Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! This week, we have a really interesting assortment of films hitting shelves. Yes, today features not only a fun little indie in BlackBerry, as well as one of the biggest movies of the year (at least budget-wise) in The Flash, plus one of the funniest comedies of 2023 in No Hard Feelings. Which title took top honors? Read on to find out…
BlackBerry
One of the smaller films this year to make a biopic out of a product, BlackBerry is also one of the best. Fast-paced, funny, and smart, it’s a lot of movie in a fairly small package. I spoke to co-stars Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton here, so definitely give that a look, as they’re very entertaining guys. This here is some of what I had to say in my review:
For what it’s worth, I was once a devoted BlackBerry user. The phone, for all its pluses and negatives, was exactly what someone like I wanted, in that the keyboard was there. I’ve since moved on to iPhones and am plenty happy, but the BlackBerry holds a special place in my heart, especially during my early and mid 20s. So, the film BlackBerry is starting out from a promising place. Luckily, it’s barely interested in nostalgia, as this is an often riveting look at how a group of brilliant but childish young men momentarily disrupted the cell phone industry. Fast-paced, funny, and well acted, it easily overcomes some uneven aspects to be solidly entertaining adult cinema.
BlackBerry is poor man’s Aaron Sorkin, or a more indie take. Or, think if Air wasn’t quite as ambitious. That takes nothing away from this flick, since it’s not trying to be those things. This is lo-fi, mostly intentionally, and is shot almost with a documentary approach, so maybe think Sorkin-lite, mixed with The Office? If that’s at all interesting to you, you’re likely in for a tech dramedy treat. Your standard issue biopic, this is not.
The Flash
Is The Flash nearly as good as the early buzz suggested? Not at all. Is it better than the reputation it got after it flopped at the box office? I certainly think so. Your mileage may vary, of course, but my review here is a fairly moderate take on what I found to be a mostly successful adventure:
Now this is what the DCEU was capable of. With a few exceptions, much of what DC and Warner Bros. was doing with their superheroes tended to underwhelm. Sure, the Snyderverse, as it was called, had its fans, but nothing ever consistently clicked. Now, with that world closed, here comes at long last The Flash, which is the sort of big, fun, and even emotional, adventure that we knew they had the abilities to do. It’s perhaps too late for the prior era of DC and WB filmmaking, with James Gunn taking over to go in a new direction, but if nothing else, it shows just how good a well done version of this can be.
The Flash mixes heart, humor, and large scale action to tell an epic story that ties in so much. I’ll be sure to steer clear of spoilers, of course, but I will advise you all to do the same. So many of the surprises work best when they wash over you without knowing them in advance. Now, you won’t enjoy this any less, but seeing it as blind as possible is a plus. As such, I won’t include anything here that’s not readily available in the trailers.
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No Hard Feelings
2023 has seen the R rated comedy have a bit of a comeback. With No Hard Feelings, it also showcases the comedic star power of one Jennifer Lawrence. She’s a riot in this very funny flick, which feels like a real throwback. My review here on the site includes the following beginning:
Long live the R-rated and theatrically released comedy. In the 1980s, as well as the 1990s and even the 2000s, these were staples of cinema. These days, they’re few and far between, relegated mostly to the streaming world or VOD, if they get made at all. So, the mere existence of No Hard Feelings is something to celebrate. Luckily, it’s also a damn funny and surprisingly heartfelt film as well. They don’t make ’em like this anymore, that’s for sure…but they should.
No Hard Feelings is a good movie made better by the absolutely committed central turn from Jennifer Lawrence. We all know she’s an amazing dramatic actress, and she’s done comedy before at times within films, but this is her first full-on comedy. She absolutely aces it, leaning in and embracing the raunch. Moreover, she elevates the light drama aspects. Without question, she’s the best thing about the flick, which is wildly entertaining, if occasionally uneven.
Blue Bloods: The Thirteenth Season (TV)
The Flash: The Complete Ninth Season (TV)
The Flash: The Complete Series (TV)
Infinity Pool (4K)
Criterion Corner
From The Criterion Collection: “A rediscovered treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking, Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso embeds an incisive look at racial injustice within a lovingly handmade buddy movie/murder mystery/romance. Alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying, brash Oakland, California, art student Pica (Toby Smith) attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroid snapshots, along the way forging a friendship with a woman in an abusive relationship (April Barnett) and experiencing love, heartbreak, and the everyday threat of violence. Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
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