MALCOLM & MARIE
Writer-director Sam Levinson lets a terribly toxic relationship tear itself apart from the inside out while looking pretty doing it. It’s an unyielding duel of love and hate between John David Washington and Zendaya, and they’re explosive from the get-go. You can’t keep your eyes off of them, even as you eventually stop listening to what they have to say.
This self-indulgent drama has a lot of ranting and raving on artistry, addiction, film criticism, authenticity, and resentment – and it all gets damned exhausting. You’re left hoping one of them will just go to bed so to put an end to it. What’s arresting are the two first-rate performances and Levinson’s decision to tell this in gorgeous black and white. What’s left is an irritatingly empty experience that’s emotionally ineffective.
PENGUIN BLOOM
This true story is sweet-natured and wants to inspire, which it does to a certain degree. But, director Glendyn Ivin’s obvious, run-of-the-mill technique doesn’t really allow it to spread its wings and fly. It’s quite apparent there’s a more moving and hopeful movie within this one we have here. Naomi Watts’ glowing central performance is its strongest component. She plays Sam Bloom, who’s mostly paralyzed after an awful accident occurred while on vacation, and is healing right along side of an injured magpie that her family takes in. They are each in their own way finding their strength again. Howbeit, for this recovery drama to be shrouded in family, love, and purpose – it would have been nice if Ivin didn’t take such a shallow way out.
CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL
Elisa Lam goes missing while staying at the Cecil Hotel in downtown LA. The only footage of her is in the hotel’s elevator where her behavior is strangely suspicious to say the least. Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and directed by Joe Berlinger, this four episode (each one an hour long) docuseries stretches out the mystery of Lam’s disappearance – letting the employees of the hotel, LAPD, and internet conspiracies all have a say in the investigation so to keep you guessing throughout.
Cecil Hotel takes center stage as it sits on Skid Row, a not so safe place in LA. In every one of its 700 rooms, there’s been serial killers, prostitution, drug abuse and deaths. But by the final episode, realization sets in that it’s used as more of a distraction and takes the focus off the real issues at hand like mental health and homelessness. Things do get thrilling as the mystery unfolds and audiences are playing detective along with those who were actually a part of it. However, the biggest issue is while f’ed up things happen daily at the Cecil Hotel, this specific case should’ve been explored in a different and better way.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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