Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Starring Jerry as Himself Review

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When one wants to experience a film based on actual events, it does not get any more real than Starring Jerry as Himself. Directed by Law Chen, the film provides real-life documentation of an elderly man who faced many financial constraints due to being scammed. Starring Jerry as Himself may even be one of the most important films of 2023 because of the way it presents a harsh scenario, i.e., being scammed, which is all too common today. Starring Jerry as Himself held my attention due to the intense struggles Jerry faces and how much stress they cause in his life. The stress, however, is just the beginning in Starring Jerry as Himself.

The film focuses on a family that documents the various facets of their father Jerry. He is an immigrant who has supposedly been recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent. This may or may not be true. Within an instant Jerry starts to see his life spiral downhill when his accounts are messed with.  Inspector Ou (played by Fang Du) and Officer Zhang (played by Haosong Yang) inform him that he needs to be careful, and that the Chinese government are onto him. Jerry now finds himself facing a scam that can even impact him at his age.

The film shows that a trail of funds is in odd places. Jerry struggles to think clearly and his decisions cause the audience to be curious about how much disaster Jerry can create for himself. Starring Jerry as Himself give off vibes that are stressful yet invigorating. The investigations, the realizations, and Jerry’s thinking all turn this true story into a conspiracy.

Overall, the feeling that the audience will feel is distress. They will feel this way because there is no easy way out of the choices Jerry makes or the orders he must follow (or assumes he must follow) from the authorities. Starring Jerry as Himself is a film which offers a realistic experience, where an event based on actual events strikes its audience to its core. Starring Jerry as Himself is a movie that is bound to enthrall its audience due to its serious subject matter.

In Starring Jerry as Himself, the problems complicating Jerry’s life appear to potentially be a setup. His experience involves situations in which Jerry assumes he is talking to authorities he can trust, but it may in fact not be the case. Sometimes he thinks he is doing the right thing by keeping certain people in the loop regarding his finances, but his communication with them may instead cause him to go down a deeper hole. Jerry must rely on the right resources before he loses his funds which provide his support and livelihood.

The experience of realism is Jerry’s life as he deals with a complicated conspiracy makes this film intriguing. An error with a scam sets off a turmoil of conflicts for Jerry. Can he recover what was taken from him? Find out in Starring Jerry as Himself. Three stars out of four stars.

Film reviews

The Flash Review

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A long and anticipated wait is over—Ezra Miller as Barry Allen, also known as “The Flash”! After many halts in production and Miller’s erratic behavior, The Flash is finally here. But from my perspective, this long-awaited experience was mediocre at best.

The Flash provides little backstory, it jumps right to the main story, and its approach to the writing is poor. In fact, I found very few invigorating moments in this film. I continually asked myself just what direction this film is going to take. The DC universe has many superhero alumni. One is Michael Keaton returning in a role as Bruce Wayne as “Batman!” And there are other positives and surprises in the DC universe. The Flash is not one of them. It is fatally flawed.

In his role as Barry Allen and “The Flash!”, Miller of course has a super power that allows him to move from place to place in the blink of an eye. But Barry is a sensitive individual, and he has a dark past that he wishes he could turn around. A family tragedy puts him in a place where his chosen course is to go back in time to change the future and save his mom. The problem is that the world he enters does not have any heroes. Without the assistance of heroes, Barry may not be able to accomplish his self-assigned mission. Despite Ben Affleck also coming back as Bruce Wayne and “Batman”, Barry’s resources and teammates are limited.

As Barry continues to embark on his mission, Bruce Wayne and Batman do play a role in helping The Flash. At times it almost seemed like there is more of Batman than The Flash. I often felt like I wasn’t in the world of The Flash. I was in a different universe of previous superheroes.

It is no doubt a challenge to craft a strong storyline, and The Flash is proof of that. Instead of a strong storyline it has lots of random moments of poorly written adventures. So although I had faith in Ezra Miller’s performance and my excitement was high for this film, this one didn’t come close to meeting my expectations.

One of the glaring flaws of The Flash was the shifting of timelines. It was simply an utter mess. Barry’s time travel grasped my attention visually, but it kept feeling like being thrown into universes of clouds with no solutions. My view is that most of the cinema superhero universe seems to be in the clouds, and much of the blame may be on the studios rushing their projects. The Flash was delayed then rushed, and while the rushing speed of Barry and The Flash brought some thunderbolts of joy, the rest of the movie is a blur.

I’m trying to find something positive to say about The Flash, and it did have some surreal surprises, but most of the film is a mess. Again, I had faith in Miller, and I was hopeful that this would be a great experience. But it kept failing where there could have been brilliance. In fact, I would say that a better title for this film would have been The Flash and His Lame Adventures. Just two out of four stars for The Flash.

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Theater Camp Review

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During my high school years, I loved being involved in theatre. I performed in seven productions including The Nitwits, Les Miserables, Flowers for Algernon, MacBeth Did It, Get Smart, Sense and Sensibility, and The Music Man. When I saw the film Theater Camp, it allowed me to relive my younger days when I was in a community of theatrical enthusiasts learning acting and other important stage skills. I was reminded of trials and errors during auditions, but more importantly the positive feelings which come from being connected to many friends working together on a production. Theater Camp is a one-of-a-kind sensation that features voices that span all ages. It is a real treat for those who are aspiring to have a voice.

Theater Camp focuses on camp counselors Amos Klobuchar (played by Ben Platt) and Rebecca Diane (played by Molly Gordon). They are best friends who live for the arts and the theatre. The duo run a theater camp in upstate New York which is bound to be closed due to financial conflicts. The risk of the camp shutting down prompts Amos and Rebecca Diane to influence their students to be as lively as they possibly can be. With Platt and Gordon playing camp counselors who have loads of acting experience, they are perfect in these roles. They are the voices of this inspiring film which will appeal to audiences of all ages.

There are moments of frustration in the rehearsals for their show. This story line does, however, find its light. It reminds viewers that actors can have their moments of struggle. The movie also reminds viewers that any form of acting is a process, but it is ultimately about enjoying the craft and each stage of the work itself. Theater Camp is a positive retrospective that reminds us how theatricals can create memories to cherish forever.

Emotions experienced during the rehearsal process is where Theater Camp finds its vital connection to the world of the arts. There are times when the camp hits plateaus. The film shows how these hardships are overcome and they serve to make the camp stronger with better voices, innovative minds, and creative ideas. The joy of Theater Camp reminds me of the saying, “There are no small roles, only small actors.” Konstantin Stanislavski is credited for this comment and this quote was mentioned every time I walked into an audition. This quote correlates to Theater Camp because everyone is a winner. No matter how big their role, their craft, or their thinking are, each person is going to be successful in their own unique way.

I hope that those who see Theater Camp embrace the appreciation they experience through the performances of Platt and Gordon. It reminds us that in acting or any performance art, the importance of the mentoring from the directors. Theater Camp illustrates for viewers that the ones who deserve the attention for an amazing performance are those who are in charge but are often behind the scenes. This film is about community and appreciation of the arts. It is also about being an advocate for those who are passionate about the arts. Four stars for Theater Camp.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!