numerous ‘meet-cute’ style interactions, Marry Me simply sounds ridiculous. (A pop superstar marries a stranger onstage out of spite?) But, much like their characters’ relationship, Lopez and Wilson make it work.

Onscreen, Lopez and Wilson seem like an odd pairing with she, an icon of glamour in style, and he known for his puppy dog eyes and innocence. However, that’s exactly what gives the film its charm. Once a bankable romcom star at the box office herself, Lopez looks incredibly comfortable in the role of superstar Kat Valdez. Often portrayed as larger than life herself, Lopez still brings a humility to the character that make her instantly likeable. The unlikely pairing with Wilson provide both actors with a space to let their charm come to the forefront, without ever losing Lopez’s star power. Together, they have genuine chemistry and are an absolute delight to watch.

It’s also worth noting that Marry Me is refreshing in its use of romcom stereotypes. From examples such as Pretty Woman, Crazy Rich Asians to Lopez’s own Maid in Manhatten, the romcom genre often tells stories of a ‘wealthy man and the carefree woman who comes into his life and changes everything’. Instead, however, Marry Me takes the opposite approach. With Kat confidently at the wheel, the film manages to empower her while still showing the give-and-take necessary to make their relationship work. At a press conference after their ‘wedding’, Kat speaks to the women of the audience when she says, “Why don’t we switch things up? We’ll pick the man, propose and choose to see if they’re worthy.” (In fact, Marry Me even reverses one of the most age-old romcoe tropes in the film’s climax.)

With an eye on the magic of romance, Marry Me dreams that love is worth the risks, even if it doesn’t always make sense. Although Kat believes in love, Charlie is not so sure. After all, he’s been burned badly before and struggles to move beyond his hurt. To him, love is a risk and it’s far easier to live a life of anonymity in a bubble with his daughter, co-worker friend and aging dog. On the other hand, Kat’s global notoriety never taints her faith in others… or in love. To her, the world is not a scary place because she remains firmly grounded in what’s most important. Her love of others helps her to keep an open mind about the possibility with Charlie… and an open heart. (After all, no matter how much fame and popularity that she may have, JLo… er… Kat is still ‘Jenny from the Block’.) As she embraces romance, so too does she help Charlie to embrace life and, potentially, new love as well.

So, yes. Marry Me may be goofy and non-sensical at times. But I have to admit that it also couldn’t help but soften this jaded heart along the way. Delightful from start to finish, Marry Me warms the heart, makes you laugh and is definitely a comedy worth saying yes to.

Marry Me is now available on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

Poupelle of Chimney Town – Conviction of things not seen

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“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NRSV)

Faith in the unseen is the driving force in Yusuke Hirota’s animated film, Poupelle of Chimney Town. It is a faith that seems ridiculous to some and dangerous to others. But for the boy at the center of the story, it is so strong that he must find a way to show the world the truth that has been hidden for centuries.

Chimney Town is a town filled with smoke belching chimneys that run day and night so that the sky is nothing but dark smoke, Lubicci is a young chimney sweep without friends. He remembers that his father Bruno would tell stories about what was beyond the smoke—a sky filled with stars. But there is no one in all of Chimney Town that has ever seen such an unlikely thing.

A bright object falls through the clouds and land in a trash pile, and transforms into a creature made of garbage. Lubicci befriends him and names him Poupelle. Together they dream of seeing the stars that Bruno spoke of. But the authorities are on the look out for anyone who speaks of stars or anything beyond the smoke. Inquisitors are constantly seeking out heretics who do not accept the official belief system. When the Inquisitors start coming for Lubicci and Poupelle, Lubicci comes up with a plan that can show the world the truth.

Lubicci operates out of faith. He knows that there is nothing to prove that stars really exist. But there is also nothing to disprove their existence. But such open-mindedness is a threat to the tyrannical regime that has created the world of Chimney Town. The stability of the society is built on accepting the key dogma, “There is no outside world; there is only this world.” As Lubicci lives out his faith in the unseen stars, he challenges the very fabric of the society. As such the story serves as a fable about speaking truth to power.

Faith, as we see in this story, can be an oppressive force, as with the Inquisitors who seek heretics. It can also be a liberating force when it opens a world to new ideas that may not seem obvious. Within the political world, there is a constant struggle to find truth among the massive amounts of “smoke”. No doubt those who buy into QAnon believe that they know the stars are behind the smoke of mainstream media. Others will see the conspiracy theories of QAnon as the smoke we must get rid of.

We can see the same if we look at religious life. Dogmatism and the thought that one group has the truth are always divisive and destructive.  Evanglicalism and broad ecumenism seem hard to put together. Multi-culturalism and diversity may seem to be smoke or they may be the forces that prevent calcified belief systems from obscuring our view of the truth.

Lubicci didn’t just speak of his faith in starts; he acted out that faith. It was through his actions that the truth had a chance to be known by all. And by acting on his faith, he discovered new depths within himself that allowed him to expand his world.

Poupelle of Chimney Town is available on VOD and will soon be available digitally and on DVD.

Photos courtesy of 11 Arts.

Spider-Man: No Way Home – A Hero for Everyone

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When Marvel unleashed Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021, I’m sure they knew it was going to be a hit… but could anyone have expected what came next?

More than fun and fury, No Way Home not only became a financial juggernaut, it almost single-handedly saved the 2021 theatrical box office. All of a sudden, this was not your average Marvel success. It became the #6 highest grossing hit of all time. (Seriously. Let that sink in for a moment.)

Who knew Spidey was the measure to which all MCU films would be held moving forward?

Taking place immediately after the final moments of Spider-Man: Far From Home, No Way Home leans into the fallout of having the Webcrawler’s identity revealed to the world. Under constant scrutiny by those who believe he murdered Mysterio, Peter Parker seeks out the help of fellow Avenger, Dr. Strange. After Peter asks him to cast a spell that will make people forget his identity, the good Doctor reluctantly helps. However, when the spell goes wrong, the effects on space/time are devastating. As other characters from the multiverse sneak into their own world, Parker must attempt to capture his mysterious foes before its too late.

There’s really no other way to say it. Despite building hype over the past few years, Spider-Man: No Way Home somehow manages to deliver the goods. Once again directed by Jon Watts, the conclusion to the ‘Home Trilogy’ balances epic scale Marvel action sequences and intimate character-driven moments that work on a number of levels. While Marvel sometimes has a tendency to sacrifice storytelling for the sake of action sequences (and vice versa), No Way Home finds a way to incorporate them into one another in such a way that they actually impact each other. (This is especially true in the film’s third act ‘mega-battle’, which actually furthers the emotional arc of the films characters.) After three films, Watts cares enough about this franchise to tell a story that means something to his team and the results are spectacular. Seamlessly blending genres and generations together, Watts creates an epic finale but never sacrifices the soul of his characters in the process.

Of course, No Way Home is an absolute nostalgia-fest for every fan of the Spidey-franchise over the last 20 years. For years, people of debated which iteration of the cinematic Spidey-verse is superior to the others. Here though, Marvel gets to celebrate them all in one big party. This is a festival of all things Spidey that should delight three eras of superhero filmgoers at the same time. 

Even if Peter Parker has No Way Home, this film is a welcome homecoming for many old friends.

However, while nostalgia may be fun for everyone, what makes the film work is that their appearances are relevant to the story through some sharp writing. By bringing back familiar faces in new situations, No Way Home could have simply devolved into a fanservice mess yet their appearances somehow further developing their original story arcs. (Returning villains like Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx and Alfred Molina are allowed the chance to develop their characters further without detracting from their original stories. In fact, Marvel arguably elevates their previous material in the process.)

At the same time, the film becomes a perfect finale for this chapter of the Spider-Man story. Throughout his three Spider-films, Watts has done a (mostly) impressive job spinning interesting stories for the Wallcrawler. Whereas Homecoming told a small and intimate tale of a young boy who simply dreams of becoming an Avenger and Far From Home showed that young man trying to balance his life, No Way Home takes that journey even further. Having almost literally grown up onscreen before our eyes, Holland has exemplified the youthful enthusiasm that we expect from the character. In No Way Home, further completes his coming-of-age into a true Spider-Man as opposed to Spider-Teen. Having moved through high school, Holland’s Spider-Man is now faced with understanding what it truly takes to be a hero. In No Way Home, Parker has to make decisions about his life and the safety of his friends that he would have been unable to make earlier on in the franchise. Without giving away any spoilers, this iteration of Spider-Man needed to learn what it means to sacrifice himself out of love for others. 

Why? Because that’s what heroes do.

However, No Way Home is also about second chances. Although most superhero films of the last two decades have featured heroes battling unsalvageable villains, No Way Home actually makes a point of arguing that everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Rather than writing off these villains as ‘bad guys’, Holland’s Spidey is challenged to view them as more. Here, iconic villains like Doc Ock, Green Goblin and Electro show their vulnerability and humanity more effectively than they have in other films. 

What if the ‘bad guys’ are actually the ‘lost guys’?

There’s a sensibility to this film that, maybe, anyone can change. Despite the ‘fate’ that they are dealt, No Way Home allows the opportunity for a crack in the villainous armor. Despite the negative tone of its title, No Way Home wants to believe that there is a new way for anyone who chooses it. Maybe, regardless of their past actions, there’s an opportunity for these villains to find hope. For Parker, maybe these villains are more than the sum of their darkness.

Admittedly, the special features are a little scant for a film that is–again–the #6 box office draw of all time. However, there are some fun things of note. Alternative Reality Easter Eggs looks to point the viewer in the direction of things they’ve missed and Spider-Men Unite and A Meeting of the Spiders help give the audience more of the Spidey trio that excited the world. Other than that, there’s not a tonne worth noting… but the film is so ridiculously fun, it’s almost not worth noting any disappointment in this area.

While the nostalgia is fun and action is well-executed, it’s the conversations about hope and heroism in Spider-Man: No Way Home that truly leave a mark. Wrapping up this chapter of the MCU’s Spidey-Verse, Watts completes the emotional arc that he began about a crew of high school kids learning how to grow up. But he also manages to tread new ground for characters that we already felt we knew. Leaning into hope for the ‘bad guys’, the film gives Spidey the chance to try to help everyone, not just his friends in his neighbourhood. 

Because that’s what heroes do.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is available on 4K, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on Tuesday, April 12th, 2022.