For most of September, most of the keithlovesmovies team have been focused on covering this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (coverage here). But plenty of other notable films were also released during that time. As we ease our way back to our regularly scheduled programming, check out this quick review roundup of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, The Nun 2, El Conde, After Everything, and A Haunting in Venice.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (IMDb)
The tales of the Toula and the Portokalos family span back to 2002 with the original My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that earned writer and star Nia Vardalos an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Earning a sequel 14-years later in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the long gaps between films continue with the cap to the trilogy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Living on cuteness and charm through two films, its Greek schtick and various Greek-isms may still elicit a chuckle every once in a while, but for the most part, it’s getting old and is certainly not what it used to be. Nevertheless, this film is essentially more of the same for better or worse. Trying to pull the sentimental card this time around as a justification, that potential heart is drowned out by the aforementioned silliness. Taking on the role of writer and director, Vardalos fails to find the right balance, seemingly giving up at offering this film any discernable differentiating factor and reverting to that now stale humor to just barely get by. While the performances are fine, that same connection to the characters isn’t quite there anymore. Whether or not audiences needed a third film in the franchise, it should end here.
Score: 60%
The Nun 2 (IMDb)
Let’s face it, The Nun was an unmitigated disaster. The third spinoff set in the Conjuring universe was a failure in just about every area. It is dull experience that may have succeeded technically but seemingly makes little or no effort narratively, resulting in an incredibly lazy film that essentially went nowhere. At the end of the day, that is what audiences take away. And Frenchie. It didn’t seem like it would get a sequel, however, cue The Nun 2, a film that is night and day compared to the original. Bringing in Michael Chaves, the director of past Conjuring films to direct this one, and a new writing team led by Akela Cooper of M3gan and Malignant fame proved to be great choices as the film thrived simply for having an actual direction and point to it. As Valak appeared to reemerge, it was up to Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to find and stop them before it’s too late. This time she wasn’t alone as she was joined by Sister Debra (Storm Reid). A skeptical sister, the evolving dynamic between the two was a definite highlight. Meanwhile, Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), is now Maurice as the character has been fully exercised of being simply an offensive stereotype. Though Irene and Debra’s investigation was on the predictable side, it was still compelling to watch while the film itself does a decent job at crafting tension and creating jump scares as Valak is given more freer reign. The plot could get kind of silly in trying to justify itself but it still comes together in a satisfying way. Taissa Farmiga is a star.
Score: 76%
El Conde (IMDb)
A throwback film that also feels modern, El Conde is very much a classic monster film through and through but that facade is merely a means to deliver darkly comedic commentary that is definitely out there and is sure to resonate more with Chilean audiences as it is full of references that could easily be picked up on following rewatches. In terms of commentary, nothing is as unsubtle as depicting Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) as a 250-year-old bloodthirsty vampire. As Pablo Larraín takes some artistic liberties once again but this time in a much different direction, telling the story as a fable about the story of Pinochet where his actions in real life were not that far apart from his vampire counterpart. After being alive for the last 250 years, the latter had had enough of his life of privilege and wanted to die as the general consensus about himself in the eyes of his people had drastically changed. As much as he wanted to die, Pinochet couldn’t. As his opportunistic family began to circle in, the film set its target on them as well but things changed for them once he set his sights on Camerncita (Paula Luchsinger), an exorcist nun tasked to eliminate him. However, things soon changed as far as their relationship was concerned. A beautiful film technically, from its monochromatic color palette, to its fantastic score, it feels very cinematic. Often full of blood and gore, the color palette keeps it somewhat restrained. Employing a deadpan style of humor, it is often hit or miss though it could resonate with some audiences more than others. Plus, the many sequences of Pinochet flying through the air are breathtaking. Vadell was sensational as the diminishing Pinochet/El Conde while the supporting cast were all solid.
Score: 72%
After Everything (IMDb)
The franchise that could, the After series continues to defy expectations and plop out film after film in spite of their subpar quality. Based on the book series by Anna Todd, it is safe to say that the franchise has been propped up by its fans and now those fans get a conclusion with the fifth and final film, After Everything. The film merely sees the story end like it started, with unlikable characters moving on from melodramatic situation to melodramatic situation while driven by mediocre writing and lead actors who simply lack the range to sell any kind of emotion (the others appear to be held hostage). That begins with Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Josephine Langford as Hardin and Tessa but this time around, the focus shifts on the former which only made his flaws more apparent. Hardin, attempting to write a follow-up to his book that also seemingly put an end to his relationship with Tessa, continues to struggle to move on from her to the point that it’s affecting every aspect of his life for what has to be at least the fifth time. As he spiraled, he decided to try to make amends with his past as a means to move forward. However, that clearly was not going to last as Hardin keeps finding ways to undercut himself. After so many films, it becomes tiresome while the way he is written makes him even more irritating to watch. Consistently depicting a toxic character as the victim is simply problematic, regardless of how charming he may appear though he inevitably is to some because audiences keep coming back. Tessa and Langford aren’t too far. In the end, this is she and Hardin’s story so the end result isn’t exactly surprising. That being said, the end of the film could come as a surprise. Some audiences love to watch trainwrecks but this lacks much in the way of redeeming qualities. Audiences look to film as an escape where they can live vicariously through its characters. Perhaps these ones aren’t the best choices.
Score: 13%
A Haunting in Venice (IMDb)
Kenneth Branagh’s modern Hercule Poirot trilogy has seen a rocky road since 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express remake. Going for big names and big personalities, these films have often been more about playing those personalities off of each other than actually solving murder mysteries. Delivering plenty of entertaining moments in spite of that, the 2 films so far, including the widely-panned Death on the Nile, have been mixed bags. That is why A Haunting in Venice felt so much like a breath of fresh air. Essentially taking a back-to-basics approach in crafting tension, its supernatural angle is a means to an end which was to approach its characters on a deeper level, far removed from the fanfare of the previous two films. Branagh’s Poirot rightly gets the focus here as he grapples with his beliefs and purpose, now at the latter stages of his life. This merely becomes the lens through he solves this latest case, one that proved to be more of a challenge but he remained undeterred. With the majority of the film taking place in a single location, the tight confines added to the tension as Branagh took inspiration from classic horror to keep his characters and audiences on edge throughout. Keeping all the personalities in check for the most part, this definitely made for a more compelling watch overall. All that being said, it was only a matter of time until Poirot put all the pieces together. Though this time, it felt more like a natural progression rather than trying to neatly wrap it all in a neat bow because the film was almost over. Aside from Branagh as Poirot, Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver was a delight and Jude Hill as Leopold Ferrier was an absolute scene-stealer. Easily the best film in the trilogy.
Score: 87%
still courtesy of 20th Century Studios
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
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