Shorts from The Screening Room – February 2020

In Theaters:

The Call of the Wild (2020) – The current iteration of the classic Jack London novel is simplistic and family-fun enough to be enjoyable, but it isn’t deep enough to be thought provoking or deemed in any way, a classic.

“The Call of the Wild” concerns Buck, a St. Bernard/Scotch-Collie mix, living comfortably in the Santa Clara Valley of California. In short order, Buck is kidnapped and sold to a husky team in the Canadian Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. Here, Buck will face the primordial scourge of wild beasts, both man and animal, and the traumatic elements of the unforgiving north.

The film claims to be about finding one’s place in the world and how it’s okay to let go of the past in favor of living one’s truer life. Disappointingly, the film recreates major plot points from the novel but never digs too deeply into them.  Effectively failing to raise the physical stakes to the “wild” and/or “natural” levels, i.e. those of life and/or death, that breed such contemplative life-changing moments. And while there is a some-what dog-like honor and respect for the fallen humans in the story, there’s no deeply emotional loss or gain to impact the moments.

Naturally, at least when concerning Disney, the animals are all smarter than the humans, but unlike the novel or classic Disney era films, they’re “tests” never really have life threatening stakes. There may be a small desire to indicate such, but it’s never matched with a dramatically appropriate sequence.

Instead the film moves through a series of montages that see Buck gaining the rights and respect of an Alpha; “earned” is the harder word to use here. I think the film attempts to demonstrate Buck’s earning of his positions, but the dog never really does anything outside of his normal character, he doesn’t stretch or struggle against his fear or his nature. Buck is the fun-natured leader, the one all the girls fawn over, and all the guys want to be, excepting those who want power or position more.

If Buck was replaced with a human, this would be a decidedly bland and weak, quick-fix, retelling of the hardships that build a character, make a man or, turn a dog into the wild and respectable beast he’s descended from; and that’s the bummer of the film. Yet, while it’s certainly tough to buy for an older demographic, i.e. the ones who’ve actually read the novel, it might be right up the alley of a pre-teen viewer; which is most like the film’s intended audience.

My Admission - $4.50
One Line Review – “A Dog and His Boys”
MPAA Rating – PG for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language

From the Video Store Shelf:

Arctic (2018 / DVD) – Mads Mikkelson stars as a man marooned somewhere in the Arctic Circle. Concrete information concerning his arrival at his present circumstances is irrelevant to the film’s story. What is important is that he’s a lone survivor living in a downed plane in the frozen waste. His day-to-day life is filled with routine and is monotonously portrayed. When an opportunity for rescue ends in tragedy, he’s left with some even more life-threatening decisions to make.

The feature film debut from famed YouTuber, Joe Penna, has been labeled “one of the best movies made about survival”, and that’s probably not inaccurate. The film does an impressionable job of showing the audience some of the day-to-day routines of survival. In that instance, it’s arguably a more practical movie about survival, while also being one of the least fantastic.

By “least fantastic”, I mean that there’s nothing supernatural or implausible about “Arctic”. The film is set and survives in the real world. As such, it’s not the most interesting movie about survival. It’s good, and worthy of praise, for what it is, but that doesn’t make the film overly enjoyable, or nail-bitingly suspenseful. Though, it’s not exactly ho-hum either, it’s just not exciting enough to warrant a spot on a “Must See” list.

My Admission - $4.00
One Line Review – “Routine, Routine, Routine!”
MPAA Rating – PG-13 for language and some bloody images

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019 – DVD) – Avoiding the Oscar-bait sheen of films like “Wonder” or “Rainman”, this prototypical road movie sees a troubled man and a down-syndrome escapee traveling across North Carolina in order to reach a once-famed wrestling school. Yeah, it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s got a heart to it that feels so honest and true that you can’t help but take a shine to it.

Written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, for the film’s down-syndrome affected star, Zack Gottsagen, “The Peanut Butter Falcon” is a heartening joy to watch. The talent and chemistry of the actors feels wonderfully real, as do their efforts to achieve their character’s goals within the film. It’s small, it’s cute, and it’s perfect just the way it is.

Steeped with a brilliant supporting cast that includes, Dakota Johnson, Bruce Dern, Thomas Haden Church, Jon Bernthal, John Hawkes, Yelawolf, Mick Foley, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts, the film is worth your effort and time to see.

Note: Actors Shia LeBeouf and Zack Gottsagen were Oscar presenters at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, where they delivered the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

My Admission - $7.00
One Line Review – “I Wanna Go to Zack’s B’day Party, Yo!”
MPAA Rating – PG-13 for thematic content, language throughout, some violence and smoking

Robot & Frank (2012 / DVD) – In the not-too-distant future, Frank Langella plays an aging cat-burglar suffering from early onset-Alzheimers. Solitary and cantankerous, in his life and former profession, one of his adult children sees fit to purchase a robot nurse/companion for him. A robot who soon enough becomes his accomplice and protégé. A friendship ensues.

That should be enough to hook you, and it is, but ultimately the film is not as cute or heart-warming as I had hoped it would be. It’s north of decent, and the friendship is believable enough, but the film misses a number of opportunities to be emotionally fulfilling.

The superior supporting cast includes Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler, Peter Sarsgaard, Jeremy Strong, Jeremy Sisto, and Ana Gasteyer.

My Admission - $5.50
One Line Review – “Robots May Be Cool, but People Still Suck”
MPAA Rating – PG-13 for some language

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019 / DVD) – I was never a big repeat-minded fan of zombie films. Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun and all, but I’m more of a one-and-done type of guy; i.e. a little goes a long way for me. And while the original “Zombieland” was an enjoyable movie, it’s not really ground I feel the need to retread; the ideas, fears, and comedy are only of limited interest to me. “Zombieland: Double Tap” is not far off that mark. It’s funny, slightly icky, lithely fearful, appropriately outlandish, and somewhat educational. If you’re a fan of the original film, then you can expect to have a good time.

Zoey Deutch is an odd and welcome addition to the cast, but she’s the only addition that I’ll mention by name. The film is full of surprise castings and cameos, all of which are best received as the surprises they’re intended to be.

Note: Be sure to stick around through the credits for a hilarious fan-service stinger.

My Admission - $5.50
One Line Review – “You Just Got Ruled, Yo!”
MPAA Rating – R for bloody violence, language throughout, some drug and sexual content

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