A Bigger Splash
(R, 124 minutes)
directed by Luca Guadagnino
It's unsettling to see dignified thespian Ralph Fiennes play a goofy, giggly, obnoxious modern-day party animal. Clad in gorgeous custom-made linen shirts and dancing madly at the drop of a tune, his music producer Harry Hawkes drops in to visit former flame Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton), an unlikely international rock star who's recovering from throat surgery at a rustic seaside hideaway in Sicily in the company of her taciturn documentary-filmmaker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts).
Marianne is unperturbed at flashy, vulgar Harry's arrival; can't say the same for Paul, although he gets over his sulking in the presence of Harry's daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who makes an effort to be friendly.
By casting talented actors in unlikely roles, director Luca Guadagnino throws the audience off track, as does the film's idyllic pace. So when the wheels fall off, all hell breaks loose.
The Meddler, (PG-13, 100 minutes)
Here we have an attractively aging woman, recently widowed and well off, who is determined to be happy. To that end, she spends her time interfering in others' lives, presumably to try to make them happy too, but mostly to bring meaning to her existence.
The stuff of comedy? Could be. But as game as Susan Sarandon is in trying to pull off awkward dialogue, cliched characters and ridiculous situations, writer-director Lorene Scafaria's semiautobiographical The Meddler falls short. At its best, it's occasionally entertaining; at its worst, it's painful to watch.
The trouble (for Sarandon's character Marnie Minvervini, as well as for the film) is the relationship between her and daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), a tiresome screenwriter with an up-and-down career and uneven love life in Los Angeles. When she loses her husband, Marnie leaves Brooklyn and sets up a residence in an airy apartment near Los Angeles' idyllic Grove outdoor mall. Life is perfect, she insists, especially through countless calls and visits to her dour daughter, who lives nearby. And part of that perfect life for Marnie is instructing Lori on how to handle just about everything.
Lori passive-aggressively pushes back against Marnie's micromanaging, but Marnie is appallingly tone-deaf to her daughter's protests. Resistance from Lori gets tougher and borders on hurtful, forcing the situation to escalate beyond the cleverly acerbic exchanges that mark its introduction.
What works best in The Meddler: the use of the Grove as a recurring setting. It's where Marnie meets an appealing law-enforcement Harley-Davidson rider named Zipper, played by J.K. Simmons. There's a brief appearance by Blues Traveler as the band at a lesbian wedding. And some of Marnie's earnest efforts on her frowny-faced daughter's behalf are touching.
On the downside: dreadful dialogue, absurd over-reactions to ordinary situations (see the encounter between Marnie and would-be suitor Michael McKean following the wedding), a dissonant dinner with her late husband's New Jersey family, and plot points that announce themselves as being important then disappear without a trace. The result for viewers is a feeling of frustration, of watching a film that gets close to being a winner, but ultimately can't make the grade.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray and DVD include commentary, a gag reel with outtakes, and two making-of featurettes.
Money Monster (R, 90 minutes) Director Jodie Foster, usually known for subtlety, is so enamored of the cliches that make up typical thrillers that she lets this one escape into banality. It's an unexceptional story of a Wall Street hotshot with a popular financial network show. When advice about a high-tech stock proves ruinous to an investor, he gets back by taking the Wall Street wiz, his crew and his producer hostage in front of live-action cameras. With George Clooney, Dominic West, Julia Roberts, Giancarlo Esposito.
The Dead Room (not rated, 80 minutes) An unambitious and ultimately dull attempt at horror concerning a frightened family that deserts a lonely New Zealand farmhouse, resulting in the arrival of two sarcastic scientists and a psychic to investigate claims that the farmhouse is haunted. With Jed Brophy, Jeff Thomas, Laura Petersen; directed by Jason Stutter.
The Darkness (PG-13, 92 minutes) Another attempt at horror that barely registers with fans of the genre, The Darkness concerns a family returning from a vacation at the Grand Canyon and unknowingly bringing home an evil (of course!) supernatural force that makes their lives, well, unbearable. With Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, Lucy Fry, Jennifer Morrison; directed by Greg McLean.
All the Way (not rated, 132 minutes) Based on Robert Schenkkan's Tony Award-winning play, this tightly focused, muscular drama concerns the early days of Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency, focusing on his involvement in the Civil Rights Act of 1963. With Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Melissa Leo, Aisha Hinds, Frank Langella; directed by Jay Roach.
Equals (PG-13, 101 minutes) A streamlined look can't make up for a lack of enthusiasm in this sci-fi drama about a future society in which emotions are passe; a couple fall victim to a disease that has the power to bring them back. With Guy Pearce, Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, Jacki Weaver; directed by Drake Doremus.
The Ones Below (R, 86 minutes) David Farr directs this satisfyingly anxiety-ridden and sharply written thriller about a young couple in a small London suburb who, while eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child, get into an increasingly difficult battle of wills with new tenants downstairs. With Clemence Poesy, David Morrissey, Laura Birn, Jonathan Harden.
Neon Bull (not rated, 101 minutes) The vaquejada, a rodeo-like Brazilian sport in which macho cowboys try to pull bulls to the ground by their tails, is revealed in this visually sumptuous production through the eyes of competitor Iremar (Juliano Cazarre), who would rather be designing flashy costumes for dancers. With Maeve Jinkins, Vinicius de Oliveira, Josinaldo Alves; directed by Gabriel Mascaro.
MovieStyle on 09/09/2016