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Usually here at MovieFanFare we look back at the films from yesteryear: the film noir, the buddy comedy, the war movie, the western, the courtroom drama…well, you get the idea. Today I thought I’d write about some newer films that recently hit the big screen and are out or soon to be released on home video. One is a true crime story with a lot of heart, another a small but smart thriller with a pro at the helm, and the last an Ivy League mystery with a megawatt movie star.
Roofman – Sleeper of the year! The very clever Roofman is the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) who escapes from prison and hides out in a Toys ‘R Us store. His modus operandi is entering businesses by way of their roof, cutting a hole in it, and dropping down to steal their cash. He’s also a caring thief. When he robs a McDonalds and locks the employees in the freezer, he gives his coat to one of them to keep them warm. At the Toys ‘R Us store Jeffrey disables the video security system and uses baby monitors to monitor the store manager Mitch (Peter Dinklage) and his employees. He subsists on M&M peanuts.
Jeffrey becomes interested in one of the employees, Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), and donates toys (stolen, of course) to her church drive. They meet and there is a spark. He adopts the name John. He’s taken into the church by the minister (Ben Mendelson, who should never sing) and his wife Uzo Aduba. “John” charms the women parishioners easily. He changes Leigh’s scheduling at work after Mitch refuses to accommodate her and also becomes a surrogate dad to Leigh’s two daughters.
His whole schtick is almost discovered when Mitch arrives at work early to find a nude Jeffrey all soaped up. Mitch calls the police but Jeffrey goes back into his hiding place and the incident is seen as a homeless man who somehow got inside the store. Jeffrey seeks help from his Army buddy Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) to help him leave the country. Steve can help him get a new identity, but it will cost $50,000. Jeffrey breaks into a pawn shop (by the roof, with some complications) and steals a gun to use to rob the Toys ‘R Us. The robbery goes bad with him roughing up a security guard and being recognized by Leigh even with a mask on. He escapes with the cash and is set to go, but the pull of his relationship with Leigh compels Jeffrey to see her one last time. How does it turn out? No spoilers here.
Tatum in full on charm mode is completely likable as Jeffrey even when he makes some highly questionable choices (Setting fire equals bad!) .Solid support is given by an affable Dunst, a mean and funny Dinklage, and a dry Stanfield. The always good to see Juno Temple (so good in Season Five of Fargo) has a small role as Stanfield’s girlfriend. Highly recommended.
Dead of Winter – Emma Thompson takes on winter in a fun thriller with a bizarre plot. And it’s cold. Brrr. Thompson plays Barb, who sets out to scatter her late husband’s ashes in a lake where they had their first date. She gets lost and stops at a cabin to ask for directions. She notices blood in the snow. The man there (Marc Menchaca) seems shady to her. She leaves, but from the lake she spots a young girl (Laurel Marsden) running away from him. He catches her. Barb goes back to the cabin and sees the girl chained in the basement. She also sees the man’s wife (Judy Greer) and realizes they both know that she’s aware of the captive girl. There is no cell phone service, so Barb is on her own.
After that it becomes a cat and mouse relationship with each side trying to trap the other. It is revealed slowly that Greer’s character, a nurse known only as Purple Lady, kidnapped the young girl for an outlandish medical procedure. Also, the very determined Purple Lady has no problem killing people. We also see flashbacks of young Barb with her husband (Young Barb is played by Thompson’s real-life daughter Gaia Wise). Greer, who usually is in comedies, makes the most of her villain role, and Thompson is affecting as the industrious widow. Ignore some of the stupid choices Barb makes and settle in for a suspense-filled ride in some of the most beautiful scenery you’ll ever see…and a tear-inducing conclusion.
After the Hunt – Did he? Or didn’t he? Is she lying? This is the main question in After the Hunt, director Luca Guadagnino’s maddening mystery. Julia Roberts stars as Alma, a Yale philosophy professor seeking tenure, and Andrew Garfield is Hank, her colleague (also in competition for tenure) who is accused by a student of sexual assault and eventually fired. Ayo Edebiri plays Maggie the accuser, who is gay. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Roberts’ annoying husband, and Chloe Sevigny in an unflattering wig plays the school psychotherapist, Kim.
I didn’t know college professors were so chummy with their students or go to their same hangouts to blow off some steam. There are no boundaries in this academia world. A scene at the bar has Kim comment she is surprised they are playing Morrissey in the bar, because of his being canceled and Alma replies “It’s The Smiths” to which Kim replies “Same difference” (I wonder if this is an inside joke, because Sevigny is known as a giant Morrissey fan). Also, Alma has a beautiful apartment, so why does she hide proof of a deep dark secret from her past in an accessible bathroom cabinet where someone could find it? How convenient! There are also a lot of shots of people’s hands in this movie. And the opening credits mimic Woody Allen’s title sequences. What’s that about?
Despite strong performances from the cast (Roberts is a pro), the film is eventually a letdown. All the characters are unlikable, and no real conclusion is reached. And I get it; the viewer is supposed to decide who was telling the truth. But introducing a plot and then skirting on the details seems like bad storytelling. And when the movie ends, we hear the director say ”Cut.” Really? The film cost a reported $70 million, with Roberts receiving $20 million of the funds. It’s not up on the screen.
Other new films I recommend are Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, the story of a stoner revolutionary pulled back into his former life. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn (sure to be Oscar nominated), Teyana Taylor (explosive on screen and another strong contender), and Regina Hall. The film seems to polarize people, but I enjoyed it.
Caught Stealing is a crazy, very violent After Hours-like ride (even Griffin Dunne shows up) through New York City. The plot involves a cat, a punked out British neighbor (Matt Smith), a skillful girlfriend (Zoe Kravitz), two comical Hasidic hit men (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), and the star of the piece, the extremely watchable Austin Butler (Elvis was no fluke).
The Roses is a remake of 1989’s The War of the Roses with Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, about a couple in a contentious divorce. Here we get a feisty and fun chef Olivia Colman matching wits with architect husband Benedict Cumberbatch. The supporting cast should be better (c’mon Kate McKinnon, lose the schtick) but they do provide a few laughs. The real laughs come from Colman and Cumberbatch duking it out as the once loving couple turning into a duo from hell. And hey, props to the ending!