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Tribeca 2023: I.S.S. is an Anxiety Fueled Sci-Fi Thriller
One thing you rarely see on the festival circuit is ambitious sci-fi, and when I read the blurb for thriller I.S.S. I was immediately curious and had to check it out at Tribeca. The film takes place on the international space station shared by the US and Russia in the not too distant future, shortly after a new American bio specialist (Ariana DeBose) has come aboard. When the crew begins to rise after a night of revelry from welcoming their new arrival they notice the sight of explosive plumes as nuclear weapons are detonated on the surface of the earth below. This is followed by an order given to the crew, from both countries, to “take the station at any cost” due its research into radioactive treatments. This has both teams of scientists challenged to decide what’s more important, country, or the hope and unity that science promises.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish) crafts an engrossing and taut sci-fi thriller that is shockingly relevant, given the current war in Ukraine. It manages to boil this apocalyptic story down to one of love, trust and betrayal. It’s these interpersonal conflicts crafted by the ensemble that not only captivates the viewer, but firmly invests us in this story and their fight for survival. As director Gabriela Cowperthwaite begins to turn the screws to the already tense situation, it causes some unexpected twists and turns as it is revealed there was an unsanctioned relationship between a Russian and an American Scientist that further complicates the situation. While the narrative and performances are expertly executed, the CGI and effects hold up surprisingly well on the modest budget.
Tucked snugly in a genre I’ve dubbed “Fuck Space”, I.S.S. is an anxiety fueled thriller that will keep you guessing from start to finish. Not since Gravity have I seen a film that filled me with both awe and apprehension, while merging drama and sci-fi so effortlessly, while not letting the otherworldly setting overwhelm the narrative. While the film makes sure to highlight the wonder of space, it also makes it terrifying clear emphasize the fragility of our being when tossed into the unforgiving black void. I.S.S is a mesmerizing chamber piece that could easily be the best sci-fi thriller of the year. The film lures you in with its hyper relevant premise and locks you with its script that feels plucked from the headlines aided by performances that drive it straight home.
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Tribeca 2023: SUITABLE FLESH is a Frustrating Throwback without the Spice
Suitable Flesh, which just screened at Tribeca, finds Joe Lynch making a feature length tribute to Stuart Gordon. The film is based on a H.P. Lovecraft story, adapted by longtime Gordon collaborator Dennis Paoli, and stars Barbara Crampton looking suspiciously like she did in From Beyond. It has all the basic ingredients, but is still lacking that je ne sais quoi. One thing I can’t stop thinking about is how the film basically feels like the USA Up All Night version of a much sleazier “Skinemax” flick, with all the spicy bits excised and the violence left in. This doesn’t help its gender swapped premise of a (Graham) psychiatrist at the Miskatonic Hospital, who has a May-December relationship with a younger patient who believes he is having an out of body experience, when he is in actuality possessed by an elder god.
Did I mention it could be transferred like an STD?
That first act of this film, which is the more erotic thriller bit, will test even the most hard core genre fans with some very strange sexless sex scenes. They usually involve both parties wearing as much as possible, while writhing around uncomfortably against various objects. This is something that would have never flown had Gordon helmed this picture. I think that alone really neuters the narrative since it feels like it’s ultimately shying away from the sex, which is kinda a hallmark of these films and would have needed to be portrayed much more realistic and authentic way to get us into the next act. Since if your mind perceives the sex as authentic, it will be more pliable when it comes to the violence and supernatural goings on. Is it because Graham is older? I mean she’s simply stunning here and I personally think she could have easily pulled it off. We do get a peek at what that would have looked like later on in the film. But it’s too little too late since I have a feeling most would have tapped out by then.
This had me wondering, just why did it shy away from this in particular given the erotic thriller was a genre they were obviously attempting to crib from? It had the opportunity to do something completely subversive and empowering by allowing Graham’s character to be portrayed as the sexual creature she is. Especially in a trope we’ve seen play out more than once where the older male doctor takes advantage of the naive, vulnerable female patient. Barbara Crampton’s previous film Jacob’s Wife took that more empowering approach, and it elevated the vampire premise into something much more interesting, because it allowed an older woman to own her sexuality on screen. I don’t know if it was an actor or director choice, but it just made me wonder why go in this particular direction?
Simply put, Suitable Flesh was sadly very disappointing. As a fan of all the various elements at play here, the final product just never manages to reach its possible potential. It was also terribly frustrating, and that first act really tested me as both a critic and a fan. I continually found myself asking if it was supposed to be a parody or was it just failing miserably to play it straight. The one thing that was plain as day was how much fun both Graham and Crampton were having on screen once things got crazy, with the pair chewing the scenery and being total badasses. This at least gave me the momentum I needed to power through the rest of the film, that I really can’t recommend to even the most masochistic genre fans.
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Tribeca 2023: SOMEWHERE QUIET Is a Suspensefully Atmospheric Descent into Madness
Somewhere Quiet which just screened at Tribeca is a taut thriller which operates as a suspensefully atmospheric descent into madness. The film stars Jennifer Kim as Meg, newly freed after a traumatic kidnapping in which she spent six months in captivity, now trying to reacclimate to her former life with her wealthy husband Scott (Kentucker Audley). When the film begins the pair are retreating upstate to Scott’s family’s countryside compound to hopefully rest up and reconnect as a couple, since Scott was a suspect in Meg’s disappearance. As we begin to witness just how damaged Meg has become thanks to her traumatic ordeal, Scott’s uppity, boundary pushing cousin Madeline (Marin Ireland) crashes their reprieve and triggers something in Meg, sending her sanity spiraling.
Director Olivia West Lloyd crafts a surreal world around her fractured protagonist with cinematography that delivers dream-like visuals. This is opposite anxiety-inducing sound design that constantly reminds us of the nightmarish underpinnings at work here. The narrative is brought home by a stellar cast lead by Kim whose performance is flawlessly executed in its empathetic exploration of PTSD and mental illness that’s rarely depicted in such a way on screen. We feel bad for her, but she’s kind of dangerous too. This, coupled with Kentucker Audley’s distant hipster husband and Marin’s overbearing, overreaching and over sharing cousin put you through the paces while questioning your own sanity at times. The film feels like a COVID movie at times, but it uses that claustrophobia to fuel the narrative engine as Meg’s hallucinations and flashbacks of her ordeal begin to bleed into the real world.
Somewhere Quiet is a meticulously constructed thriller that’s relentless in its anxiety-inducing ability to make you never stop questioning everyone’s motivations and narratives. The film’s dream-like flow and logic will not only transfix you on Meg’s story, but have you constantly second guessing not only Meg’s sanity, but your own. The film is atmospherically akin to being in an elevator while a couple has one of those knock-out drag out arguments, that you’re sure will be the one that shatters the relationship forever. What can I say? Somewhere Quiet was one of my biggest surprises so far at Tribeca, it’s a little pressure cooker of a film that masterfully toys with reality and thanks to its cast who never show their hand until the final moments, and it loves to keep you guessing as to who was responsible for Meg’s kidnapping.
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The One Infuriating Thing About the JOHN WICK Sequels
I love the John Wick movies. And I’m guessing so do you. The fourth one made a hundred million more than the third one. If there is one thing that our divided nation can agree upon, it’s that we all love watching Keanu Reeves strut around in an immaculate suit and shoot fools in the face. The fact that each successive film is also an audio-visual feast of immaculate compositions, uniting high and low art in endless dazzling combinations, that’s just icing on the cake. The murder-cake.
But.
With the John Wick saga (allegedly) concluded, I look back over the glorious carnage and the wonderful bloody mayhem, and I can’t help but feel somewhat dissatisfied. Not with the mayhem and the carnage, God no, but with a key narrative choice that came to dominate both the third and fourth films.
At the end of Chapter 2, Winston (Ian McShane) informs John that he has been deemed “excommunicado” and soon the forces of the High Table, the unseen, godly rulers of the hidden world of assassins, will come after him. John in turn warns Winston that if anyone does come after him, he’ll “kill them all.”
So when I sat down for Chapter 3, I was excited at the prospect of a movie that would be about John Wick fighting his way through wave after wave of killers, with the High Table itself as the final Big Bad to be bested.
Except that isn’t what Chapter 3 is about.
Instead, the bulk of the film is not John battling it out against the Table, but desperately trying to regain their favor and be freed from the death sentence placed on him at the end of 2.
A surprise and a disappointment to be sure, but the ending of 3 promised that the longed for confrontation had only been delayed rather than cancelled. 3 ends with the aggrieved Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) recruiting a wounded John to his own revolutionary cause, declaring open war on the Table, its underlings, and the entire system that subjugates the individual and mercilessly punishes any who dare oppose it.
Eagerly, I sat down for the fourth and final (allegedly) chapter, ready to see John Wick bring the fight right to the fuckers’ doorstep. Doorsteps. There may or may not be multiple doors, who’s to say.
Except, that isn’t what Chapter 4 is about.
Instead, John Wick kills one (1) member of the High Table in the opening minutes, only for the film to remind him, and tell us, that there’s really no point in killing members of the High Table because when one, or any, of them die, they are simply replaced. Kill one, kill a hundred, it doesn’t matter. The system will keep on going, not even recognizing the number of bodies it rolls right over.
I kept waiting for Chapter 4 to at any point return to the righteous, revolutionary fervor of 3’s conclusion.
Nothing doing.
Chapter 4 instead introduces Bill Skarsgard as the exquisitely loathsome Marquis, a sort of stand-in for the evils of the High Table, with victory over him symbolizing triumph over the ruling class. But the victory rings hollow. At every step of the way John (and Winston, and the Bowery King, and new characters like Donnie Yen’s Caine and Shamier Anderson’s Tracker) continue to play by the rules, never again daring to consider that the rules themselves might be challenged.
Fishburne’s King is especially poorly served by this narrative swerve. He ends 3 declaring war on the elites who ignored him, then looked down on him, then tried to squash him as they might a bug. But by 4, all his fire and brimstone has sputtered out and his function now appears to be little more than serving as John Wick’s Q. Delivering his messages, watching his dog, supplying him with weaponry and gear.
I’ve yet to see anyone else bring up this line of criticism, so maybe it’s just me. Ultimately, it’s a minor quibble in the midst of a masterwork, outshouted by and largely unnoticed amongst the onslaught of excellence in all other fields.
I wish it didn’t bother me.
But it did.
It does.
It continues to.
The simple, and correct, response is that that is just not the story that Reeves, director Chad Stahelski, and the various writers chose to tell. Their chosen storyline brings the John Wick saga out of the canon of American action films and connects it closer to something like the long tradition of samurai films from Japan. The rigid societal structures depicted in such films do not allow for any challenge either, with a characters’ ethical nature being determined by how they conduct themselves in the face of such unyielding circumstances. If tradition dictates that you must suffer, your worth is not determined by how you escape that suffering, but by how best you stand it.
I might argue that the beloved worldbuilding of the John Wick movies becomes something of a problem here. We all love the nonsensical system of gold coins, markers, tickets, sanctified grounds, etc., but that same vagueness makes it difficult to invest in ironclad notions, such as that the High Table cannot be challenged or overthrown. Why not? Chapter 4 especially leans hard on the notion that John Wick has finally found a problem he can’t just shoot his way out of, without necessarily putting in the legwork to justify why he can’t at least give it the ol’ college try.
Perhaps now that the story is fully and finally told (allegedly), it will be easier to look back at John Wick’s story as a whole and appreciate what it is, rather than what I continued to want it to be. Not, ultimately, the story of a man determined to defy the gods, but instead the story of a man who came to accept that the gods cannot be defied, and made his own form of peace underneath that knowledge.
Perhaps.
But I tend to think not. Maybe it’s something in my own nature, some old defiance forever seeking an excuse to defy, that cannot accept there being an institution impervious to revolution. And that part of me, that portion of my being that longs to come face to face with the Devil so I could spit on his cheek and watch it sizzle (I stole that from The Dark Tower. Thanks Uncle Stevie.) might just never get on board with the fact that the John Wick movies kept feinting towards a cleansing fire, only to repeatedly prove unwilling to strike the match.
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Spinema Issue 70: BEETLEJUICE: THE MUSICAL is a Simply Perfect Adaption!
Photo by: MATTHEW MURPHY, 2022 Lend an ear to SPINEMA: a column exploring all movie music, music related to movies, and movies related to music. Be they film scores on vinyl, documentaries on legendary musicians, or albums of original songs by horror directors, all shall be reviewed here. Batten down your headphones, because shit’s about to sound cinematic.
Of all the cult films I think have gotten the post-musical treatment, I think Beetlejuice makes the most sense to me. Probably because of how Tim Burton used music on one what was easily one of my favorite scores/soundtracks of the 80s. When I heard the film was getting turned into a musical produced by Warner Brothers, I was cautiously optimistic, but sadly I had missed the Broadway run. The musical had a well received, but rather brief run due to the disruption of COVID and ran on Broadway from April 25, 2019 to January 8, 2023. Luckily for me the show went on a US tour, which is where I caught “The show about Death” in Philadelphia at our very own Academy of Music, where the show will be running until June 11th.
While the basic skeleton of the story from the film is still there. A wholesome couple dies, who then naively hire “the world’s leading bio-exorcist” Beetlejuice, to help out when a new family moves into their home and soon realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew with Beetlejuice’s antics. Where Beetlejuice wisely differentiates itself is by swapping primary protagonists from the Maitlands, to Lydia Deetz (Isabella Esler). The musical essentially focuses on Lydia dealing with her grief and her trying to process the death of her mother, which for my money delivers one of the most heartwarming and morose numbers in the play ever “Dead Mom”. The show starts off at her mother’s funeral and that is what drives her character, who in this iteration actually makes it to the nether realm. That switch was a smart move, because the Maitlands story-wise really weren’t all that interesting and Beetlejuice; well a chaotic evil protagonist is probably going to lose some patrons once things get nuts.
Photo by: MATTHEW MURPHY, 2022 While this version has been updated for a more contemporary sensibility, it’s done so while letting Beetlejuice drop a few more F-Bombs than his previous PG counterparts. Thinking about it now, it’s kind of wild that they got the F-word in a PG movie to begin with, but this was the 80s. Beetlejuice also breaks the fourth wall here and there, yes like Deadpool, while dealing out some very relevant jokes that felt clearly hot swappable depending on current events. It’s not an easy role, but one that’s flawlessly executed by Justin Collette. Lydia here though clearly shines with not only her comedic chops and her chemistry with Beetlejuice that was reminiscent of the 80s cartoon, but the more tender moments with her doting father (Jesse Sharp) and Lydia’s new wave life coach Delia (Kate Marilley) – who here is not married to her father, just yet.
The musical numbers here are tongue and cheek as you’d expect. Aside from “Dead Mom” and the Harry Belafonte tunes, the highlights for me had to be “That Beautiful Sound” a sound about scaring the life out of someone, “The Whole Being Dead Thing” the shows them and a song that has the ghost with the most getting us acclimated to the world we are about to enter. Also I have to mention “Creepy Old Guy” probably the funniest and most inappropriate song about a May, December relationship you will ever hear. The ensemble here is super charming and downright hilarious at times to the point I am pretty sure I missed more than a few things, because I was laughing at something else. As for the staging, it’s VERY Burton-esque and does a fantastic job at keeping the world as open as they can, while making it work on stage. The show does do some interesting things background-wise and interlude-wise using animated video projections that feel very authentic to the film and Burton’s art style and there is also a badass giant sandworm who doesn’t get enough stage time.
Photo by: MATTHEW MURPHY, 2022 I hate to say it, I kind of liked the musical about as much as the film, even though it does offer up a redemption to Beetlejuice. But it does so at the cost of allowing all the other characters to have more developed arcs and not simply Lydia, who here feels less like a sketch of a goth kid and more like someone who is struggling with dealing with something rather than going through her Smiths phase. It’s the kind of breadth and depth that actually improved the source material by taking the themes and characters that might have been there the whole time, or just glazed over and building on them and allowing them room to grow – along with some damn catchy tunes. Beetlejuice is a damn near perfect adaptation, it manages to keep the chaotic spirit of the film intact, while adding some real heart. The show is current on tour and tickets are actually pretty reasonable, and you can get more info here.
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Unboxing and Review: Film Movement Brings Hideo Gosha’s SAMURAI WOLF 1 & 2 to Blu-ray
Isao Natsuyagi plays a conscientious but deadly ronin in Hideo Gosha’s late 60s samurai duology. His name is Kiba, but those who encounter him are more likely to call him by his nickname: Wolf.
He’s handsome, charming, stylish with a sword and quick to flash a roguish smile, but also beset by difficulties: unlucky in love and often forced by circumstances to fight.
It’s certainly not an uncommon observation that samurai films are often similar to westerns, but the thought is particularly apt with these titles and their plots. In the first film, Kiba is hired to protect a wagon bearing a shipment of gold. In the sequel, he establishes a shaky alliance with a desperate outlaw, against their common enemies.
In both films, the sword-fighting is particularly notable for both its stylization and violence. Gosha employs several techniques to make his sequences stand apart from genre fare and put the viewer off-balance: Dutch angles, slow motion, freeze frames, and even punctuations of silence in the audio. Critical hits are notably gory for the time; geysers of black blood spray out when a blade finds its mark.
Kiba maintains honor and integrity in a rough world where others won’t necessarily do the same, but it’s always interesting when he encounters a foe who does: maybe these guys would be friends if they weren’t on opposite sides of whatever is the current conflict. (In one memorable scene, Kiba asks a challenger to delay their battle so he can fulfill his contract in progress, protecting a convoy. The challenger, trusting him to honor the fight, agrees).
Compared to its contemporaries, the Samurai Wolf saga isn’t as fun as Zatoichi, nor as masterful as Kurosawa, but it does have a certain unique flavor, steeped in tragedy and violence and featuring an appealing hard-luck hero.
The Package / Unboxing
Film Movement’s Blu-ray edition of Samurai Wolf 1 & 2 is a single disc volume with both films with extras. Putting all the content on one disc might sound bad, but being black and white films, they’re not as huge as typical full color movie files. I had no problems with the quality of this product or its one-disc format.
The Blu-ray disc is housed in a clear case and includes a slipcover. On my copy the slipcover was a bit wide for the case, causing it to sit very loosely.
Also included is a 20-page booklet with notes by author Robin Gatto.
Special Features and Extras
Outlaw Director: Hideo Gosha (15:38)
Interview with the director’s daughter, Tomoe Gosha.
Audio Commentary with author Chris Poggiali
Hideo Gosha Trailers
HD Trailers for all three titles in Film Movement’s new Hideo Gosha release lineup. These appear to be newly cut trailers for these restorations, featuring Film Movement logos and updated titles.
Samurai Wolf (1:31)
Samurai Wolf 2: Hell Cut (1:24)
Violent Streets (1:31)Film Movement Ad (1:26)
A/V Out.
Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have compression or resizing inherent to file formats and Medium’s image system. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.
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Breaking Backs in Heaven: A Field of Streams Tribute to the Iron Sheik
While not known for his work in film and TV as much as for his work in the ring and on social media, Sheik’s cameos and voicework deserve some love – so today, Field of Streams is here to give you jabronis a few streaming recommendations to celebrate the legend
Welcome to Field of Streams, Cinapse’s guide of what’s playing on your favorite streaming services. What’s new on Netflix and Amazon Prime? What do we recommend on Kanopy, Hoopla, and Shudder? We’ve got it all. From topical roundups, to curated top 5 lists, to reviews of our favorites available now… it’s here. We built it for you, so come and join us in the Field of Streams.
Yesterday, we lost a beloved pop culture icon, professional wrestler, and one of Twitter’s greatest follows. While he played a villain in the ring, the Iranian born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri – known to most of the world as the Iron Sheik – was known as quite a wonderful man outside of the “squared circle”. While Peacock is littered with many of his old matches in both WWE and NWA/WCW and you can see his wrestle in more recent years on the first volume of Juggalo Championship Wrestling‘s DVD set, as well as a variety of release from various independent wrestling promotions, the fantastic documentary on his life and several other cameo roles and voice roles are easily available to stream.
Today, we highlight a few of them and insist you watch a couple or we’ll break your backs, Bubba!
The Sheik (2014) – Prime, Tubi, Kanopy, Pluto
The 2014 documentary is a fantastic look at the life and career of Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, before the creation of his iconic heel (aka “bad guy”) character of the Iron Sheik, through his portrayal of the Sheik, and after his exit from wrestling. Filled with a who’s who of wrestling and various others, the documentary is a fantastic way to get to know the Sheik if you’re not too acquainted and a great way to celebrate him if you are.
Killing Hasselhoff (2017) – Netflix
Sheik’s cameo in this one is very small, uncredited in fact. But he’s there. And, it’s a good excuse for me to plug this wacky comedy that really hasn’t gotten much play since its release. There’s not a lot of depth to it, but it’s a ton of fun, has a funny cast, and features Hasselhoff in a self-aware, self-deprecating role. Genuinely fun, as long as you’re not looking for something that will change the course of film history or anything. It’s really just a nice way to invoke a few laughs and smiles.
Robot Chicken – “El Skeletorito” (2014) – Max
Season 7, Episode 6 of Robot Chicken features the former Col. Mustafa in all his back breaking glory. A fun episode, you can watch it in or out of context (most episodes work totally fine as stand-alones, due to the absurdist comedy of the series and – in many cases – lack of connectivity from one episode to the next) over at Max (formerly HBOMax). Sheik himself voices the character and it’s a remarkably run time. Plus, if you’re looking for something quick and breezy to kill some time, Robot Chicken episodes are exactly that.
DDP Saves Christmas (2018) – YouTube
You can watch the full short above via DDP’s YouTube page. If you’re unfamiliar, DDP is Diamond Dallas Page, born Page Joseph Falkinburg, a long time wrestler who has acted in a variety of roles post wrestling career and is well-known for his DDP Yoga, a yoga workout program than hosts of celebrities and athletes credit as being life-changing. In this short, Sheik breaks Santa’s back and DDP must save Christmas with the help of Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Make with wrestling figure, voices by the actual wrestlers, it’s a wonderful way to spend 5-6 minutes of your life.
“The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” Music Video (1985) – YouTube
Another short that you can stream free on YouTube (via the official VEVO YouTube page), this one actually the music video for Cyndi Lauper’s theme song for The Goonies, “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough”. Sheik and other wrestlers pop up throughout the video, as this was in the era where Lauper was heavily involved with WWE (then, WWF). There’s not a ton to say except that this one is pure nostalgia for oldheads and feels liek it would be fun for the younger crowd too. Watch this video and like it, Bubba!
TAKE A MINUTE OF YOUR DAY TO BE NICE TO SOMEONE YOU DUMB SON OF A BITCH
— The Iron Sheik (@the_ironsheik) June 9, 2018In his later years, Sheik’s main goal seemed to be to bring smiles on the faces of the people he encountered, both in real life and via his popular Twitter page… unless you are Hulk Hogan, who ironically played babyface (aka “good guy”) to Sheik’s in-ring heel, while being the real-life heel to Sheik’s in-world babyface. He regularly called Hogan a jabroni and said “F*ck the Hulk Hogan” whenever Hulk popped up saying racist, sexist, and generally bigoted things in the media. For that alone, he’s worthy of salute.
RIP Sheik, may you continue breaking backs in your eternal resting place!
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A Chat with Bomani J. Story, Writer/Director of THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER
Last week I got a few moments to chat with Bomani J. Story, writer and director of one my favorite surprises of the year The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, which just screened at SXSW and is now streaming on Shudder. The film is an impressive take on Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, but through a more timely and relevant perspective. This story transpires in the present day in an inner city neighborhood overrun with drugs, gangs and death, and that’s where we meet Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes) a plucky young black girl who’s spent her life haunted by death. First her mother, who was on the cusp of graduating from nursing school, and more recently her brother Chris who was gunned down by the police after getting mixed up with the gang that has a stranglehold on their development. Vicaria is obsessed with the idea that death is simply a disease that she can cure, and she does in fact do just that.
This was the Californian native’s feature length debut and it didn’t seem like it at all. The film showed a deft hand at work and it was great chatting with him about what it was like crafting his first feature, and tackling these heavy themes, while still delivering the gory goods for genre fans.
Dan Tabor: First off congrats on the film. I caught it at SXSW and it was one of my favorites. What I loved about it most is, based on the title you sit down expecting something a bit more campy, maybe a blaxploitation homage. But the film immediately hits you with the right hook, with the actual reality of it. Was that your approach and intention with the script and title?
Bomani J. Story: Yeah, I was going to try to tell this story in a contemporary way and ground it as much as I possibly can. When I read the book Frankenstein, which I thought was very profound and incredible, when I think about it coming out during that time, I felt like she was grounding it. Right?
Like, you know, I think we get caught up in the gothic nature of it, so it seems more fantastical because it took place in the past. I mean, you have your drawings, photos and historical things, but it’s just like, look, my grandmother wasn’t around when that book was written, you know. (laughs) So there’s like no touchstone, right? So there’s just kind of this fantastical element to me. She was trying to make this as real as possible when she wrote the book, which is one of the reasons I loved it. So, I wanted to bring that here.
Dan Tabor: So Frankenstein was the basis for your script. When did you sort of discover the book and when were you like, this would make a great film?
Bomani J. Story: When I originally read the literature when I was fresh outta high school.
Dan Tabor: Oh, wow.
Bomani J. Story: Yeah and after I read it again, I was blown away and I just thought like there was so much stuff on the floor that people weren’t using from the book that I thought was fantastic, you know. So to me, I just knew I wanted to do something with it. I just didn’t know how or what at the time. So I just lodged it in the back of my mind, you know. Fast forward, pretty much like a decade later, around the time of period of 2016 to 2018 was when the writing really started to begin.
I wish I could tell you how long I was writing, but I don’t remember an exact number. I just know that the process of writing it, outlining and all that stuff, like really started during that time period.
Dan Tabor: What was your biggest challenge writing this script?
Bomani J. Story: Just trying to find a translation of some of the components of the literature to like a cinematic language, you know? I think that was what was pretty tough and then discovering the mechanics of the story itself can be, can be rough.
Dan Tabor: I dug that you used a lot of practical effects here and you did as much in camera as possible on a monster movie. This being your first film as a first time filmmaker, what challenges did that present for you? And was there a learning curve?
Bomani J. Story: Shout out to my creature designer Christina Kortum she really murdered it. Hire that woman, whoever’s hiring, hire Christina Kortum!
She was a one woman band. She did all the gore effects and all the creature effects on there. She did it all. I was just in great hands with her, honestly. It didn’t even feel like a learning curve. I was just kind of constantly talking to her and just being like, this is what I’m trying to achieve. We didn’t have a lot of time, so there wasn’t really time for a learning curve. The shoot was about 20 days.
Dan Tabor: Wow, that’s not a lot. So I love your sort of Victor Frankenstein here, Leia, What was the casting process like and how did you find her? Cause she’s really great in this. Like, she kind of carries this whole film and she’s a bad person, but you really, you’re invested in her no matter what she does.
BY: TREVOR STEVENS Bomani J. Story: (laughs) You know, my casting directors Alison and Jonathan, they brought her in for an audition. She came in and just, you know, cold read for the audition and it blew me away. I just knew right away that she was the one that I wanted. So it was history from there, you know,
Dan Tabor: She’s so likable, and she’s doing some really bad stuff, but we’re still along for the ride and rooting for her no less.
Bomani J. Story: Yeah. I thought she was excellent at riding that line between where she’s doing weird stuff, but you’re with her, (Laughs) but you’re not, you know, Leia was just phenomenal in this side, man. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner throughout this.
Dan Tabor: So, I love how this film sort of has this interesting relationship with violence and the cyclical nature of it. As a writer do you think that there’s a way out, essentially, do you think people like, that you portray this film are stuck in this cycle? Or do you think there is a way out?
Bomani J. Story: For in the story, there’s certain stuff like within the movie I gotta leave it open for interpretation.
Whereas I think a lot of the conversations that Leia, Vicaria and Aisha are having are gonna lead us to believe what we believe can happen for her and her family and things of that nature and what it means, and how people change throughout this film. I think, the answers to those quiestions can be found in those situations or those scenes, I would guess.
Dan Tabor: I also found it fascinating how you literally stack metaphors and sort of delve into the word “monster”. Just thinking back on it now, it’s like the way you sort of show us the many possible meanings, both sadly real and fantastical. I really think it’s a mirror that some people are gonna not gonna want to face.
From our protagonist, the people around her, to the cops, we see how that label can be unjustly affixed.
What do you want people to walk away from this film with, in your mind?
Bomani J. Story: I mean, I would hope that they take away some of the stuff that you’re talking about. My goal is always like some of my favorite films to walk in with expecting one thing, and leave getting more.
I hope that they are able to go on an emotional ride, or they laugh, they’re disgusted. It makes them think. (Laughs) It leaves them with thoughts after they walk out. So that would be my hope for this movie. Just like having a great ride, you know, with you going one way, and coming out with more.
Dan Tabor: It’s perceived by some as a bad word, but the film is very woke in its approach and it kind touches on that elevated horror in that you’re examining this from a young black woman’s point of view, and you also try to view her through the white police officer’s POV. There’s so much there to sort of chew on and experience because on top of that you add the metaphor of the horror aspect. While also dealing with her living in this low income like neighborhood and her experience with the violence that surrounds her and her trying to overcome that while also building a monster in her, in an abandoned building.
Bomani J. Story: (Laughs) I always think, the greatest stories ever told or whatever, are always wrapped up in more than what they’re presenting. You know? I always think back about even a story as grand as Le Mis, you know?
Dan Tabor: Yeah.
Bomani J. Story: When you read that book, uh, I mean, it’s more than a guy just, you know, trying to escape, this police guy that’s chasing him or whatever. That’s part of the story of him trying to raise this adopted daughter. I think it’s more than that, you know, it’s like that whole book is a near giant dissertation on France. There’s long passages about the Napoleonic War and how it went, how he lost. There’s long passages about the sewer system. He’s taking this huge collective approach to it, and it’s all wrapped up into this emotional tale about this guy trying to raise his daughter and save this orphan from these evil people
So stories like that really inspire me. Or even when I look at some of the seventies horror, eighties horror, like Black Christmas, you know?
Dan Tabor: Yeah.
Bomani J. Story: I always say it’s like there’s a pro-life/pro-choice debate happening in the middle of that movie, and that movie is very influential. And it doesn’t always have to be like a societal message or whatever, it can be something very human. Like, when I think about The Shining and I see themes of like child abuse in there. But for me personally, the stories that I love the most have some kind of emotional ride. And they also have this core, this subtext that’s going on that allows you to be able to think about things when you leave.
Dan Tabor: That’s sort of, when I pitch your film to other people, I’m like the title may sound campy or weird, but there’s a lot going on here. So, what do you have lined up? What are you hoping to do next?
Bomani J. Story: I got a script. You know, it’s like my, the best way I can describe it is Juice meets Lord of the Rings.
Dan Tabor: What?
Bomani J. Story: I said, Juice meets Lord of the Rings…
Dan Tabor: (laughs) That sounds amazing and something I NEED to see!
Bomani J. Story: I got that script and I am very excited about it. It’s fantasy, you know? So you could just imagine two Bloods find Gandalf’s staff and a book of spells.
So, you know, I’m manifesting it, baby. I’m manifesting it. Get at me!
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TRANSFORMERS Keeps Things Fresh With RISE OF THE BEASTS
The seventh entry in the series shows that these robots in disguise still have some gas in the tank.
It is hard to believe that the first live action Transformers film came out in 2007. Not because that seems too long ago, but it oddly feels too recent; it was a single year before Iron Man ushered in the MCU, and with it the modern age of the blockbuster. It was created in the midst of superhero films being a dominant cultural zeitgeist, but before it was the only big budget film that existed. The Michael Bay-directed, Stephen Spielberg-produced film felt like a natural explosion of big budget Hollywood fare of that time, an extension of late 90s bombast and excess.
It was followed by four direct sequels, each felt increasingly out of step with the shape of popcorn fare. They have always performed well, largely on the back of global popularity, but their appeal was always somewhat suspect. An unwieldy, aesthetic aggressive series that traded in dodgy politics, bigoted stereotypes and a healthy dose of well-intentioned conspiracy theory dabbling, the Transformers films always felt like an indistinguishable slog of interchangeable noise that were mostly noteworthy for taking up a full decade of Bay’s career.
That reputation somewhat changed with Bumblebee. Released only a year after The Last Knight, the final Transformers film from Bay, Bumblebee functioned as a ‘80s-soaked prequel as well as simplification of the robots-in-disguise franchise, returning to a stripped down format and a straight-forward storytelling style. The effect was an injection of new life into a franchise that had long been stumbling in the darkness. The question was if the follow-up would be able to build upon the goodwill of the previous installment.
The good news is that the newest Transformers entry, Rise of the Beasts from director Steven Caple Jr., appears to have learned most of the right lessons from Bumblebee and maintains the revival course for a once lost series. While it certainly has its issues with excess that both reflect on the previous Transformers films, as well as having a shape that will be familiar to MCU aficionados, it grounds itself in recognizable, winning performances and relatable stakes on both a micro and macro level. It ultimately isn’t quite the surprise that Bumblebee was before, but it does give the impression of a steady hand at the wheel.
The “beasts” referred to in the title are the Maximals, a race of robotic lifeforms that resemble Earth animals, who are introduced in a cold opening to the film alongside the life-devouring evil god Unicron. A handful of Maximals are able to escape to Earth as Unicron destroys their home planet, thanks to his henchmen the Terrorcons led by Scourge. They take with them the Transwarp Key, a device capable of opening portals across the universe that would allow Unicron to devour the whole of reality in a matter of moments.
Later on earth, specifically in 1994, we meet our human heroes, Noah (Anthony Ramos) and Elena (Dominique Fishback). Noah is a struggling Brooklynite, trying to balance finding work and supporting his family, specifically his little brother who is struggling with sickle-cell anemia. Desperate for money to pay for medical bills, Noah resorts to car jacking, only to stumble upon the Transformer Mirage (voice acted by Pete Davidson). Meanwhile Elena, an artifact researcher at a local museum, discovers the Transwarp Key, catching the attention of both the heroic Autobots who see it as a means to return home, and the evil Terrorcons who hope to use it to finally elevate Unicron.
This is the leg work that the film has to do in the opening 30 minutes or so to allow the action to carry the rest of the momentum to the predictably massive conclusion. But what could be a clunky bit of set piece dressing is carried by strong performances across the board. Ramos and Fishback carry the majority of the live-action acting, and they both perform admirably, giving likable and relatable faces for the action primarily inhabited by giant CGI robots. Ramos in particular holds the camera well, coming across as both a believable action hero as well as the down-to-earth human who finds himself in the objectively insane world of alien robot warfare. What could be laborious and leaden is given a playful bounciness thanks to these central performances.
Beyond the live action performers however, there is the married acting of CGI characters alongside a healthy dose of voice acting for all of the robot characters. The voice actors include series mainstay Peter Cullen, who returns as Optimus Prime, a role he can do almost on reflex at this point, along with a bevy of newcomers. Chief among them is the always affable Pete Davidson as the transformer Mirage, an Autobot capable of projecting holographic duplicates of himself. Davidson’s performance inject much needed life and levity to the film, a likable addition to the Autobot family who can often get weighed down in a sort of self-importance. Also impressive is Peter Dinklage as the villainous Scourge, snarling and yelling his way through very melodramatic, menacing dialogue.
Perhaps the strangest aspect of Rise of the Beasts is how secondary the titular beasts turn out to be to the plot. Other than their introduction early in the film, the majority of the Maximals don’t show up until the final third of the film, and even then fulfill mostly functional roles in the plot. They are there to support and ally alongside the mainstay Autobots. This is a shame because the moments that they are present, the Maximals provide some interesting counterbalance to the familiar. Ron Perlman’s grumbling but compassionate Optimus Primal, the ape-like leader of the Maximals, plays brilliantly against Cullen’s Prime, and Michelle Yeoh adds much needed gravitas to the role of a robotic falcon named Airazor.
The final act of Rise of the Beasts, which predictably culminates in a gigantic literal battle between good and evil, is perhaps its weakest portion, but still has plenty of surprises and genuine visual spectacle to elevate it above other films of a similar vein this year. And that is in large part due to its core cast working overtime to get you invested in the characters walking into that battle. Much like Caple’s steady leadership in Creed II, his visual language never really elevates or detracts from the core competency of the storytelling, allowing a down the middle, enjoyable summer flick that may not land amongst the hollowed ranks of an all-time summer banger, but shows promise and life for the Transformers franchise going into the 2020s, and with a killer final tease, suggests a healthy future for the series. With so many film franchises faltering for an identity, it is a pleasure to watch one setting a course confidently.
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TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS Signals the Rebirth of the Franchise
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters this friday and if you ever wondered what a Transformers film would be like without military propaganda, racism, hypersexualization and Linkin Park, we now know the answer, and it’s pretty damn good. (The Linkin Park dig was a joke!) Directed by Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) with a story by Joby Harold, who was responsible for cracking The Flash (2023), the seventh film in the series has a very Reboot-ish mission here. I say “ish” since it takes place in 1994 and while the film doesn’t really overwrite any of the Michael Bay films, it does so while being a bit truer to the source and changing a few things.One rather big change right off the bat is if you remember how at the end of The Last Knight it was revealed Earth was in fact Unicron? (UGH!) Given how names were easily transposed in Bay’s universe, it could have been damn near anything. Here the film opens much like 1986’s Transformers: The Movie with Unicron, now restored to the transforming planet eating monster planet about to feast on an unfortunate world. This while Scourge and the Terrorcons who are the new heavies here attempt to recover the MacGuffin of this film, the Transwarp Key, from the Maximals on the planet’s surface. The key allows the holder to open a “space bridge”(Just like in the cartoon!), allowing instantaneous travel of whoever holds it from one destination to another.
Of course the Maximals escape to the Earth, where many years later the key is discovered again by the humans and thus begins a battle between the Transformers – who hope to use the key to return home to Cybertron, the Terrorcons – who hope to claim it for Unicron and the humans who want to destroy it to save their home. Team Humanity here is represented here by Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), a down on his luck ex-military tech who can’t seem to catch a break. When the film begins, after losing a job interview he is forced to resort to stealing cars to support his mother and sick little brother. In his attempt to steal a Porsche who happens to be Mirage (Pete Davidson), he is swept up into the continent-jumping trek for the Key along with Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback), an artifact researcher who first discovers the key hiding in a statue.
The buddy cop-esque relationship between Noah and Mirage is pretty much the core of the story here. While Optimus here at this point in time is very anti-human, the mischievous pop-culture obsessed Mirage sees Noah as an ally, and eventually a friend. To be honest here, I really wasn’t prepared for how damn likable Davidson is in robot form, but he is. It’s something I think the franchise has really struggled with, I mean other than Bumblebee, is making the robots memorable or giving them any real personality whatsoever. But because the film is a bit more traditional in its structure, we get a bit more time to get to know these characters and to invest in their adventures. For Optimus, this film has him learning to trust his new hosts, while he struggles to deal with his failures as a leader.
Like Bumblebee before it, these Transformers sport a more simplified appearance, that’s more attuned to the cartoon. This makes not only the character less distracting and more recognizable to fans, but the action is easier to follow, because you don’t have so many moving parts in any given frame. The story here for the most part is by the numbers with the globetrotting MacGuffin hunting franchise template, while jettisoning the clutter of too many characters and too many settings that were in the Bay films. We are following one group’s adventure and it took me an entire act to rewire my brain to this new way of doing things.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a soft reboot that has the spark to reinvigorate the franchise. Steven Caple Jr. does a rather impressive job at showing us a world closer to the source material in both story and spirit, that feels both new and familiar. I’m not going to lie, seeing Unicron consume a planet on screen in live-action was simply awe inspiring as a long time fan of the property. This is definitely a film much like the Mario film that is imbued with heaping portions of nostalgia, both for the property itself and the late 90s hip-hop that constitutes the requisite franchise needle drops. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was an action packed surprise to say the least, with a narrative that looks to put Hasbro in the cinematic universe business.
