Dan Bennett is the film/TV critic and reporter for TheVistaPress.com. Bennett was a features and arts reporter for The Vista Press from 1984-85, then was a film critic/arts reporter at the North County Blade-Citizen, and then the North County Times, for more than two decades. His reporting has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Entertainment Weekly, Movieline, and MTV.com .
‘Hamnet’ stirs emotions as Shakespeare inspiration story
A story supposing that the death of his son sets in motion Shakespeare’s towering stage play “Hamlet” is equally absorbed by a mother’s relentless love and grief, in the emotionally and visually resonant “Hamnet.”
Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, the film takes a premise born from both fact and historical assumption. True or half-true, or somewhere in between, the film is a fascinating watch.
In “Hamnet,” the unknown young playwright, director, and actor William Shakespeare woos and charms the vibrant and tough-minded Anne Hathaway, also known as Agnes, in late 1500s England. They marry despite objections from family members, and not before Agnes is with child. A family begins to grow, though Shakespeare, early in the union and then on, is a frequently absent husband and father, as he spends most of his time in London preparing for and producing his stage plays. This leaves Agnes at home in Stratford with the children. The twins Hamnet and Judith are born in early 1585, joining their older sister. When son Hamnet dies at age 11 of what’s assumed to be the plague, it changes the family forever, and if the assumed inspiration is true, changes the very future of theater.
“Hamnet” is arresting from the start, the wildness of the English countryside explored by its characters, and the plain facts of living and surviving laid out honestly. Nothing is airbrushed, including the story. The pain is not skipped, and neither are the small joys. A closing third act showing the first performance of “Hamlet” is triumphant in many ways. Jessie Buckley, as Agnes, brings fresh realism to a demanding role, and is again in line for an Oscar nomination (she was nominated for “The Lost Daughter”), and Mescal is in the parallel nomination line. “Hamnet” is rich and genuine theater on screen.
“Hamnet” A
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal
Director: Chloe Zhao
Studio: Focus Features
Rated: PG-13 (for thematic content, some strong sexuality, and partial nudity)
Running time: 125 minutes
‘Rental Family’ wisely shows us that real is more than an act
As “Rental Family” aptly demonstrates, loneliness isn’t limited to faraway outposts and mostly empty homes. Teeming big cities can be just as lonely.
The focal city in “Rental Family” is Tokyo, a bustling metropolis with some missing connections among its inhabitants. American actor Brendan Fraser plays Phillip, a somewhat busy but not busy enough commercial actor, asked by his agency to fill some unusual requests. Phillip is surprised when he shows up at a gig and finds himself a mourner in a funeral for someone he doesn’t know. It’s the start of an unexpected career twist. In Tokyo and other places, people hire actors to blend into their lives. Pretend to be someone else. It’s not a show or movie, it’s real life.
Two meaningful gigs soon follow: Phillip is asked to pretend he’s a journalist and spend time with an aging actor, played by Akira Emoto, and even more of a tenuous assignment, pretending to be the father of a young girl who needs a father to get admitted into a prestigious school. Hired by the girl’s desperate mother to pretend to be the girl’s long-absent father, Phillip faces a complex moral dilemma when he forms a fatherly bond with Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman). The dynamics of these relationships demonstrate that there is nothing like reality to bring out the humanity in people. Artificial intelligence, in this case anyway, just isn’t the same.
As co-written and directed by singularly named Japanese filmmaker Hikari (she is also a photographer and painter), “Rental Family” is gentle and poignant storytelling. Good performances from Emoto and Gorman are telling, as it is these characters who are blind to the truths others have formed for them. “Rental Family” wisely shows the fragility of secrets hidden out of kindness.
“Rental Family” B+
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Shinji Tada
Director: Hikari
Studio: Searchlight Pictures
Rated: PG-13 (for thematic elements, some strong language, and suggestive material)
Running time: 110 minutes
Playing in theaters
“Wicked: For Good”
Capable of thrilling visuals, “Wicked: For Good” sometimes falls a little flat. Not as flat as a witch under a farmhouse, but the film struggles to find its full footing, even with magic shoes built into its legend.
The second part of the back-to-back “Wicked” films, based on the mega-popular stage musical and Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” – all of the above inspired by L. Frank Baum’s original characters, and to some degree the iconic 1939 film – is a series of scenes stacked dutifully in the direction of an ending. What results is a long-ish goodbye that is a little too long-ish, not so much in running time as repetition.
The film covers the second half of the stage musical, with the increasingly “bad” witch Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and the rising star Glinda (Ariana Grande) trying to mend fences but distracted by the changing politics of Oz. And that wizard (Jeff Goldblum). There’s something about that guy. As the two witches struggle with the complicated dynamics of friendship and loyalty, other characters are swept into the whirlwind (not to be confused with a tornado). These include the love-torn Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), the self-first Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and the emotionally roiled Boq (Ethan Slater). The characters barrel toward a resolution that won’t be easy to finalize, but the quest of the two main characters to do the right thing – for the common good – becomes a mutual aspiration.
“Wicked: For Good” is a splendid thing to look at, with much of the most impressive visuals arriving via the darkest hours. Those flying monkeys. They still make the heart beat faster for more than a clock tick. The more cheery and colorful scenes are like a potion, inspiring calm. Analogies to prejudice and political divisiveness are pertinent and welcome. The film is a series of start-stop endings and similar songs, though, that never fully grab, including the new songs. Grande and Erivo have voices and acting talent that help push matters along. We may have seen the last of “Wicked” in its second go around on screen, or we may watch it expand its reach for decades. As is, “Wicked: For Good” flies at low altitude with potential to soar higher.
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey
Director: Jon M. Chu
Studio: Universal Pictures
Rated: PG (for some scary action, thematic material, and brief suggestive material)
RT: 138 minutes
Now playing: In Theaters
Nuremberg B+ Playing: In Theaters
Based on the 2013 book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist,” by Jack El-Hai, “Nuremberg” offers a different trajectory than many of the feature films and documentaries on the trial of leading Nazi perpetrators following the end of World War II.
The film looks at the preparation of the trial through the lens of American military psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), assigned to assess the psychological makeup of the accused, and even more importantly, assist them in avoiding suicide. The Allies want a complete and meaningful tribunal so that the world can fully understand the horrors of the atrocities committed in the concentration camps.
Though Kelley has a roster of Nazi officers to analyze, the focus is on former Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering (Russell Crowe), near the top in Nazi command, powered by both an aura of danger and the ability to charm and deceive simultaneously. Also preparing for the trial is the ambitious and thorough chief prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), whose future career success depends in part on his efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice. What emerges is a psychological struggle between Kelly and Goering, one that softens as the men find some vague common ground, though an ultimate clash – as truths are revealed – is inevitable. Other characters with personal stakes in the pre-trial maneuvering take their own journeys. What each realizes is the massive significance of the trial to come.
The Nuremberg trial itself is, in a way, a character, director James Vanderbilt building formidable cinematic visuals of the courtroom and its inhabitants. Each character reaches personal conclusions, even if many on trial never fully acknowledge the overwhelming gravity of their misdeeds.
“Nuremberg” starts a little slowly as we adjust to the plot road for this particular telling, but quickly finds its footing and rhythm. Crowe is effective in creating an ominous ambivalence, subtly inhabiting Goering, in a notable performance likely to get Oscar nomination attention. Malek creates an interesting counterbalance. We have seen how this trial works effectively as cinema, most notably in “Judgment at Nuremberg.” This “Nuremberg” has a different flow and feel but stands well on its own.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon
Director: James Vanderbilt * Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Rated: PG-13 (for violent content, disturbing images, some language, smoking and brief drug content)
Running time: 148 minutes
The chase continues in “Predator: Badlands,” with enough muck and yuck to delight longtime fans of the relentless franchise, and enough humor to keep us safe in our seats. A rare PG-13 rating also softens the impact.
The story (Predator plots progress the series but proudly stand alone) sees a Predator named Dek, a denizen of the planet Yautja Prime and its similarly named clan, escape a nasty family skirmish and go off to the planet Genna to track down and forever end the existence of a no-good Predator called the Kalisk.
Enter Thia, a cyborg-ish wisecracker who is literally only half there, as she has lost her synthetic legs, though that doesn’t stop her comically exasperating observations. The bickering duo form a bond, and soon it’s a trio when the local cute-creature Bud volunteers his loyalty.
The hunt encounters another obstacle when Thia’s sister Tessa (both Thia and Tessa are played by Elle Fanning), recently rebuilt by their demanding mother, is assigned to interrupt the Kalisk hunt. A free-for-all series of battles follows, the film taking full advantage of its historic arsenal of special-effects visual stunts.
The Predator film series has at least two generations of followers, and that clan complains only rarely. “Predator: Badlands” jumps the gun from minute one in its furious race for action, but really, we don’t want sentimental setups in these films; just get to the spectacle. That said, a few more gentle pauses and some more character exposition would be welcome. No matter, though, the film makes up for it with several nice surprises.
Director Dan Trachtenberg excels in his visual storytelling, and Fanning brings energy and a clever charisma. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatang, as the roaring Dek, is as adept at finding softer sides of his character as he is at the rage.
“Predator: Badlands” seems easily likable to fans who have followed the franchise for almost 30 years. Newbies will get a look at a well-crafted fresh start for the series.
Predator: Badlands B
Starring: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatang
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence)
Running time: 107 minutes
Playing: In theaters
