Tag: Poorna Jagannathan

WOLFS (2024)

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Written & Directed By: Jon Watts

Cinematography: Larkin Seiple

Editor: Andrew Weisblum

Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Richard Kind, Poorna Jagannathan, Zlatko Buric, Sergio Cota Jr. 

Two rival fixers cross paths when they’re both called in to help cover up a prominent New York official’s misstep. Over one explosive night, they’ll have to set aside their petty grievances and their egos to finish the job.

This is George Clooney and Brad Pitt making another buddy comedy together and involving crime. This should have been a slam dunk and while the film Has its Moments. They are far and few in between. 

This is another film that seems like they are having more fun than the audience is watching it. As it tries to be formulaic and offer surprises and slights of hand. That by the end will Make the audience think the film Is smart and has an ace up It’s sleeve. Like the OCEAN’S TRILOGY the stars have been in before, but if that movie is calculus this is math 102.

It doesn’t help that the movie stays small scale

Throughout. Which would be great with lesser stars but keeping it small hinders the film and shows how thin the screenplay is. As we have to not only stay with the characters and their various arguments, but somehow find humor, charm and tension. Which the film doesn’t really Offer.

So it comes off as muddled and not a bad recipe, but like someone followed the recipe and shorted some ingredients and added too much of other ones to make up for it. 

Watching the film also makes one come to understand why these movies aren’t Memorable. You have a big name cast, a big name director Jon Watts (SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME) and yet it feels stale, Small Scale and basic, because while it has locations and action. These films obviously are Made For streaming and they have little if any visual Flair and feel compacted. Director Watts even seems to include an inside joke of a Spider-man eque stunt by a young man for those in the know. Though it also leave you

Wondering was this film an audition for an ocean’s sequel. 

The stature seems shrinked then one would expect. Like making a feature film but with the limits of a television movie. Not to mention the villains are all stereotypical with an added dance sequence. 

This is similar to what the Russo brothers 350 Million movie THE GREY MAN with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans felt like any other Netflix movie. Other then a basic script, but the directors aren’t Trying to be subtle or visually Brilliant. They are doing just enough to tell the story and do what it takes without any passion or extra Effort. Sort of like assembly room and like weathermen there are Consequences or punishments.

So it just keeps happening. As Apple+ is no better or worse then any other streaming service. Except they are newer and this feel like when the studio DREAMWORKS SKG. Everyone wants to work with them and they have stars at their disposal and seem to green light anything. As long as a big star is attached, but never seem

To bother to read the script or develop them to be better. So that they come off as basic and the only pull is the stars.

George Clooney hasn’t truly starred in a good movie in awhile. Nor has he made a hit but is still

Treated like an A-lister. When he does choose to be in a film.

Leaving the audience to only marvel at Austin Abrams. Who is the only one in the film Who feels alive and like he is trying.

It feels like the film is disrespectful to the audience by going them, but so much and not giving it their all and feeling like just enough is what the audience deserves and should be honored to get. 

As the leads seem more interested in being cool. The filmmaker seems to want to offer some kind of polished grit. That tries to make things more serious, dangerous, dark and action packed. That never comes across other than polished and dark. Nor does the screenplay come off as smart as it thinks nor as cute. 

Grade: C- 

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN (2024)

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Directed By: Hannah Marks

Written By: Elizabeth Berger and Issac Aptaker

Based On The Novel By: John Green

Cinematography: Brian Burgoyne 

Editor: Andrea Bottigliero

Cast: Isabela Merced, Cree, Judy Reyes, Felix Mollard, Maliq Johnson, J. Smith-Cameron, Poorna Jagannathan, Tim Gooch, Hannah Marks, Debby Ryan 

Aza Holmes. It’s not easy being Aza, but she’s trying… trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, and a good student, all while navigating an endless barrage of invasive, obsessive thoughts that she cannot control. When she reconnects with Davis, her childhood crush, Aza is confronted with fundamental questions about her potential for love, happiness, friendship, and hope in the face of her mental illness.

A nice coming-of-age story that deals with mental health primarily OCD.

Though at times the film does feel a little wish fulfillment It does feel a bit more real emotionally than some of its peers.

What I really enjoyed is that the film starts off introducing the characters and giving us what looks to be a mystery and investigation and uses it as an introduction to take us on a different journey and a different type of film and story and then kind of bring it back to our initial adventure that closure but also further the other story that was in the middle.

It’s refreshing that all of these issues and drama are tackled with a cast. That is the verse, but the main characters are mostly of Hispanic origin so there are more people of color within this film.

One thing I have to credit is that this film is based on the book by John Green and I have not read this book. I have seen most of the film adaptations of his books and each one while summer better than the others. They have all been heart-wrenching and heartbreaking and well done and I feel it because his books are a wealth of material that is easily identifiable and have an everlasting ring of truth in tragedy is still uplifting and romantic.

One has to give Director Hannah Marks great as she is an actress and Director, and for someone so young has knocked it out of the park with the films that she has directed usually our stories are always so well acted quirky, and memorable that she is a great talent that deserves to recognize more.

No, it does show that maybe I’m getting older as the lead character’s best friend I found it continuously annoying and was glad half the time when she wasn’t in scenes, but by the end, her character is so so endearing that I couldn’t imagine the film without her character without her.

As these films used to be catnip for me, and I used to be one of the first people, crying and being emotional over these films and while it still gets to a part of me, I don’t find myself as emotionally invested as I used to. I still these types of films. 

What I appreciate is that there was no big cure at the end there’s an ending that works, but there’s also the truth about the condition and the characters in that it may never be solved. Simply, you have to keep living your life and deal with it as it comes.

It’s also the first time that maybe I’ve noticed where a romantic comedy kind of looks at the male love interest through a female gaze as they’re not the center of the story, but more towards the side and are unbelievably helpful and good-looking and are there to provide moral support and the film goes out of its way to make them just the perfect love interest for the character where they’re tall their good looking they’re rich they give them what any woman would want. 

The only thing in the way is the female character and confidence. So the male here is more in the role of the dream partner in the flesh and willing and waiting. While only having eyes for them.

Grade: B