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Film reviews

Honey Don’t! Review

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Actresses Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza are a hurricane of fun and mysterious characterizations. Honey Don’t! is a unique crime thriller and dark comedy. This film feels experimental-because it pushes all kinds of limits while also finding humor in moments that should not be so funny. Directed by Ethan Coen, horrid behaviors thrive in an immersive way. It is like Fargo with some hidden gems, but in the end is unable to fulfill its potential brilliance.

The film focuses on Honey O’Donahue (Qualley), a lesbian detective making all kinds of eerie choices while also navigating weird crimes. Many of the issues are entangled with a church run by the mysterious Reverend Drew Devlin (played by Chris Evans). He is a reverend up to all kinds of shady activities when he is off duty. With murders and various crimes occurring, Honey’s mind is boggled.  In addition, she is busy trying to find love for a colleague, MG Falcone (Plaza). The two establish a secret. loving relationship. At the same time, the small-town that Honey patrols remain at odds given the murders and the shady Reverend Devlin. As the story progresses, the circumstances surrounding the unexplained crimes get even messier.

It is a film in which all the characters are two-sided. The elements needed to explore trust in relationships are perfect for this set of characters, but the execution falls short. This is likely due to how Ethan writes his scripts which normally entailtragedy and sad endings. At other times, Ethan’s scripts leave his viewers twisted. There is much that is twisted in Honey Don’t!, including Honey’s bad choices. Not one of the characters is up to par in this film. However, Honey Don’t! is vibrant with interesting layers of tragedy that continue to make attempts to get to the truth. Unfortunately, things fall apart quite early, which has an impact on the film’s overall enjoyability.

The storyline veers away from the crime scenarios to try to focus more on the risky behaviors in pursuit of adding somejoyfulness in the film. This was a turn off for me because I was expecting lots of laughs from cleverness since it is written by one of the Coen brothers. I did not get much of that but instead got a whole lot of intimate moments that seemed unwritten. The performances were magnificent, but the connection to the plot was limited. In the end, the film fell short of its potential.  

Honey Don’t! became increasingly strange as it went on due to the detective wanting her own desires to be fulfilled. The sameissue applies to the Reverend. The roles of superiority should befunny and attention-grabbing, but their characterizations were written poorly. Also, there were too many random ideas that fell in and out of place which were equally flawed because their outcomes were predictable. This is far from my favorite film byEthan Coen, but at least the writing was effective in generating some momentum. Two out of four stars for Honey Don’t!

 

Film reviews

The Ballad of Wallis Island Review

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Two musicians who have lost what was once a positive vibe finds a path of empathy and redemption in The Ballad of Wallis Island. The film is directed by James Griffiths and it is written by Tom Basden and Tim Key—Basden and Key are also the leads in the film. Basden plays Herb McGwyer and Key plays Charles Heath. This is one of those unique tales that has a subtle path in forming continuity. A lost musician finding his path backis where The Ballad of Wallis Island is artistic in its form—the artistry is its main musician finding his roots to feel the success he once had. 

The setting of The Ballad of Wallis Island is on a remote island. Charles Heath is the host of the island, and he has won a lottery. His prize is getting a private performance by his two favorite musicians. Herb McGwyer is one of them and Neil Mortimer (played by Carey Mulligan) is the other. Herb is frustrated thathis musical career has had downfalls and he is hopeful that this gig will get him back on his feet. He ends up having a close relationship with Neil though and with both of them present on the island, many revolving doors begin to open.

With the writing focusing on hardship and starving artists having an opportunity to thrive, The Ballad of Wallis Island presents astructure of continual improvement. Herb and Neil actually find themselves in moments where they feel most lost. They arelooking to experience a revival of the talent that they once hadonce had.  “Revival” is a key point of connection in The Ballad of Wallis Island. With the setting of solitude, the pieces of Herb and Neil keep fueling moments of their positive past into the present.

The dynamic of the screenplay is in the context of friendship and bonding— fulfilling one’s lottery win based on past fame is a chapter with a fresh beginning. The Ballad of Wallis Island is set in a location where the musical creativity comes strongly. The remote island is also a place of resources to be used for good reasons. What captivated me was the process of getting to the island via the boat. I always felt that the boat arriving on land was a moment of friendship to be made. That is how Herb builds his relationship with Charles. With Charles as the host of the island, it becomes a place where quietness fuels musical inspiration. The Ballad of Wallis Island has motivational tracks in that it has the notion of falling and getting back up. It is a story fueled by empathy and characterizations. There is also the concept of keeping promises and a hope to the highest level of faith portrayed in this film.

The style of the music being performed is folk, which gives the film a more precise context. There are some dragging moments, but in the end, they are written to inspire. It is just a film where the taste is acquired—those who have a background in music or any forms of arts will find a sense of loving aspiration with The Ballad of Wallis Island. It is a film that is considered a drama with small additions of some comedy, yet its tracks of two people having a past with musical themes flow vibrantly. I was inspired and delighted by The Ballad of Wallis Island. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

Black Bag Review

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Director Steven Soderbergh has an eye for making his characters fly suspiciously below the radar. He has a sense of direction that sends off vibes that allow audiences to know there is an operation that does not make sense. He has done this successfully with his films ranging from Sex, Lies, and Videotape to Erin Brockovich to Solaris to Contagion to Presence. The major difference is that Black Bag centers around espionage—which adds a layer of confidentiality to its writing. There are moments of vividness in this film, but the pacing tends to fall off the tracks in some parts.

Black Bag centers around the core theme of betrayal mingled with loyalty and deception. The film focuses on Kathryn St. Jean (played by Cate Blanchett), an undercover agent. Her husband is George Woodhouse (played by Michael Fassbender), an agent as well. There is a sense of a nation at risk due to dishonesty involving the spy tactics of Kathryn and George. However, the picture is painted showing Kathryn as the one making the matter seem harmful. The other characters involved are Clarissa DuBose (played by Marisa Abela), Freddie Smalls (played by Tom Burke), Dr. Zoe Vaughan (played by Naomie Harris), Col. James Stokes (played by Rege-Jean Page), and Arthur Stieglitz (played by Pierce Brosnan). All these characters are key to the film’s primary puzzle. The cat-and-mouse game approach proceeds along a professional track. To clarify, there are no haunting surprises or outbursts of truth. Neither would be the style I would expect from Soderbergh.

The film labels Arthur as the superior of the spy operations. With George and Kathryn as husband and wife, the curiosity related to who they trust and can communicate with provides on going questions. Some moments one seems more trustworthy than the other. Audiences will want to focus on the personalities and tactics of everyone involved—that is the key to the film’s underlying pattern. In retrospect, there is the fear of something to lose which is the subject of the breach. To some extent, the story keeps trying to cover up the answers through the characters’ egos and professional backgrounds. The two-faced dynamics that every character possesses offers additional lines of questioning in Black Bag.

As someone who has always been fascinated by Soderbergh, I was pleased with the calculation of focus in this film. Unfortunately, the methods of execution and ultimate resolutions led me into a state of disarray. Even though many moments are quirky and slow as expected, there is no proper meaning to the conclusion. It is almost like a more serious version of 12 Angry Men. The primary differences are the people and their jobs which cause lingering issues with the level of trust. At various points I had the notion that I was going to figure out that everyone is at fault—which is not the case. The dynamics of this film had me sold, however its subtle approach is written in a way that felt dry. Overall, it is a fun Soderbergh flick with plenty of interesting scenes. Two-and-a-half out of four stars.