Wild Rose

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

I've said it before, & I'll say it again: I HATE COUNTRY MUSIC. All of them sound the exact same: men drinking a cold beer in their pickup trucks singing about their woman & how much they love rural America. The only country singers I've ever liked are Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, & Kacey Musgraves. Other than that, I don't like it.

But Wild Rose has done something rare: it made me not only like country music, but love it. And other than that, it's an absolute wonder of a film. The film follows Rose-Lynn Harlan (Jessie Buckley), a young woman in Glasgow. Rose-Lynn has just been released from prison for a drug charge, & returns to her home, where her mother Marion (Julie Walters) has taken care of Rose-Lynn's 2 children, Wynonna (Daisy Littlefield) & Lyle (Adam Mitchell). When not in prison, Rose-Lynn is an avid country fan, & yearns to be a famous country singer in Nashville. However, her tendency for debauchery gets in her way.

Rose-Lynn gets a job as a housekeeper for the family of Susannah (Sophie Okonedo). While housekeeping, Rose-Lynn sings multiple country songs, & her voice surprises Susannah, who believes that Rose-Lynn has a great future in country music. Susannah decides to help Rose-Lynn get out there & follow her dreams. After this, Rose-Lynn is steadfastly working towards her goal. But the fear that she might do this while risking whatever semblance of a relationship with her children lulls over her.

The cast is phenomenal. Jessie Buckley is electrifying. She puts 200% into her performance, & also has the voice of an angel. Julie Walters gives one of her best performances. And Sophie Okonedo is at her best in years.

Tom Harper's direction is excellent. Harper gives a more realistic look into the familar rise-to-stardom story, & also keeps the atmosphere warm throughout.

Nicole Taylor's screenplay is amazing. For such a familiar premise, the plot feels incredibly fresh. The characters are well-realized, & the dialogue is incredibly realistic.

And the music is phenomenal. The songs are all incredibly well-written, & they are used to their full extent through Jessie Buckley's soul-shattering voice.

This is one of the best films of the year so far. It's an incredibly fresh look at a rags-to-riches story, led by a star-making performance by Jessie Buckley.

Wild Rose was seen by me at The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township, MI on Sunday, July 7, 2019. It is currently in 2 theaters in the Detroit area: the AMC Livonia 20 in Livonia, MI; & the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI. Its runtime is 101 minutes, & it is rated R for language throughout, some sexuality & brief drug material.

Midsommar

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

There are two distinct types of horror films today. The first is your more traditional style of horror, which mostly relies on jump scares & has a varying degree of atmospheric horror. This style can range from great (It) to awful (The Curse of La Llorona). The second is more classic, but has been demonstrated less & less recently in favor of the first style. This style has always been done very well, at the least, to masterful at the best.

Midsommar is the best use of that classic horror style I've ever seen. The film follows Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh), a college student. Although she has been in a relationship with fellow college student Christian Hughes (Jack Reynor) for 4 years, their relationship has become more emotionally distant, with Christian's friends Josh (William Jackson Harper) & Mark (Will Poulter) wanting him to break up with her due to her supposed neediness.

However, during the winter, a traumatic event in Dani's family occurs, & this brings Dani & Christian closer together as the year starts. That summer, Christian, Josh & Mark are invited by their friend & classmate Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) to come with him to the Swedish province of Hälsingland, specifically his commune of the Hårga, for the midsummer festival, which only occurs every 90 years. Dani is upset that Christian didn't tell her he was going, so as an apology, Christian invites her along, much to the chagrin of Mark.

When they arrive at the Hårga, they meet Simon (Archie Madekwe) & Connie (Ellora Torchia), a British couple who was brought there by Pelle's brother Ingemar (Hampus Hallberg). They all take psychedelic drugs, which give them varying trips. However, they find the festival to be a pleasant experience at first. But the festival is not as it seems, & that, along with tensions inside the group, threaten to make this a festival from hell.

The cast is terrific. Florence Pugh gives one of the best horror performances I've ever seen. She is a lethal mix of grief & terror. Jack Reynor is superb. William Jackson Harper is wonderful. Vilhelm Blomgren is delightfully mysterious. And Will Poulter is devilishly funny.

Ari Aster's direction is excellent. With Hereditary & now Midsommar, Aster has proven himself to be one of the best horror directors of this era. Aster is at his most visually striking, psychologically disturbing, &, surprisingly, his most hilarious.

Ari Aster's screenplay is brilliant. Aster never shows his hand with this script, only letting us slowly realize what's going on here. Also, the characters are terrifically well-written, & the dialogue is perfect & often very humorous.

Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography is wondrous. The sun-draped Swedish landscape is beautifully captured, luring us into a false sense of security.

Lucian Johnston's editing is wonderful. Johnston drenches us with a slow pace that perfectly fits the film, making you feel as if you're in a nightmare from which you can't escape.

The sound design is impeccable. The sounds that are uttered in the film are horrifying to hear, & they are amplified to their biggest extent.

And Bobby Krlic's score is phenomenal. Krlic mixes between low-tone ambient sounds & striking violins, always giving us a sense of uneasiness.

This is the best horror film I've ever seen. It is incredibly well-acted, visually disturbing, & horrifying long after those credits roll.

Midsommar was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Thursday, July 4, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 147 minutes, & it is rated R for disturbing ritualistic violence & grisly images, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use & language.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Since I was a kid, Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero, mostly because he was younger, which made him more easy to relate to me. (I wasn't much of a comic person, however). As for the films, Tobey Maguire was a good Peter Parker, but a not-so-good Spider-Man; Andrew Garfield was a not-so-good Peter Parker, but a good Spider-Man; & Tom Holland is great at both. Also, the Miles Morales version Spider-Man was portrayed terrifically by Shameik Moore in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a terrific epilogue for the Infinity Saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film follows Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who is trying to adjust not only to the world after The Blip, the resurrection of everyone lost in The Snap, but also the death of his mentor, Tony Stark/Iron Man. In order to accommodate the students who returned in The Blip, the Midtown School of Science & Technology has restarted the entire school year. The school is also organizing a 2-week trip to Europe, supervised by teachers Roger Harrington (Martin Starr) & Julius Dell (J.B. Smoove), where Peter plans to take a vacation from heroism & finally express his romantic feelings to Michelle "MJ" Jones (Zendaya). Romantic feelings are also being expressed by others in Peter's life, including by his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) towards Betsy Brant (Angourie Rice), & also by Harold "Happy" Hogan (Jon Favreau) towards Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), much to Peter's chagrin.

The group arrives in Venice as a water creature wreaks havoc on the city. However, it is stopped by Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), a man from another Earth. The water creature was the Water Elemental, one of the four Elementals. The Air, Water, & Earth Elementals have all been destroyed, but the Fire Elemental is still out there. They already destroyed Beck's Earth & killed his family. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) & Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) have taken Beck on as a member of the team, & decide to have Peter join him in the fight. However, Peter still wants to relax & enjoy Europe. As a result, Fury pulls some strings that have the group go to Prague, where the Fire Elemental will show. Over time, Peter & Beck bond. But there is a mystery (pun intended) to Beck, one that will throw Peter's Europe trip even more out of the loop.

The cast is terrific. Tom Holland further proves that he is the best Spider-Man. Samuel L. Jackson is still Samuel L. Jacksoning perfectly. Zendaya further shows that she has a lot of acting talent. And Jake Gyllenhaal is spectacular.

Jon Watts' direction is excellent. Watts continues to show a great eye for the quieter scenes that are more coming-of-age in style, & improves on his handling of action sequences.

The screenplay by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers is amazing. The plot is thrillingly intriguing, the characters are well-written, & the dialogue is superb & humorous.

And the visual effects are incredible. The CGI has no flaws whatsoever with the explosions & the creatures, & the practical effects are terrific as well.

This is the best Spider-Man film yet. It has a Spider-Man that is the best ever portrayed on-screen, a great villain, & it sets up a third Spider-Man film that I can't wait to see.

Spider-Man: Far From Home was seen by me at the MJR Troy Grand Digital Cinema 16 in Troy, MI on Wednesday, July 3, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 129 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, some language & brief suggestive comments.

Annabelle Comes Home

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The Conjuring Universe has been a mixed bag: The Conjuring & The Conjuring 2 were both great, while The Nun was mediocre, & The Curse of La Llorona was a disaster. I have not yet seen Annabelle or Annabelle: Creation.

Annabelle Comes Home, while not the best in the franchise, is a vast improvement over the previous 2 films. Set in 1972, the film follows Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman), a teenager in high school. Mary Ellen has been hired by famed demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) & Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren to babysit their tween daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) while they investigate a case. Judy's birthday is coming up soon, but many people are not going to her party due to the revelation in the local newspaper about what Ed & Lorraine do for a living.

One Friday, after school, Mary Ellen & Judy are surprised by Daniela Rios (Katie Sarife), a friend of Mary Ellen's who has come uninvited. Daniela's father passed away, & she is curious about speaking to the dead. As a present for Judy, Daniela gives her a pair of roller-skates. While Mary Ellen & Judy go out to try them out, Daniela sneaks around looking for keys to the forbidden room where the Warrens keep the possessed items. She finds them, & despite being told not to enter the room, she does so anyway. She touches several possessed items, & opens the case containing Annabelle, a possessed doll which is the most harmful of all of the items in the room. Daniela accidentally leaves it unlocked.

Not long after, Annabelle is unleashed, bringing in several other spirits with her. Mary Ellen, Judy & Daniela must defeat the spirits & put Annabelle back in the case & lock her up before even more bad things occur.

The cast is terrific. Madison Iseman shows a lot of talent here, & I think she will have a solid career. Mckenna Grace shows once again that she is one of our best child actresses. Katie Sarife is great. And although Vera Farmiga & Patrick Wilson aren't in the film for long, their chemistry definitely shines through.

Gary Dauberman's direction is great. There are some flaws that show that this is his directorial debut when it comes to atmosphere, & he does overuse jump scares, but he ultimately does bring a lot of terror & fun to the table.

And the screenplay by Gary Dauberman & James Wan is very good. Although the plot is definitely formulaic, & the characters aren't very well-developed, the dialogue is very well-written.

This is a solid horror film. Although it isn't as scary as it should be, it has just enough frights & fun to make it worthwhile.

Annabelle Comes Home was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Friday, June 28, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 106 minutes, & it is rated R for horror violence & terror.

Yesterday

★★★½ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The Beatles are the most influential rock band of all time. Although they aren't my favorite or the best (those titles both belong to Led Zeppelin), they are definitely one of the best, & their sounds are incredibly lovely to this day.

Yesterday doesn't always hit the high notes, but it's a solid tribute to The Fab Four. The film follows Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), a struggling singer-songwriter in the British seaside city of Lowestoft. Despite encouragement from his manager & childhood friend Ellie Appleton (Lily James) to continue on with his career, Jack finds himself disillusioned with the lack of support, & strongly considers leaving his music career behind.

One night, Jack goes on a bike ride. While on his bike ride, the electricity goes out. A few seconds later, Jack is hit by a bus. A few seconds after that, the electricity goes back on. When Jack wakes up & is released from the hospital, he notices that something is different, as many of his Beatles references are lost by everyone. It eventually dawns on Jack that no one else on Earth remembers The Beatles. After the momentary shock, Jack comes up with an idea: perform the entire discography of The Beatles & claim it as his own work.

When Jack performs one of The Beatles' songs on local television, he meteorically rises to superstardom, eventually becoming the opening act of Ed Sheeran (Ed Sheeran), further thrusting him into the spotlight. He is eventually signed by Sheeran's agent, Debra Hammer (Kate McKinnon). But the more popular Jack becomes, the more he must think about his relationship with Ellie, who has been right by his side the whole time.

The cast is amazing. Himesh Patel gives a superb breakout performance. Lily James continues to show that she is one of the best young British actresses today. Ed Sheeran shows that he can be likable for once. And Kate McKinnon is very funny.

Danny Boyle's direction is great. Although Boyle never fully explores the intriguing premise that drives the film, Boyle overcomes that with a warm tone throughout & a steady hand during the musical sequences.

And the screenplay by Richard Curtis & Jack Barth is very good. Although the characters need more development & the dialogue is a bit too on-the-nose at some points, the plot is immensely intriguing.

This is a solid fantasy rom-com. Although it doesn't get anywhere near where it could've been, it gets by with a little help from some friends.

Yesterday was seen by me at an advance screening at the MJR Troy Grand Digital Cinema 16 in Troy, MI on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 116 minutes, & it is rated PG-13 for suggestive content & language.

Toy Story 4

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

The Toy Story films are not only some of the best Pixar films ever made, but they are some of the greatest animated films of all time. Each of the films were incredibly groundbreaking in animation, spectacular scope, & packed with emotion.

When I heard that Toy Story 4 was coming out, I had mixed feelings: on one hand, I knew that it would be good, as Pixar has only made one bad film (Cars 2). But on the other hand, it felt unnecessary; Toy Story 3 was the perfect conclusion to the franchise, as everything was tied together, & it went out with an emotion-filled bang.

But my doubts were all for nothing, as Toy Story 4 is a terrific extension (& possible ending) to the franchise. The film continues the story of Woody (Tom Hanks), the leader of a group of toys once owned by Andy (John Morris & Jack McGraw), & now owned by Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw). Woody, along with Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), & Mrs. Potato Head (Estelle Harris), along with Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), & Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), are happy with their lives as Bonnie's toys. Bonnie is scared about entering kindergarten, so Woody sneaks into her backpack for orientation to keep an eye on her. When Bonnie gets upset, Woody sneakily brings art supplies that were thrown into the trash, along with a spork, to Bonnie. Bonnie uses the spork & the supplies to create a new toy she calls Forky (Tony Hale).

When Bonnie returns home, Woody finds that Forky has come to life in Bonnie's backpack. Woody introduces Forky to the toys, but Forky is convinced that he is trash & not a toy, & proceeds to continually throw himself into the trash. As Forky becomes Bonnie's favorite toy, Woody takes it upon himself to stop Forky from throwing himself into the trash.

Before the school year starts, Bonnie's mom (Lori Alan) & dad (Jay Hernandez) take Bonnie on a road trip. During the trip, Forky throws himself out the window & Woody jumps out to find him & bring him back. On their journey to the RV park where Bonnie & her parents are at, Woody helps Forky finally realize that he is a toy & not trash.

Before they arrive at the park, however, Woody is distracted by a lamp in a store: the lamp of Bo Peep (Annie Potts), a former toy friend of Woody's who was sold 9 years earlier, along with her sheep, Billy, Goat, & Gruff (Emily Davis). They enter the store, but are seen by Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks). Gabby Gabby offers to take them to Bo, but she has ulterior motives for it, & in the process, Forky is captured by Gabby Gabby while Woody escapes. Meanwhile, Buzz looks for Woody & Forky, & meets Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) & Bunny (Jordan Peele), 2 carnival toys.

Woody finally finds Bo, who is now a lost toy. After some persuading, Bo agrees to help Woody find Forky & return to Bonnie, along with the help of pocket toy cop Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki), & Canadian toy stuntman Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves). But the journey will trigger a yearning for a fresh start in Woody.

The cast is superb. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen & Annie Potts bring so much to their voice roles, & although we can't physically see them, we still empathize with their performances & their emotions. Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele provide some of the funniest lines. And Keanu Reeves is awesome, as always.

Josh Cooley's direction is excellent. Cooley provides a warm-hearted atmosphere throughout, along with a great visual animated style.

The screenplay by Stephany Folsom, Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Josh Cooley, Valerie LaPointe & Martin Hynes is amazing. The plot is intriguing, the characters are incredibly well-developed, & the dialogue is very humorous.

And the animation is wondrous. The animation here is some of the most realistic ever, & that's especially remarkable, as Pixar has always had an incredibly realistic style of animation. It's so incredibly detailed & colorfully illustrated, especially in one scene where the animation feels like life itself.

This is an incredible animated film, & definitely one of the best animated films of the decade. It may have seemed unnecessary, but unnecessary it is not. It is the logical conclusion for the franchise, & it is an emotional one for sure.

Toy Story 4 was seen by me at the MJR Marketplace Digital Cinema 20 in Sterling Heights, MI on Friday, June 21, 2019. It is in theaters everywhere. Its runtime is 100 minutes, & it is rated G.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

★★★★★ - A Review by Cameron Kanachki

Detroit. Boston. San Francisco. Atlanta. Philadelphia. New York. Washington D.C. All of these cities, along with hundreds more in the United States, have been plagued by gentrification. Sure, gentrification may sound nice, with the promise of updating the decaying neighborhoods, but what else do you really get out of it besides that & middle-class white people moving in? You not only lose the predominantly marginalized communities that made it so great, but you lose the culture that made it home while it wasn't at its best.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is an incredibly powerful look at gentrification, but it is mainly a powerful look at a friendship & how it endures outside change. The film follows Jimmie Fails (Jimmie Fails), a young African-American man in San Francisco. Jimmie works as a nurse at a nursing home, & currently lives with his best friend Montgomery "Mont" Allen (Jonathan Majors), an aspiring playwright, & Mont's grandfather (Danny Glover), who is blind & relies on Mont to explain to him the visuals of films & TV shows. Together, Jimmie & Mont encounter various people throughout the day, including Wanda (Tichina Arnold), Jimmie's aunt; Bobby (Mike Epps), an old friend of theirs; Clayton (Finn Wittrock), a sly real estate agent; & Becca (Thora Birch), a woman who has grown to hate the city. But what they truly cherish is the old Victorian house in the Fillmore District that Jimmie & his father James Sr. (Rob Morgan) once lived in before they were forced out of it in the 1990s, the house that Jimmie's grandfather built in 1946 as "the first black man in San Francisco." Jimmie helps take care of the outside while Mont keeps an eye out for the tenants, who are more or less apprehensive of Jimmie's care.

One day, Jimmie & Mont discover that the tenants are forced to move out due to the death of the owner, which has caused infighting between the tenants & one of their sisters. Jimmie sees this as an opportunity to finally get back his house, which has been priced at $4 million. Jimmie & Mont move in to squat in it, finally getting a sanctuary for themselves in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco. But this is more than just a house or a sanctuary for Jimmie: it's the last tie he has to San Francisco. It's the last tie he has to his home & his land, as he considers himself to be "the last black man in San Francisco."

The cast is exemplary. Jimmie Fails not only gives the best debut performance of this year, but easily the best debut performance of this decade. The fact that this is a debut performance & that he is an unknown talent heightens the film's realism, allowing us to further relate to the performances, & his remorseful yet optimistic attitude is so perfectly portrayed.

Jonathan Majors gives the best supporting male performance of the year so far. Like Fails' performance, Majors' performance is also remorseful yet optimistic, but he is more theatrical in his persona, & it shows in one of the most powerful scenes of the film. His chemistry with Fails is also impeccable, as they truly feel like life-long friends, almost like brothers they never had.

Tichina Arnold has a small amount of screen time, but what she does with that screen time is wondrous. As Jimmie's aunt who has left San Francisco behind, she understands what Jimmie is going through, trying to keep his connection with the city he loves so dearly, but knows that San Francisco is tough, & it's not his fault if he leaves. Arnold portrays that mindset so perfectly, & she is so warm & engaging in her performance.

The rest of the cast, especially Danny Glover & Rob Morgan, give terrific supporting performances, filling in the rest of the colorful characters that populate the setting.

Joe Talbot's direction is stellar. Talbot, in his directorial debut, shows the empathy of John Cassavetes, the visual poetry of Barry Jenkins, & the sociopolitical eye of Spike Lee, which all come together to create a style that makes you surprised that it did not come from a seasoned veteran director. I definitely cannot wait for what Talbot does after this film.

The screenplay by Joe Talbot, Rob Richert & Jimmie Fails is wonderful. The plot is entirely fresh & original, never once feeling stale. The characters are incredibly well-written, feeling like random people you would encounter on the street. And the dialogue is so richly human, powerfully written, & incredibly poetic.

Adam Newport-Berra's cinematography is gorgeous. Newport-Berra's camerawork is so vibrant, glorious, & nothing short of visual poetry, as he lingers on the beauty of the faces of the characters & the places that populate the setting, & glides along through the town like a San Franciscan on a cable car.

David Marks' editing is terrific. Marks cuts the film with such immense style, but lets us linger in the moment, keeping us calm as we slowly engage ourselves with the characters. And that is what editing should do.

And Emile Mosseri's score is beautiful. The score is populated by trombones, trumpets, clarinets, flutes, saxophones, violins, & percussion, & all those combine for music that is lamentful for the past, yet hopeful for the future.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is something that wholeheartedly deserves to be acclaimed, & it certainly has been acclaimed. It is something so wholly original, so powerfully emotional, & so visually poetic, that it is nothing short of a true masterpiece. It is something that everyone should go & see if it is showing by you.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco was seen by me at the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI on Thursday, June 20, 2019. It is currently in 4 theaters in the Detroit area: the Landmark Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, MI; the Birmingham 8 in Birmingham, MI; the Cinema Detroit in Detroit, MI; & the State Theatre in Ann Arbor, MI. Its runtime is 121 minutes, & it is rated R for language, brief nudity & drug use.