The Oath,
written and directed by Ike Barinholtz
(R, 1 hour, 33 minutes)
A spiky politically charged satire -- just what we need right now -- The Oath examines a family's dynamics over the course of an already volatile Thanksgiving gathering.
Among those seated at the table are Chris (Barinholtz), a progressive who's obsessed by 24-hour news cycles, and his somewhat more levelheaded wife Kai (Tiffany Haddish). They are outraged to discover that U.S. citizens are being asked to sign a loyalty oath to the president, and refuse to do so by the Thanksgiving deadline.
Sides are taken among sparring relatives over the holiday weekend, a situation made worse by the arrival of a couple of government agents (John Cho and Billy Magnussen).
It's a difficult genre to conquer, and more experienced directors than Ike Barinholtz have tried and failed. Let's give him credit for some witty dialogue and clever characterizations, while allowing that success isn't quite achieved. With Carrie Brownstein, Meredith Hagner, Jon Barinholtz, Nora Dunn.
General Commander (R, 1 hour, 21 minutes) The CIA's Global Response Staff sends a team of young recruits led by Jake Alexander (Steven Seagal, playing the same character he always plays, with no better results) to Thailand to take down the most elusive and dangerous of criminals -- with the help of a Hong Kong billionaire. There are a few decent action scenes, but this is a film that will only appeal to Steven Seagal fans, bless their hearts. With Sonia Couling, Ron Smoorenburg, Megan Brown, Edoardo Costa; directed by Ross W. Clarkson and Philippe Martinez.
Greta (R, 1 hour, 38 minutes) When I first heard about this film during an NPR interview with its co-star Chloë Grace Moretz, I was thrilled to learn the other co-star is the fantastic Isabelle Huppert. Being an admirer of the Oscar-nominated and twice Cesar-winning star, my reaction was: This will be terrific. Not so. Despite the high-powered cast's decent performances, it's pretty much a B-movie in pretty clothes. The story concerns widowed oddball French piano teacher Greta (Huppert) who becomes friendly, maybe overly so, with needy and bereaved Frances (Moretz), who's mourning the death of her mother. Their relationship starts out as supportive, then turns into one that's disturbing. With Zawe Ashton, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore; directed by Neil Jordan (who also co-wrote).
Lords of Chaos (R, 1 hour, 58 minutes) Ever wonder where the Norwegian Black Metal music scene comes from? I'm not sure you'll find out the truth here (those who get their history from movies get the history they deserve), but extraordinarily violent Lords of Chaos claims to tell the "real" story of how some young guys who, among their other fetishes, adore attention and don't mind a little church-burning and occasional homicide started a movement. Not for everybody. With Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Sky Ferreira; directed by Jonas Åkerlund (who also co-wrote).
A Vigilante (R, 1 hour, 31 minutes) This well-regarded and sometimes tough to watch drama reveals how Sadie (Olivia Wilde), a former victim of abuse, focuses her considerable energies on finding solutions for other such victims to get away from their domestic abusers. In the meantime, she is determined to enact a permanent solution to ridding herself of her abuser. With Morgan Spector, Kye Catlett, C.J. Wilson; written and directed by Sarah Daggar-Nickson.
MovieStyle on 05/31/2019