Welcome to this month’s Cinema Snapshots! At the beginning of each month, I reflect on what I watched the prior month and provide a quick “snapshot” of my thoughts on those films. So without further ado, here are my Cinema Snapshots for March 2024.
Kung Fu Panda 4
After learning he must find a new hero to take over as Dragon Warrior so that he may fulfill his destiny as the next spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, Po decides to take one last adventurous mission. He teams up with a quick-witted thief named Zhen, a corsac fox, to discover the truth about recent sightings of villains he’s defeated in the past. In a journey that puts both to the test, it will take a wicked, powerful sorceress, The Chameleon to bring them together and remind Po that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
While each film has remained visually inventive, the Kung Fu Panda franchise has had diminishing returns for me since the first film. With Kung Fu Panda 4, everything from the score to the structure to the jokes is just a repeat of things the audience has previously seen. The new film isn’t awful - after all, this formula was successful in the first place - but the filmmakers seemingly have nothing new to say.
That said, the fight scenes are terrific. I love when animated films pay attention to “camera movement,” and it really pays off here.
★★★☆☆
Spaceman
Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late.
I found Spaceman to be a lesser entry in the growing genre of “contemplative outer space films.” While it’s a decent exploration of loneliness, family, and selflessness, it’s hard to not be reminded of stronger films that have hit on these themes in a better way (two of my personal favorites being Interstellar and Ad Astra).
On the plus side, director Johan Renck includes some unique visual explorations of memories, and I always prefer Adam Sandler’s more serious acting efforts like this instead of his trademark comedic style.
★★★☆☆
Love Lies Bleeding
From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
Love Lies Bleeding is a film where dedicated actors and a top notch crew elevate material that I really had trouble engaging with. The synth score is moody and perfectly sets the tone, every line delivery from Kristen Stewart feels like a revelation, and the shot framing and lighting contributes to some overall incredible visual storytelling (this is how you shoot nighttime scenes!).
The problem? I just never fully cared about these characters. To be fully successful, I as a viewer should be invested in the romance, concerned about the ongoing abuse, rooting for the characters to achieve their goals, and nervous about their crimes catching up with them. To its credit, Love Lies Bleeding dedicates time to all of those things. But that effort simply never translated to my full investment.
★★★☆☆
Road House
“Road House” stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and his penchant for violence, in this adrenaline-fueled actioner. Dalton is barely scraping by on the reputation that still precedes him when he is spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), owner of a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. She hires him to be her new bouncer in hopes of stopping a violent gang, working for crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen), from destroying her beloved bar. Even five to one, Brandt’s crew is no match for Dalton’s skills. But the stakes get higher with the arrival of ruthless gun-for-hire, Knox (Conor McGregor). As the brutal brawls and bloodshed escalate, the tropical Keys prove more dangerous than anything Dalton ever faced in the Octagon.
You know how with great films, you’re invested from the first minute? Something pulls you in: a special character, a line of dialogue, the music. Road House is the opposite, a film that never had me invested from start to finish. I’m a big fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, but I felt like he wasn’t sure what to do with this material (maybe he was the wrong choice for the role in the first place), and the supporting cast doesn’t help him at all, including an all-time terrible performance from Conor McGregor.
The film’s lighting doesn’t do it any favors, as what I can only assume was meant to be a “natural” look instead comes off as dark, gray, and lifeless. If there’s a plus side to Road House, I enjoyed the fight choreography and unusual (and even unnatural) camera moves during those scenes. It’s not for everyone, but in my opinion, the camerawork really placed you in the scene and made you feel everything.
★★☆☆☆
Snack Shack
Nebraska City, summer of 1991—Inseparable best friends AJ (Conor Sherry) and Moose (Gabriel LaBelle) seize the opportunity to run the local pool's rundown snack shack after their plan to gamble on dog races and sell home-brewed beer goes down the drain. Dreaming of striking it rich, things take an unexpected turn when they meet summer visitor Brooke (Mika Abdalla), a effortlessly cool lifeguard who puts their big summer plans, and their friendship, at risk.
Gabriel LaBelle is an absolute all star. He oozes charisma in every scene, and the way he wears his heart on his sleeve as a reckless, love-struck teenager is relatable and incredibly effective. While the film may not have much to add to the coming-of-age genre, it boasts a clear visual direction, energetic soundtrack, and a retro throwback vibe. Please go watch Snack Shack, one of the most fun (and sadly overlooked) films of 2024.
★★★★☆
Ricky Stanicky
When three childhood best friends pull a prank gone wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble! Twenty years after creating this ‘friend,’ Dean, JT, and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their immature behavior. When their spouses and partners get suspicious and demand to finally meet the fabled Mr. Stanicky, the guilty trio decide to hire washed-up actor and raunchy celebrity impersonator "Rock Hard" Rod (John Cena) to bring him to life. But when Rod takes his role of a lifetime too far, they begin to wish they’d never invented Ricky in the first place.
Ricky Stanicky is a return to raunchy comedy for director Peter Farrelly after his more dramatic efforts with Green Book (2018) and The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022). The film’s first hour is a blast, the absurd premise (and John Cena’s equally absurd performance) keeping viewers laughing and ready for more.
Unfortunately, Ricky Stanicky turns out to be a one-trick pony. The film struggles to maintain momentum across its nearly two hour runtime, revealing that its hilarious premise can only take it so far. I’ll admit I had some fun with the film, but it overstays its welcome and ends with a sputter.
★★☆☆☆
Damsel
A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.
I’ll keep things short about this Netflix original film, because, to be quite frank, I haven’t spent much time thinking about it in the weeks since watching.
It’s not a disastrous film. The supporting performances are fun, Millie Bobby Brown exhibits real star potential, and the film’s score and sound design are real highlights. However, it’s hard to escape the feeling that Damsel is just Netflix’s “content of the week,” especially when the story is so plain and the dialogue feels so robotic. But hey, that seems to be the Netflix model!
★★☆☆☆
Immaculate
Cecilia, a woman of devout faith, is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Her warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside is soon interrupted as it becomes clearer to Cecilia that her new home harbors some dark and horrifying secrets.
Immaculate’s visual language is hauntingly beautiful (just look at the picturesque frame from the film below), and I absolutely love the film’s conceit. Without spoiling the plot, examining how the church has frequently and corruptly taken matters into their own hands instead of trusting in God is a brilliant premise for an elevated horror film.
But far too often Immaculate settles for being a “popcorn” horror flick, utilizing cheap jump scares and corny villains instead of aspiring for something more. If the film spent just a little more time making the audience care about these characters and exploring the rich themes at play, it could have been truly special. There’s a great story and thematic relevance bubbling under the surface here, and unfortunately the film just didn’t quite hit the mark. It’s a decent film, but one that could have been great.
★★★☆☆
The Dynasty: New England Patriots
Go inside the franchise’s 20-year journey, from the unique chemistry that fueled six Super Bowl wins to the internal strife that sparked a turf war. Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft and key players reveal the road to — and cost of — greatness.
The Dynasty boasts a deep roster of interview subjects and footage sources, a rarity for an organization like the New England Patriots that has been famously secretive. That alone makes the docu-series worth a watch, with countless coaches, players, and analysts from their dominant 20-year football run all appearing to discuss one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time.
The series really shines when covering off-the-field issues. The editors impressively compile news footage, b-roll, and interviews to form a clear and compelling narrative. Unfortunately, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady - the two most famous and crucial interview subjects - practically disappear during these segments. Maybe it shouldn’t come as a shock that these notoriously private individuals wouldn’t want to discuss their controversial past, but I had hoped with them agreeing to being interviewed for this series that they’d be a little more divulging. Instead Belichick gives his standard reply (“no comment”) and Brady responds with well-practiced political non-answers.
When it comes to on-field coverage in the series, I was equally disappointed. When the documentary chooses to focus on games, it does a terrific job, utilizing propulsive music, editing, and never-before-seen shot angles to convey the magnitude of the Patriots’ wins. But the series skips a number of key games, including several Super Bowls. A ten episode series glossing over championship games feels like filmmaking malpractice. Interestingly enough, this series’ director also created HBO’s Tiger documentary (about Tiger Woods), which similarly disappointed me in the handling of its golf tournament coverage. Two sports docu-series that don’t fully cover said sports? Starting to feel like a trend.
Don’t get me wrong, the documentary is entertaining. But The Dynasty is far from the comprehensive deep-dive on New England that the marketing materials seemed to promise. I’m not sure what the overall narrative was here, I’m not sure that they properly examine what made the Patriots great for so long, and I’m not sure they questioned enough whether all the isolated incidents of alleged cheating and misconduct invalidate their larger achievements. If I hadn’t read supplemental materials (I love Seth Wickersham’s book “It’s Better To Be Feared”), then I doubt I would have completely understood everything this documentary covered.
If you can’t tell, I have a lot of thoughts on this series! Ultimately, The Dynasty is a series I looked forward to watching each week, but that never quite reaches its full potential.
★★★☆☆