Review – The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Review – <strong>THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY</strong>

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY (2022)
PG-13 ‧  Drama ‧ 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Written by Gabrielle Zevin 
Directed by ‎Hans Canosa

THE CAST

Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, Blaire Brown, Lauren Stamile, with David Arquette and Scott Foley

THE STORY

(In their own words) Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, bookstore owner A.J.Fikry’s (Kunal Nayyar) life is not turning out as he expected as he struggles both emotionally and financially. After his wife’s tragic death, he feels lost and left behind in the rapidly evolving world of today. As he tries to keep his store afloat, he begins to drink his sorrows away, ultimately hitting rock bottom when his most prized possession, a series of Edgar Allen Poe poems, are stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, the unexpected arrival gives Fikry a new lease on life, and love, that are greater than he ever imagined. The film also stars Lucy Hale, Christina Hendricks, Scott Foley, and David Arquette.

THE BEST
The BEST things about the film

  1. The characters are likable. Everyone in the film has a bit of charisma that you kind of like. Even the characters that maybe you aren’t supposed to that much. It really did succeed in getting me interested in the characters in film.
  2. The art direction. The film did a really great job of bringing to life this quaint little island town. 
  3. The messages – The messages involving finding something to live for and putting love first in your life make for enjoyable stories. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. Didn’t show the most exciting things. The most interesting things in the story seem to happen during the times of AJ’s life that we don’t see. He finds the baby, decides to foster her, then they jump forward in time like 8 years. Whoa, when do we get to see him learn how to parent and learn how to love after losing love. You know how a good movie trailer is supposed to show you enough of a film to get you interested in the movie, but not show you the exciting parts. It was almost like this film was a trailer for the book. It made me want to read the book so I can experience the exciting things that happened. I hope they are in the book, otherwise I don’t know why I’m reading it.
  2. Films should be about what’s happening. This film is more about what happened since the last time you saw them. I watch movies to see how people deal with life, not to hear a summary from years later. That’s an epilogue. It’s like this film is just a bunch of epilogues. 

THE LESSON

Never give up on finding love. In all its forms. 

IS IT REWATCHABLE

Yes. It isn’t bad. It’s kind of pleasant. I would watch it again if someone wanted to see it for some reason. But I’m more likely on my own to give the book a try. 

THE FINAL WORD

It’s a pleasant enough film. The characters are likable and the set up for the story is interesting. This film adaptation of the book of the same name feels more like a trailer for the book because it skips over the most interesting moments of the characters lives, making it feel more like a series of epilogues.  It’s not a bad film, it just feels incomplete. I would rewatch it, but I’d rather read the book and see if it offers anything more. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

I give a The Storied Life Of AJ Firkry a tentative Like It. 

THE TRAILER

THE MEME REVIEW

Review – The Fabelmans

The Fablemens (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Drama/Coming Of Age  ‧ 2 Hours 31 Minutes

Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Directed by ‎Steven Spielberg

THE CAST

 Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy, with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, and Judd Hirsch 

THE STORY

This is a semi-autobiographical film loosely based on the adolescents of Steven Spielberg. It’s the story of a young aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman, as he discovers the power of film in creating emotional moments and feelings in those around him and how he can see into people deeper through his lens than most can in real life.  

THE BEST
The BEST things about the film

  1. Overall Quality – it’s just a really well made film. Steven Spielberg is obviously a master of his craft. Everything about this film is excellent; cinematography, direction, acting. 
  1. Direction – Well paced, emotional moments are there that give you the right feelings at the right times.  Spielberg is a master. He knows how to get you emotionally through the camera movement to the music, he knows how to make you feel in that very moment.
  2. Timeline – I really liked that when choosing something autobiogrpahical, Spielberg chose to pick a relatively short amount of time. Too often filmmakers try to craft biopics covering way too many decades of their or other people’s lives and it always ends up feeling flat. Picking this one influential time allowed us to get a full satisfying story. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. It doesn’t stay with you.  While great in the moment, I question whether this is a film or story that gives you a long term emotional impact.  The next day, I honestly forgot I saw the movie until someone asked me how it was. Still I was like, “oh,it’s really well done, Spielberg really executes it flawlessly, there’s some really neat discussion points about art vs science, and honestly I wish I was just 10% as good at anything as Spielberg is at directing.” And then immediately I forgot I watched the film.

THE LESSON

I think the lesson from a film is also a line from the film:

You can’t just love something, you also have to take care of it. 

IS IT REWATCHABLE?

Yes. It’s really good. I don’t think it has that huge, “ I can’t wait to see this again feeling, but it’s solid.

FAVORITE LINES THAT AREN’T SPOILERS
You can’t just love something, you also have to take care of it.

We mashuga for art

Movies are dreams you never forget. 

Guilt is a wasted emotion. 

Sometimes we can’t just fix things and we have to suffer. 

THE FINAL WORD

A beautifully filmed, well-paced, and very nice story. This semi autobiographical film is about a semi-dysfunctional family and Sammy Fabelman’s discovery in the power of film making during his adolescence. It raises semi-timeless questions such as pursuing a life in science vs a life of art. Despite being incredibly well made, the film doesn’t leave a lasting impact on the viewer, making it semi-memorable. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Fabelmans gets a Like It. 

THE TRAILER

THE MEME REVIEW

Review – Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery  (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Mystery/Crime  ‧ 2 Hours 19 Minutes

Directed by ‎Rian Johnson

Written by Rian Johnson

THE CAST

Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

THE STORY

(In their own words) 

Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L – R) Kate Hudson as Birdie, Jessica Henwick as Peg, Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc, and Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.

THE BEST


The BEST things about the film

  1. The Mystery – It’s unpredictable, which is very ideal in a mystery, but I feel like that has become too hard for films without some supernatural element. This film managed to surprise us with each turn. It’s grounded and real and the motivations all make sense. I will go as far as to say that director Rian Johnson has helped me fall in love with mysteries again.
  2. The writing is really just exceptional. Well crafted, thought out, wonderful dialogue, and takes us to places we don’t expect. Rian Johnson has a great ability to flesh out characters to be both believable and ludicrous at the same time. He’s definitely a master storyteller.
  3. Daniel Craig is a comedic gem – Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc from the first Knives out film. I was so glad to discover that his comedic chops from that film weren’t a one hit wonder for him. I never expected the man who played James Bond for so long to end up being a fantastic comedic actor, but he is. He’s authentic, natural, specific, focused, puts on the jacket of a character without playing a character, which is the difference between being a character and a real person put into a funny situation. 
  4. Terrific Ensemble – While I am giving special props out to Daniel Craig, the whole ensemble works well together. From top to bottom the cast is full of really talented actors who have great screen chemistry together. 
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Dave Bautista as Duke and Madelyn Cline as Whiskey. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. There is one scene that has some just awful green screen happening. At this production level, we shouldn’t be seeing that. I get that special effects scenes are expensive, but you’ve gone this far with the production, have it happen with stunt people or something. It just looked silly.

BEST NON-SPOILER LINES

Be careful not to confuse speaking without thought with speaking the truth.

THE LESSON

A friend that “owes you” isn’t really a friend. 

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022) Janelle Monáe as Andi and Kathryn Hahn as Claire. Cr: John Wilson/NETFLIX

THE FINAL WORD

This stand alone sequel to knives out will keep you guessing through the whole film. If you liked the first Knives Out, you will like this one. It is funny, fresh, and inventive in its storytelling. Easily one of the top four most fun films I’ve seen this year. Daniel Craig is a comedic gem. Dave Batista is becoming another ex-wrestler turned actor that when I see them in a film, I know that I’m going to have a good time. Rian Johnson shows again that he is an excellent craftsman in writing, directing, and overall storytelling. He is making me fall in love with murder mysteries again. If you can watch this film with a crowd, but whatever you do, don’t miss it. 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022). (L-R) Kate Hudson as Birdie, Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel, Kathryn Hahn as Claire, Edward Norton as Myles, Jessica Henwick as Peg, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey and Dave Bautista as Duke. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery gets a Love It

THE MEME REVIEW

THE TRAILER

THE VIDEO REVIEW

THE PODCAST REVIEW

Watch in theaters for one week starting November 23rd and on Netflix December 23rd. www.Netflix.com/GlassOnion

Review: The Menu

The Menu  (2022)
R‧ Horror Comedy ‧ 1 Hour 46 Minutes

Written by Seth Reiss, Will Tracy
Directed by ‎Mark Mylod

THE CAST

  • Ralph Fiennes as Julian Slowik
  • Anya Taylor-Joy as Margot
  • Nicholas Hoult as Tyler
  • Hong Chau as Elsa
  • Janet McTeer as Lillian Bloom
  • Judith Light as Anne
  • John Leguizamo as Movie Star
  • Reed Birney as Richard Liebbrandt
  • Paul Adelstein as Ted. Lillian’s editor
  • Aimee Carrero as Felicity
  • Arturo Castro as Soren
  • Mark St. Cyr as Dave
  • Rob Yang as Bryce
  • Rebecca Koon as Linda
  • Peter Grosz as Sommelier
(From L-R): Judith Light, Reed Birney, Paul Adelstein, Janet McTeer, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Rob Yang, Arturo Castro, and Mark St. Cyr in the film THE MENU. Photo by Eric Zachanowich. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

THE STORY

“Young couple Margot and Tyler travel to a remote island to eat at Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant run by celebrity chef Julian Slowik, who has prepared a lavish molecular gastronomy menu where food is treated as conceptual art, although his approach to cuisine has some shocking surprises for the wealthy guests.”

MORE DETAILED STORY

(In their own words) A couple, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult), travel to a coastal island in the Pacific Northwest to eat at an exclusive restaurant, Hawthorn, where the reclusive, globally celebrated Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish tasting menu for select special guests. Joining the couple are three young, already inebriated tech bros, Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr), an older wealthy couple and repeat clients, Anne and Richard (Judith Light and Reed Birney), renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her slavish magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), and a famous middle-aged movie star (John Leguizamo) with his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero). Hosted by the immaculately dressed front of house staff led by general Elsa (Hong Chau), the evening unfolds with increasing tension at each of the guest tables as secrets are revealed and unexpected courses are served. With wild and violent events occurring, Slowik’s motivation begins to rattle the diners as it becomes increasingly apparent that his elaborate menu is designed to catalyze to a shocking finale.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes in the film THE MENU. Photo by Eric Zachanowich. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

THE BEST


The BEST things about the film

  1. The story – It’s a very creative story, one that I don’t think I’ve heard before. It’s suspenseful, thrilling, really funny, and you have trouble predicting where it’s going to go. Wonderful satire.
  2. The themes – There are just so many wonderful themes about class warfare. Rich vs Poor, Have vs Have Nots, Givers vs Takers. There are so many underlying themes, the more you talk about it, the more you see. 
  3. The writing – This is a really well written film. Subtle, great dialogue, and layers upon layer of meaning behind everything. 

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. More backstory of most of the cooks would have really helped understand more.
The cast of the film THE MENU. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

THE LESSON

The rich don’t deserve bread. 

THE FINAL WORD

This is a film that the audience should really devour. It is a tasting menu of satire, horror, comedy, thrills, and terror. Wonderfully written and speaks volumes about the role of class and the divide between the rich and the poor. This is not just another horror movie, it’s a warning that there is a breaking point and a message to the servant class about the power of saying ‘No.” Ralph Fiennes is a stand out as the celebrity chef Julian Slowik.

THE VERDICT

My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

The Menu gets a ‘Love It”

A course from the film THE MENU. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.

THE MEME REVIEW

THE TRAILER

Review- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
PG-13 ‧ Action/Adventure ‧ 2 H 41 M
Written by Ryan Cooglar And Joe Robert Cole
Directed by ‎Ryan Cooglar

THE CAST

Sars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, Martin Freeman, and Angela Bassett.

(L-R): Dorothy Steel as Merchant Tribe Elder, Florence Kasumba as Ayo, Angela Bassett as Ramonda, Danai Gurira as Okoye in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

THE STORY

(In their own words)

The leaders of the kingdom of Wakanda fight to protect their nation from invading forces in the wake of King T’Challa’s death, while a new threat emerges from the hidden undersea nation of Talokan ruled by Namor.

THE BEST

The BEST things about the film

  1. The Feel – It doesn’t feel like a standard Marvel film. It has so much heart. They take these heartfelt moments and lean into them without the traditional Marvel, “I’m about the have an emotional experience and I can’t handle that as a human with a smart phone, so let’s make a funny quip to diffuse a connection to humanity.”
  2. The Tributes to T’Challa/Chadwick Boseman are wonderfully done.  
  3. Love the female centric storyline.
  4. It exceeded expectations. Let’s face it, Boseman’s death made us really skeptical how they would handle the next film, they didn’t just make the best of the situation, they leaned into it and made a fine film. 
A scene from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

THE WORST

The WORST things about the Film

  1. There were some silly unnecessary attempted comedy quips in the beginning that didn’t feel like they worked.  It had me worried early on but they didn’t go back to that which was really a relief. 
  2. Final Battle – the numbers didn’t make sense. How many people are there?
  3. Long. This film is a whopping 2 hours and 40 minutes. There’s a lot of story in here.

THE LESSON

How you handle loss can determine if you are a good guy or a bad guy. 

THE FINAL WORD

From the opening credits, we know that we are in safe hands with the director as he pays respect to Boseman’s Black Panther. While the film is long, it is full of new action sequences, weapons, and a formidable, well-motivated nemesis.  This film has a refreshingly different tone than other Marvel films, as it has moments of heart that it leans into without cracking jokes, finally allowing us to savor the moments of human feelings they create inside us. This film is a great finish to Marvel’s Phase 4.

(L-R): Alex Livinalli as Attuma and Mabel Cadena as Namora in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.

THE VERDICT

My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Really strong Like It, prepared for it to go higher. 

MEME REVIEW

THE TRAILER

Episode 209: The Return of Jay Irwin And The Tale Of A Bad Usher

Seattle Theatre Critic Jay Irwin returns to discuss with Silas his latest happenings as a live theatre critic and to listen to Silas’ tale of a bad usher ruining his theatre experience at a recent production.

Listen to the podcast or watch the video

THE PODCAST

THE VIDEO

Review: Pearl

Hey friends and Fans!



Reviews are moving over to the review site “You’re Watching A Movie With Silas Lindenstein.” Check out the review for Pearl here.

Episode #208: The Cast of The Umbrella Men

This week Silas got to sit down with the Cast of The Umbrella Man, a new South African action/comedy/heist film, while they were in attendance at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Episode #207: Episode 207: ECCC 2022 Recap with Guest Angela Rairden

Podcast Recap and Review of Emerald City Comicon 2022. Silas sat down with a fellow member of the press, blogger from Frankie’s Comics, Angela Rairden to discuss this years ECCC, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Also, I promised on the podcast, a photo gallery of the photos I took at comicon. I’m having trouble with the gallery and the photos loading. So until I figure that out, below is a video of the pictures I would have put up.

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