Outcome

This review may contain spoilers!

Outcome follows Reef Hawk, a famous Hollywood actor who has been performing since he was six. Poised to come off a five-year hiatus after a stint in rehab, Reef is suddenly confronted with the threat of blackmail that could shatter his entire existence.

I enjoy that this film is about image at its very core. Reef is quite a fragile figure; he is held together by the thought that he is admired and thought of as a 'good' celebrity. Across Outcome, we watch Reef feverishly wrestle his cellphone out of his pocket and Google how well-liked he is, often by searching up negative things about himself. When people say damaging things about who he is in this movie, he spirals into a depressive, frenzied or rageful state. Even when face-to-face with the man who was blackmailing him, Reef asks if the guy hates him. It's the only thing Reef can understand; his own reputation and image are the very things his being revolves around.

The soundtrack for the feature serves it rather well; playing that moment of final growth out on 'How Lucky' by Kurt Vile was that light, contemplative feeling this film needed.

Keanu Reeves, who played Reef Hawk, actually really goes for it with this role; Reeves' lead protagonist is a constantly anxious and hopeless mess. Cary Christopher, who played Skylar Williams Wood, is a prodigal young talent; Christopher only has one scene here, but his parody of an overconfident young actor is hilarious. Laverne Cox, Roy Wood Jr., Atsuko Okatsuka, who played Virginia Allen-Green, Reverend Leondrus Carter and Unis Kim respectively, are a hilarious group together; they really play up the absurdity of a Hollywood image crisis team. Welker White, who played Savannah, is a biting moment of realness in all this; White's painful remarks about how hurt Reef left her and how damaging he was salted the earth of this film. Matt Bomer and Cameron Diaz, who played Xander and Kyle respectively, struggled with the material at times but really showed their experience when it counted; the scene where Diaz loses her temper and Bomer confesses why he is Reef's friend, is powerful stuff.

However, the best performance came from Martin Scorsese, who played Richie 'Red' Rodriguez. I've really enjoyed the more recent light forays into acting from Scorsese; if you haven't seen him in The Studio, that is a must-watch. What I enjoyed about Scorsese as Red, this washed-up manager for child actors, is that Scorsese makes Red feel seasoned in the industry. You believe Red isn't a big player; he's just a guy who works out the back of a bowling alley. But he has doggedly hustled at his work for years, in a way that has often felt thankless. When Scorsese admonishes Reeves and tells him that he tried his best for him, it's a real moment of vulnerability. The first this film ever really shows. Watching Scorsese confide that he tried to save his client from the drugs, all while beating himself up for not doing enough, is a genuine moment of feeling in this entire feature. But adding that confession layer from Scorsese that he is so sad that none of his clients ever reached out to him again after they left is a bit tragic. Ending the film on the reconnection between Scorsese and Reeves is the smartest thing this film achieves.

Outcome is the sort of film that you put on and almost immediately question who on Earth it's actually for. This film is the sort of story that feels like it's made in Hollywood for Hollywood. Jonah Hill's take on Hollywood celebrity satire is one of the more niche experiences I have had watching cinema. There is a vapid reflection on actors being afraid of being cancelled in the digital age, jumping at the sight of a cellphone camera or a tabloid rumour. Characters jape about the #MeToo movement and being a victim of sexual harassment in a way that feels like it's playing with a line that doesn't really need to be crossed. Outcome wants to be a comedy more than it wants to be a drama, but the humour feels extremely tailored to the crowd of people who are actually making the film. When it isn't the comedy often degrades itself into sex or drug-related material, with one scene putting Ira on a toilet seat while Reef continues to chat with him. This film has characters making racist jokes while then darting away from that material in the same breath to show how 'opposed to racism' they are. It's a film that feels more than a bit senseless and warped morally. There's an implication that Reef's manager, Ira, also represents Kanye West and Kevin Spacey, as there are monolithic photo frames of them all through his offices. As a character, I never found myself entirely understanding or caring for Reef very much, and the film never manages to change my mind on that. Reef is quite a shallow character with a strange life and people around him who act extremely artificially. Everything about this film is performative, and you wonder if there's even any sincerity in the message. Knowing that Jonah Hill made this, while watching him pantomime a morally bankrupt Hollywood manager, often feels more warped than funny.

The way Outcome is shot is absolutely hideous. You are either all too aware of the artifice, or you're too aware that this film has the worst lighting crew working in the big year 2026. The editing is an inconsistent series of cutting choices that often stilt or lend an awkward effect to the pacing. The score for Outcome is grating and lends no extra emotional weight to the feature.

Jonah Hill, who played Ira Slitz, is the biggest letdown in his own movie; Hill gallivants around scenes like he thinks he is the funniest person in any given room. Ivy Wolk, who played Sammy, is here to be Reeves' onscreen daughter, but the pair have no chemistry; Wolk has this dry, tinny delivery that falls on its face. David Spade and Kaia Gerber, who played Buddy Gomorrah and Oksana respectively, are important additions to the film but serve their purpose poorly; Spade looks completely washed out here. Susan Lucci, who played Dinah Hawk, really doesn't know how to ground her character at all; Lucci feels like she is often playing her character too big and fake for the scene. Drew Barrymore, who played herself, has clearly been out of the acting game too long; she just went over the top as her first instinct.

This incredibly talented cast doesn't hide the fact that this is nothing more than a thin vanity project for Jonah Hill. I would give Outcome a 1.5/10.

The Drama

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Drama follows a happily engaged couple, Emma and Charlie, who are due to be married. At a wine tasting evening with their friends, they play a game naming the worst thing they have ever done. However, when Emma shares hers, the ramifications on all of their lives could be severe indeed.

This film has one key thing to do that ends the first act and catapults us into the second. The Drama has to tell us exactly what the drama is. If there is anything this movie did incredibly well, it was this pivotal moment. The film has given us the fluffy meet-cute, dates and relatable love story that is a little too sweet. It has also shown us that some of the characters are a bit inane, snobbish and have their own conceits. It's the perfect calamitous cocktail for a moment of confession, in which we get this varied mix of the worst things our main cast of characters has ever done. Emma admitting to planning and nearly executing a school shooting silences the room and immediately erodes that feeling of golden romance. Suddenly, tension is high, and the mystery becomes how it is all going to play out. That then becomes the solid strand moving forward; this palpable feeling of tension as you wonder how the gossip spreads and when the bubble will inevitably burst.

Unsurprisingly for an A24 film, this is a highly aesthetic piece of cinema. It has a very indie romance take on New York romance, but then bubbles into intensive uncomfortable shots as the plot unravels into its more foreboding back half. The soundtrack for The Drama is a light offering, but it has these gentle tracks that also suit the indie style of the film. I found 'Inside Out' by Jesse Rae to be the bright theme for everything right in Emma and Charlie's relationship.

Robert Pattinson, who played Charlie, seems to be in his element with a role like this; Charlie is a very aloof figure who absolutely crumbles across the duration of this film. Mamoudou Athie, who played Mike, is a friend character I quite enjoyed across this feature; Athie really tries to settle tensions and is often on the fringe, feeling pretty perturbed by everyone else. Hailey Gates, who played Misha, is this very impassive figure who plays well against Pattinson's ramping fears; Gates is the perfect ingredient to push Emma and Charlie's relationship over a very precarious edge.

However, the best performance came from Zendaya, who played Emma. This character is a really bright and loveable spark from the moment we meet her at the start of the film. Zendaya plays Emma as being entirely head over heels, it's almost to a point where it feels a bit dorky, as her friends indicate to her. Yet Emma is this character who seems to take action and move forward; she has her own temperaments and isn't initially swayed by others. Zendaya plays the drunken confession of admitting she planned a school shooting brilliantly; it bursts out of her in a fairly innocent and naive way. The fallout from that point is that we see Zendaya really spiral out of control from here; she overthinks every social interaction and despairs that her relationship is over. She plays to the tension of every scene, and wilts at becoming this pariah. But I also think the layer of complexity that Zendaya brings that sets her above is how she plays Emma as this redemptive figure. Even at their lowest point, Emma is the character who brings the hope that this relationship can be saved and endure.

I think the reveal of the drama behind The Drama is where the film peaks. From there, I really struggled with what this film had to say for itself. The idea that Emma committed to planning and nearly executing a school shooting as a young teenager is shocking enough to make a good twist. From here, you might expect the movie to say something, anything, about school shootings and gun violence. However, beyond Charlie noting how many shootings there are in the US in a year, this film just loosely wags its finger and says gun violence is bad. Which is really quite a simple and expected position to take. The Drama is more focused on the interpersonal nature of this confessional, asking whether Emma should be condemned for what she almost did some years ago. It's a strange moment for the plot to utilise quite a serious problem within American society, then put it to the side to make a film that is more in line with asking if people are worth getting a second chance, regardless of their actions? This film has a very stilted pacing that snaps between imaginary scenarios, dream sequences, flashbacks and jump cuts that craft a very strange type of pacing to watch. The film also wields these characters who seem to live quite an elevated life; it's very glamorous while still feeling quite domestic. There's a bit of an academia air to the whole thing that creates this superior sense when discussing morality; the characters hardly feel like arbiters of justice that an audience can relate to. When the characters confess to the worst things they have done, one of Emma's friends nearly killed someone through their actions. Yet this friend is never condemned in the same way that Emma is, a plot moment I really struggled to make heads or tails of. The film snowballs into everyone taking increasingly worse actions to muddy the moral implications of the story, with Charlie even cheating on Emma at one point. By the time the wedding implodes itself in this grotesque way, I don't think anyone felt shock so much as they felt repulsion. The film offers up crumbs of a happy ending, but I struggled to understand if I should even really care about the fate of Emma and Charlie by this point.

The editing for The Drama is a scattered nightmare, with cuts that confuse and divert the audience, constantly destroying the pacing. I also found the score for the feature to be a frenetic, droning sound that might have heaped on the anxiety of certain scenes, but had no business being described as anything 'musical'.

Alana Haim, who played Rachel, is here to be the frosty friend who is also a bit of a bitch; but Haim never really seems to grasp how to do this in a particularly grounded manner. Hannah Gross, who played Alice, is a very reserved figure who feels a bit superfluous at times; Gross' relationship with Zendaya and Haim is really poorly defined and perhaps not needed at all.

A strange, reckless movie that utilises a major systemic American issue for an edgy take on interpersonal relationships. I would give The Drama a 3.5/10.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

 

This review may contain spoilers!

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a direct sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). In this feature, Bowser Jr. is on a galaxy-wide rampage and wants his father returned to him. It will take our heroes, and some new friends, to stop the Bowser family and their Koopa army.

I really liked that it felt like Princess Peach got to be active in this story. The good thing about a Nintendo property film is that all of these characters are equally exciting and can command their own story. Peach undergoes a real heroic arc, venturing throughout the galaxy to save her sister and uncover the mysteries of her past.

The one thing I have to say positively for Illumination is that they have really turned out their A game for designing these Mario movies. The colour palettes are entirely vibrant, and everything really pops with a varied colour scheme. There is plenty of background detail to look for here, and the animation team has really worked to bring the world of Mario and his friends to life. Tyler Bates' score is a real love letter to the cartoonish video games, with tribute to those original game scores woven through his adventurous musical arrangement.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who voiced Princess Peach, is really fighting a great fight this time around; Taylor-Joy gets to present Peach as a bit of a stubborn and capable warrior. Brie Larson, who voiced Rosalina, is this really gentle and motherly figure to the stars; yet Larson also makes it clear that no one in their right mind messes with someone as tough as Rosalina. Keegan-Michael Key, who voiced Toad, has a very dry wit that works well; Key's Toad is always up for adventure even when he isn't the most equipped for it. Charlie Day, who voiced Luigi, suits the plumber brother more ready to jump at his own shadow; Day's take on Luigi is rather stressed out yet full of admiration for his brother.

However, the best performance came from Benny Safdie, who voiced Bowser Jr. As far as antagonists go, Safdie has really stepped up the game in this sequel. Bowser Jr. can seem like a mean-spirited kid who lashes out in tantrum-like ways. However, Safdie does a good job of following through and actually sculpting him to be an intimidating villain. This is a Bowser who just wants the approval of his father and his father's love. Safdie leans into the playful wickedness of the role, creating an animated villain who actually stands against our heroes well.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is much like the first Mario movie; it barely has any plot to speak of. These films are made by Illumination, which famously treats its animated features like products, and less like art forms. If you don't believe me, perhaps just reflect on the fact that we almost have as many Minions movies as we do Despicable Me movies now. This is a film that starts off with hints of a grander, nefarious plot, but in reality, Bowser Jr. just wants Bowser back. Princess Peach flies all over the place to find her sister. The Mario Bros. eventually stumble after her. Yoshi is just kinda introduced and then becomes a part of the gang. Bowser's character development is weirdly stripped away, and he regresses back to being a villain. Even the final battle sidelines our main antagonists for a monster fight that didn't seem especially well set up. A lot of this movie wants you to see and be interested in the familiar locations, characters and objects of the various Nintendo games. It dangles them out in front of you with a big grin, hoping the memory of the past is enough to have you hooked. This coming out after Pixar had just released one of its most imaginative films in years is such a stark contrast.

The soundtrack for this movie has a few strange moments of hip-hop or modern tracks that just don't really mesh with the sort of story being delivered.

Glen Powell, who voiced Fox McCloud, is a moment where the actor is trying to impress upon you that his character is cool; Fox feels awkwardly stuffed into this movie to mirror what Donkey Kong achieved in the last one. Chris Pratt, who voiced Mario, just doesn't have a voice that makes me think of Mario; the accent inflection Pratt does is quite painful. Jack Black, who voiced Bowser, feels like he's only really capable of playing to this strange comedic take on the villain; Black often sounds more like himself than the character he is attempting to portray. Donald Glover, who voiced Yoshi, feels more like a marketing move than anything else; Glover voicing something as innocuous as Yoshi is a waste of time. Kevin Michael Richardson, who voiced Kamek, is quite an annoying henchman figure; his grating presence in the Bowser scenes really brings those down. Luis Guzmán, who voiced Wart, is a barely notable antagonist role; he does some remarkably unimpressive posturing to ignite a fight scene.

Mamma mia, here we go again. I would give The Super Mario Galaxy Movie a 3.5/10.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a science-fiction buddy-comedy following Mike, a gangster who is about to get himself clean. However, his fellow gangster Nick has just time-travelled back from the future to warn him that he is going to die in a few hours, and the main person who could stand in their way is...Nick.

This is a very unusual gangster story. Almost immediately, we have a big party for the crime boss's son being released from prison, with our main characters on the periphery engaged in extramarital affairs. But the film doesn't want to linger too long on anything that could be considered 'normal' to a crime film. Nick comes to bundle up Mike, ask for his help with a job and sends the hapless gangster to chloroform his present-day self. This type of unpredictable, off-kilter and random comedy fuels this feature. It is absolutely hilarious the strange and dark places this film is prepared to go; whether that be Nick drawing a gun on a cashier over some sugar-free lollies or a mob boss having a heart-to-heart with his son about his kid being a foundling he discovered under a dumpster. Even the action sequences showcase a sense of well-choreographed humour; one character is bashed in the face with an urn full of ashes, while in another fight, a character manages to hook a combatant up in an embarrassing position with gym equipment.

The soundtrack for Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is absolutely on fire the whole way through. There's a lot of partying and dancing, with perfect tracks paired to these settings. But there are also some big moments in the film where music feeds the story. 'The Boys Are Back In Town' playing while the Nicks and Mike have their shootout is an awesome sequence, Ben Schwartz performing 'Why Should I Worry?' marks a strong introduction, and 'Don't Look Back In Anger' by Oasis accompanying the death of a main character drove that home incredibly.

Vince Vaughn, who played Future and Present Nick, was really interesting as this impassive but predestined gangster; Vaughn has a dry wit which made him completely likable even in moments of decent conflict. Eiza González, who played Alice, felt like one of the more grounded characters in this film; she often presented her frustration at how out of hand the evolving situation was becoming. Ben Schwartz, who played Symon, is a real bright spot in this feature; his introduction to the film is an absolute hook. Emily Hampshire and Dylan Playfair, who played Sam and Stoned Chasier respectively, work with Vaughn to round out a phenomenally funny gas station scene; Hampshire and Vaughn also have some chemistry worth noting in this. 

However, the best performance came from Keith David, who played Sosa. If you want a crazy antagonist who will take a screwy comedy wherever it wants to go, David is more than capable. In his first scene, David seems rather amiable, happy to be celebrating his son. It doesn't take long for him to suddenly flip and start threatening and cussing out the crowd. David presents as authoritative and relatively refined across the feature, a genuine mafioso at the head of his table. But this doesn't mean David is devoid of being funny. He riffs on Tatro constantly, pretending to be confused over Winnie the Pooh or growing frustrated that his son is so upset at having been discovered under a dumpster as a baby. David really leans into the comedy this villain can bring, without compromising the mean streak of the role.

I found this film to be on the back foot almost constantly. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is a sci-fi concept film at its core, but the time travel stuff feels extremely shoehorned in. There being two Nicks is interesting, but why there are two Nicks never really gels. Even having a scientist friend of Alice who has been working on a time machine is out there and doesn't integrate well into the story. But even the gang is strange; they're a mob collective of some kind, but we don't know what they actually do beyond general crime. Strangely, most of the gang members seem like frat bros telling one another stories about malfunctioning sexual organs and reminiscing about weddings of old. Occassionally the film realises it doesn't know how to explain anything without an awkwardly imposed black and white flashback. Even the interpersonal elements of the characters don't really work; Nick and Alice barely seem like they have a history, which makes the whole cheating storyline lose wind pretty fast. Mike and Nick are labelled as friends, but this doesn't seem especially likely. Frankly, it's hard to even fathom that Nick was capable of enough guilt to travel back in time to save his friend.

I found the visual style of this film to be utterly bizarre and often ugly. The fact that random shots descended into these out-of-focus, blurred, dropped frame rate sequences was hard to understand as a stylistic choice. The editing set an extremely slow pace and could have been tidier in a few scenes. The score was incredibly scattered, with the style of music weirdly switching up for different scenes at times. I felt confused by the intent of the score, which only really came to the party for a handful of moments.

James Marsden, who played Quick Draw Mike, just did not feel like a criminal at all in this; Marsden seemed baffled by the material he was working with at the best of times. Jimmy Tatro, who played Jimmy Boy, just felt like a bit of an obvious push for comedy; Tatro felt more like a college bro than the son of a crime lord. Arturo Castro, who played Dumbass Tony, had such a weird gag scene around dicks no longer working after a certain age; Castro really didn't belong among the criminal ensemble. Stephen Root, who played Chet, was a bit of a novelty fake-out scene; Root gives a passing strange effort at an eccentric character. Dolph Lundgren, who played The Barron, was really just in this for his height; Lundgren's imposing figure was kinda worse than Root's previous clowning of this role. 

This film never stopped struggling to make its oddball concept work. I would give Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice a 4.5/10.

Hoppers

This review may contain spoilers!

Hoppers follows Mabel Tanaka, a young student advocating for a glade that Beaverton's Mayor, Jerry, wants to build a motorway bypass through. When she stumbles across a science project that allows her to become a robot beaver, Mabel uses this 'hopping' technology to incite a wildlife rebellion against the humans.

Does that little blurb for the film above sound a bit crazy? Well, it is. Hoppers is unabashedly a zany, creative tour de force with a concept that just sets out to be fun. From a young age, we see Mabel as someone who loves animals and the natural world; it's the place that grounds her when she gets mad. It's also the place she connects with her grandmother, who teaches her to be peaceful and find calm in this world. Leaping forward to Mabel as a high-energy university student passionately protesting the city destroying this magical place she had growing up, we see Mabel still feels righteous and headstrong about those who endanger nature. This film has an awesome way of presenting the fight for the environment, even showing the viewer how ecosystems are disregarded and destroyed for industrial expansion. The sci-fi component is initially bizarre, but a fun leap into seeing the animal world. The animals have been pushed into one tumultuous environment with the city creeping further and further into their wood. It's here that Mabel meets King George, who sees things a lot more black and white than Mabel does. He believes all creatures are capable of trust, that we all live in one big pond together, and that trust might leak, but it can be mended. While Mabel incites change so that the animals can return home, she is also learning from George that reason and common ground are good places to fight from, too. Watching Mabel set aside her differences with Jerry to stop the Insect King, a megalomaniacal butterfly in the final act, is an important aspect of this story. It shows that two people standing on opposite sides of the divide can find a place to be better if they talk and learn from one another; watching Mabel and Jerry actually work together to clean up the glade by the end of the film was a real emotional sucker punch for me.

Pixar is really back in action with this one; the animation is so adventurous. I thought those neat, realistic details in nature were impressive. For a lot of years, that metric was how real the water looked, but for Hoppers, you can see it in how the long grass bends and sways, or how each rock has a different pattern of lichen upon it. Yet, the animation isn't just about grounding you in something real; it has a vibrant design brimming with colour that made me think of that joyful spark you see when a young kid falls in love with a picture book. The score for this feature hits all of the right emotional beats, and I loved the soundtrack they paired with this. 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing' being played as Jerry's favourite song was a comedic high point of the film.

Piper Curda, who voiced Mabel, is this real fiery fighter for nature and what she loves; Curda's voice work brings this young rebel to life. Jon Hamm, who voiced Mayor Jerry Generazzo, is remarkably charismatic despite initially being placed as an antagonist; Hamm lends a ton of comedy and heart in equal measure. Kathy Najimy, who voiced Dr. Sam, is this very high-strung scientific mind; she shows a lot of care for Mabel while being this highly stressed presence for the hopping beaver robot. Meryl Streep, who voiced the Insect Queen, was a real imperial presence; Streep doing a bit of grandstanding aggression as this monarch butterfly was brilliant. Karen Huie, who voiced Grandma Tanaka, is one of those gentle grounding voices in the film; Huie is at the emotional centre of the first act completely. Lila Liu, who voiced Young Mabel, really introduces us to that fiery anger Mabel has; but we also hear her first love for the natural world from Liu. Eman Abdul-Razzak, who voiced the Insect Prince, is a classic evil antagonist; a genuine shiver when he declares he is going to pupate. Vanessa Bayer, who voiced Diane, is such a good voice gag for such an intimidating character; Bayer plays a good contrast to the scenes she is in.

However, the best performance came from Bobby Moynihan, who voiced King George. This character is an absolute sweetheart, probably one of the most likable roles I've seen in animation in a while. George is a genuinely good and kind leader; he puts his people first every step of the way. Moynihan crafts a role with a lot of compassion, who sees the good in others and believes in doing the right thing. He isn't always action-first, but he becomes inspired to take action more across the film without compromising his values. Moynihan's work here is wonderful; it left me feeling pretty inspired by a little beaver wearing a crown.

I mentioned before that Hoppers sounds a bit crazy, which means it is often very daring and creative. But sometimes it is just a bit too bonkers for its own good. The film struggles to introduce the hopping technology; it's a big shift that is quite an extreme tonal shift the film stumbles through initially. I also found the big conflict with the Insect King at the end of the film was a bit much. It made sense that the film went that way, but it went in a direction that was difficult to contain after it had gone that far. This was a big climax that probably needed to be workshopped just a little more to get it there.

Dave Franco, who voiced the Insect King, was a big part of what didn't work in act three; Franco's exaggerated delivery just blew the top off what the story was doing. Eduardo Franco, Tom Law and Melissa Villaseñor, who voiced Loaf, Tom Lizard and Ellen respectively, were a friend ensemble that never left much of an impression; these characters often lumbered right behind the two leads and barely seized the story for themselves. Aparna Nancherla and Sam Richardson, who voiced Nisha and Conner respectively, were just background elements to Najimy; neither performer really had their own way of making an impact. Isiah Whitlock Jr., Steve Purcell, Ego Nwodim and Nichole Sakura, who voiced the Bird King, the Amphibian King, the Fish Queen and the Reptile Queens respectively, were an ensemble that didn't really make much of an impression; a unique group that was never really more interesting than their visual introduction.  

A simple message, but an effective one: human or animal, we are all in this pond together. I would give Hoppers an 8.5/10.

Project Hail Mary

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel of the same name. The film follows Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher who cracks the mystery of saving Earth's dying sun. Sent on a one-way mission to save the sun, Grace must work alongside an unlikely ally to save his world.

This is really what sci-fi is all about. When you think of a film that uses science to elevate the viewer and propel us out into the void of space, we often think about Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy. But Project Hail Mary gives us Ryland Grace, a man who has woken up alone on a spaceship after an induced coma. He is desperate to reconnect with his identity, and he feels the isolation of being alone on this ship. This film introduces Rocky, an extraterrestrial character who has ventured through the stars to save his homeworld as well. This meeting is where the film gets really refreshing. It's not a moment of tension, nor aggression. This is a film in which the characters learn about one another, and they discover how to communicate and develop a bond through their shared circumstances. What kindles from this is a friendship that defies a difference in species; it is a moment in which two scientifically minded beings show compassion for one another. The chemistry developed between this duo is the beating heart of this film and gives so much when the film really puts this pair on the rocks. I also think the story of seeing how Grace comes to be in space is a good one; he proves himself to be more than his mettle. But when he fails himself on Earth, he makes up for it by choosing to be self-sacrificing for Rocky later in the feature. This is a marked point about bravery, and what the true meaning of it looks like. I adored the humour and fun this film was willing to have with itself, knowing it could slip quite easily into wonder and thrills. There is also a powerful message for your day-to-day human being here about uniting in the face of global threats to our planet's natural environment.

This is a movie with very practised hands on the wheel. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have a visual feast set before the audience here; the camera work glides you through the spaceship Mary. Yet I even think those helter skelter shots when Grace is chasing down an idea are electric moments of cinematography. The visual effects will blow you away; the astrophage farming scene is a real standout moment for Project Hail Mary. I also have to rave about the practical effects that are on display here; the physical set of Mary is a treat, but nothing compares to the work done to craft the puppet that is Rocky. Daniel Pemberton does the score for this, and it is a broad spectrum lending moments of levity and tension alike. I liked a lot of the more folksy soundtrack too, though Hüller's performance of 'Sign of the Times' is the real winner.

Sandra Hüller, who played Eva Stratt, was a woman with the weight of the world literally upon her shoulders; Hüller is very clever about portraying Eva as amenable, while also making it clear that she understands the burden she carries. James Ortiz, who portrayed Rocky, is a master of puppeteering and voice work; Ortiz and Gosling sculpted a bond that this film lives or dies upon. Lionel Boyce, who played Carl, is an unexpected moment of comedy and camaraderie; Boyce doesn't work in the world of science here, yet he forges a really sincere bond with Gosling in their scenes.

However, the best performance came from Ryan Gosling, who played Ryland Grace. It feels like every time Gosling takes a swing at the moment, he is hitting that ball out of the park. This role is going to sit pretty high on his filmography. Gosling really entertains when we first join him; an amnesiac Grace waking up in a state and trying to get his bearings is quite the opener. I found this character a real joy to follow; he is charismatic and very well-intentioned. Gosling makes a point of having him feel very grounded, a bit dorky and yet uncertain within himself at times. I loved the journey to discovering bravery within Ryland Grace; it's a terrific moment of character growth that drives the feature. Gosling knows this movie is all heart; it's a really compassionate piece. You couldn't have a better lead for it.

The alien is so good, I absolutely love Rocky. Yet I couldn't help but feel there's a first contact story in this that feels a bit glazed over. It never seems that alarming to Grace that he makes first contact. Maybe that's because Grace's initial fear is played for comedy, or perhaps we just aren't allowed to sit in the gravity of it. But I do think seeing that alien ship for the first time could have been given a more grounded moment of response. I also felt learning that Grace had been cowardly as a big twist to come a little late. It no longer felt convincing given what we had seen in the modern day at that point.

Milana Vayntrub and Ken Leung, who played Olesya Ilyukhina and Yao respectively, were characters who really could have been built upon; this pair were vital to the mission but ultimately felt reduced to being little more than the bodies they became. 

What a ray of joy for cinema the Lord, Miller, Goddard and Gosling team have sculpted here. I would give Project Hail Mary a 9/10.

Reminders Of Him

 

This review may contain spoilers!

Reminders Of Him is an adaptation of the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. After being released from prison, Kenna attempts to reconnect with the daughter she has never seen. However, she carries the guilt of being the driver behind the wheel the night her daughter's father died. Can Kenna find a second chance amid her own guilt and the resentment of those who knew her?

The moments when this movie remembers to be sweet are often the best. Reminders Of Him has that charm evoked by an American small-town redemption story, where hope is possible, and the underdog gets her shot at happiness again. I felt there were a few moments of emotional sincerity between Kenna and Ledger that solidified the relationship as it went along. The climax of the film being Kenna is reunited with her daughter, is the best part. It's a real heavyweight moment where everything set before us comes down to a simple conversation between a young girl and a woman trying to explain to her that she is her mother.

This film is a mixed bag when it comes to the camera work, yet when that lens gets out in nature, or alongside rolling fields or the open road, it really can take your breath away. The location shooting in this is absolutely gorgeous, and the cinematography capitalises on those moments when it gets to go wide. The acoustic guitar layered across the score for this film really grounds the viewer in that hometown setting and makes the whole feature feel a bit more heartfelt. The soundtrack is also a great mix of emotional pieces with a grounding in country. I loved that we got a few iterations of Coldplay's 'Yellow', which was utilised excellently.

Maika Monroe, who played Kenna Rowan, does a relatively decent job as the protagonist for this film; the emotional scenes where she meets her daughter or makes the impulsive decision to leave are often the ones that hit home the hardest. Lauren Graham, who played Grace Landry, is really subtle in the way she portrays internal conflict; the way we see her accept Kenna while grieving her son is very moving. Rudy Pankow, who played Scotty Landry, is quite a simple, charismatic character; Pankow doesn't let Scotty become larger than life, which makes his death all the more moving. Nicholas Duvernay, who played Roman, fast finds his place as the comedic backbone of the film; Duvernay is effortlessly funny and quite likable. Zoe Kosovic, who played Diem Landry, is the sweetest young performer they could have found; this wee girl just feels like walking sunshine.

However, the best performance came from Tyriq Withers, who played Ledger Ward. This character is the classic hometown hero that everyone seems to love type, and Withers has the charisma to run with that. Ledger is a character who really works as a father figure, and this connection Withers has with Kosovic really makes for a loveable onscreen dynamic. Withers plays to his internal conflict well, protecting the family he has served for five years while grappling with his own feelings for Kenna. Withers manages to show anger and frustration in a restrained and reasonable way, more often finding Ledger's desire for resolution. This is a character who is entirely enamoured by Monroe's Kenna, too, and Withers plays to that head over heels quality well. This is the sort of character who stands firm in supporting others, and it's he who ultimately brings this family back together.

Reminders Of Him spends most of the film being a bit melodramatic and unlikely. It's hard to get away from the fact that everything is dramatised and there aren't many moments that find their grounding. Kenna's letters to Sammy often serve as exposition dumps before they later become emotional confessions, which takes a lot of the passion out of that connection very early on. This is a film that wants to remind you that Kenna's life is a misery; nothing has gone right for her. The love of her life is dead, she can't see her daughter, and she went to prison. But it's also a movie where Kenna seems to have a lot of doors open for her every step of the way. She gets a job and a place to live without much struggle, and her dead boyfriend's best friend is pretty fast in becoming completely smitten with her. From there, her pathway to getting a second job and a chance with her daughter only becomes easier in a lot of ways. The moment Kenna and Ledger kissed didn't feel completely earned at that time; they still had some sharp points between them, and it didn't feel like they had drawn close enough together. This is a movie that really doesn't want to put too much pressure on the viewer, and you always loosely know where it's all going to play out. Even the car crash that motivates all of this isn't well captured; it still leaves a lot of room for culpability and doesn't necessarily make the audience forgive Kenna. Reminders Of Him is often a mixed bag, a predictable romance film with enough ability to tug on the heartstrings in the final act.

When the camera got to fly out on location and capture scenery, it really shone. But most of the time, the camerawork in this was downright lazy, or even ugly. The close ups often pushed in too hard, or a scene was very awkwardly framed. The editing is probably the worst thing about this feature, often making some very janky cuts that hitch the pacing of a scene. Yet, it was those flashback sequences with Sammy, which were often colour graded the ugliest shade of yellow you would ever see, that highlighted the poor style choices for this film.

Bradley Whitford, who played Patrick Landry, felt a little lost in this role; the scene in which Whitford gets violent feels completely over the top. Lainey Wilson, who played Amy, is a role the film often forgets about; Wilson's friendship with Kenna could have been better developed. Monika Myers, who played Lady Diana, is an instance where a disabled person feels hired to be made a joke out of; Myers' character's behaviour is often treated as an oddity, which doesn't represent her very well. Hilary Jardine, who played Mary Anne, is probably a friend too many for Ledger's character; Jardine often feels like the odd person out in her scenes. 

A film that won't blow anyone away, but manages to tug on the heartstrings in its final few minutes quite well. I would give Reminders Of Him a 4.5/10.