About 20 minutes into Freaks, and feeling completely confused about what I was watching, I paused it and googled the movie. I was hoping for just a snippit of what was going on, and thankfully, the first page I clicked on, an article on the Verge website, was titled, “Freaks is a thrilling science fiction film worth knowing nothing about – Avoid spoilers and embrace the mystery.” So I did, and man was it worth it. The premise (that is set up in those first 20 minutes) is a little girl named Chloe who has never left the house. Her dad keeps her in the house with stories that the outside world is full of people who would kill her. At the same time, she seems to have some kind of special powers, able to get people to do things for her (like her neighbor’s daughter bringing her an ice cream cone) and one night, even summoning the neighbor to her room. One day, she’s had enough with being cooped up, and leaves the house. Enough said. Now go watch it. ★★★★★
The Sound of Silence stars Peter Sarsgaard as Peter, and man obsessed with sound. For years, he’s been doing research about harmonic resonance and its affect on people. In his spare time, he goes around the city, tuning forks in hand, and maps out the natural resonances of various spots in the city. His day job involves going to people’s houses to create a more “harmonic” place, and his work is successful. People call him when they are having trouble sleeping, fighting their spouses a lot, or have any strife in the home. Peter comes in, finds the natural resonance of the space, what item (usually electrical) gives off a different or competing hum, and replaces it, and his clients are always satisfied. Until Ellen (Rashida Jones). She’s not sleeping at night, and Peter replaces a toaster in her apartment, but her sleep doesn’t get any better. Peter is nonplussed, and tries to solve her problem, against the backdrop of Peter fighting to have his research legitimized in scientific circles. As a (former) musician, I’ve long been aware of the hum that electrical and mechanical devices give off – anyone with an ear can sit in a quiet room and listen for the various sounds always around us – but I’ve never gone so far as to try to see what musical note each item is giving off. Honestly that part of the film makes a lot of sense, because in western music, what we perceive as dissonance definitely causes angst and an uneasy feeling. Songwriters use this to great affect! It’s a good intellectual idea, and the movie breaks down the ideas into terms that non-musicians can get, but as a film, it’s not all that engaging. ★★½
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a sometimes frustrating, but ultimately satisfying conclusion to the “Skywalker saga.” If you believe Disney, this is the finale of the story arc that started with Luke, Leia, and Han back in 1977. I won’t give any spoilers on the story; suffice it to say, that if you are a die-hard Star Wars fan (which I am), and if hated The Last Jedi because you thought it “didn’t fit the Star Wars mold” (an opinion I do not agree with, I liked The Last Jedi), then you probably will like Rise of Skywalker very much. For me, it was just OK. Not great, certainly not terrible, but just OK. A whole lot happens, and the team behind it do their damnedest to wrap up all the loose plot elements in a tidy little bow. I enjoyed it, even if parts are awfully far-fetched (even for a space saga!), but I just can’t shake the feeling that, now that it is all over, if it wouldn’t have been better to just leave the Skywalker clan alone after Return of the Jedi back in 1983. Nothing will ever top those first three films, both because they are nearly perfect as they sit, and because of the whole nostalgia of them. I’ve really liked parts of every Stars Wars film that has come since (even Solo), but nothing will touch those films that I grew up with. So by all means, go and see Rise of Skywalker (I’m sure everyone else will, it will make a ton of money for Disney), but don’t hope to relive the magic that can only come to a 10 year old kid when Luke and his friends took down the evil Empire. ★★★½
The Aeronauts has a very strong cast who, unfortunately, can’t save a very average film. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, come together again after The Theory of Everything a few years ago, play a pair of people on a mission to climb higher in the atmosphere than any human before. Amelia is the crowd-pleaser who drums up the funds, and James Glaisher is a scientist intent to get high enough to measure the atmosphere, in an attempt to find ways to predict the weather (to which his fellows in the scientific community scoff). Aboard a hot air balloon, the two take off one afternoon and face a storm, the cold, and low oxygen on their adventure. There are some thrilling moments along the way, but some parts are very boring. It is semi-based on a true story. Glaisher did indeed climb high and was one an early meteorologist, but he went up in the balloon with his male partner, which Hollywood switched to a woman for creative license. ★★½
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the latest from Quentin Tarantino (of whom I am not a fan, sue me), is mostly just a homage to classic American films of the 50s and 60s. That’s fine I guess, but how is that a movie? There’s a plot (which takes forever to develop), but there is an awful lot of filler in the 2-and-a-half-hour running time. The movie mostly follows a has-been actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his long-time stunt double Cliff (Brad Pitt). Dalton was once a big TV star in the 50s, but his film career has not gone as well, and he’s depressed about it, falling to alcoholism. When not working, the two hang out at Dalton’s posh house, neighbors to up-and-coming director Roman Polanski and his girl Sharon Tate. Yes, that is where this film is finally going. Cliff just sort of hangs out when he isn’t needed, which is often since Dalton isn’t needed much either, and driving around Hollywood one day, Cliff stumbles upon the Charles Manson entourage. In normal Tarantino fashion, he changes up the actual history for his own, new version of events, and the ending of this one is far too outlandish. I’m convinced critics just give him a pass no matter what he puts out. ★★
Jons Movie Takes 