“Bullet Train,” “The Black Phone,” “Tar,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” Reviews

Bullet Train

I deeply enjoy Brad Pitt films when he doesn’t take himself too seriously, because he’s that kind of guy who can do both comedic and serious really well. However, the writer and director of this film didn’t take anything very seriously either, and the result is a bit of a muddled mess.

Films like this nowadays are always marketed as “From the guy who did that one thing in one of the John Wick movies” to lend a sort of credibility to the movie, and it may have worked the first two or three times, but now it’s kind of bland. Nothing about this film was particularly outstanding. There was an obvious approach to have the film modeled after Tarantino or Guy Ritchie’s films, with the snappy dialogue mixed in with frenetic action. However, most of it fell flat for me. None of the performances felt particularly memorable, with Pitt being the one small exception, but even he couldn’t save this movie.

The action is decent, but honestly at this point, there are so many dull action films of this caliber. The story also didn’t lend too much to the overall experience as it was filled with a bunch of flashbacks that didn’t really amount to anything. As Pitt is entering the twilight of his career, I hope that he can find more meaningful projects. Even if they are light hearted action films, I hope he can find more competently made ones as opposed to ones that are OK but forgetful like this one.

Grade: C/61

The Black Phone

Blumhouse Productions, while similar to A24, is a bit more of a mixed bag in terms of the content they put out. The Black Phone is no exception. This had an interesting premise, but ultimately failed to deliver on anything interesting. A lot of the most important plot points rely on the simple-mindedness of its characters, and you reaallly have to suspend your disbelief for this film. I do enjoy that the film is more atmospheric in its horror and has one jump scare that really took me by surprise, but for the most part it aims to make the setting speak for itself more than trying to spook you with cheap jump scares.

While we shouldn’t hold child actors to the same standard as adults who have been working in the industry for longer, I do feel like there’s a wealth of young talent out there. However, they certainly weren’t in this film. I was kind of surprised by the acting in this movie compared to most movies nowadays with younger teenagers. Ethan Hawke looks like he’s having a lot of fun in this movie, so his presence was definitely a plus, but there was only so much of him to really carry the film. Overall the film had promise to it, but it ended up just being kind of meh.

Grade: C/62

Tar

Cate Blanchett might win her third Oscar this year for her performance in Tar, which I found to be her best performance to date. This film is a great experience if you don’t know too much about it. To be honest, the first third of the film moves at an almost unbearably glacial pace, but once the mysteries lurking in the shadows finally come to light, that’s when things get really, really interesting. The final act of the movie has so many things going on that you’re left wondering what you saw, and it ends with an incredibly surprising ending for people who may be fans of a certain Japanese franchise.

In hindsight, there’s a thought-out reason behind the slow pace in the beginning. It builds up Blanchett’s character, so that you can see how drastically she changes as the film progresses into more its more ominous narrative. Even though the film itself is about a world-famous composer and there are numerous scenes of Blanchett conducting an orchestra, I really wanted to hear more of the music. Hearing the orchestral pieces in a big theater sounded amazing, but for the purposes of the film, it’s not really something that’s emphasized. Regardless, the way that the film handles its character development is fascinating, and also in its commentary about prevalent issues today. I recently watched Michael Haneke’s The Piano Teacher, and there are quite a few similarities between the two movies, although it’s not as perverse as that film. Tar may not be for all audiences, but the gradual unfolding of the film’s mysteries made it for one of the most fascinating movies of 2022.

Grade: B+/82

The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh hasn’t always been a director/writer that I’ve appreciated, but in recent years I’ve come to really enjoy his work. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was a film that I detested in the first half, and then absolutely fell in love with in the second half. The Banshees of Inisherin, or the name I prefer to call it, In Bruges 2, is one of the best films of the year. However, if you’re not completely into dark humor then I wouldn’t say it’s for you. McDonagh’s films have a perversely warm feeling in its crudeness and darkness, which is honestly quite odd when I think about it. However, this film has some of the funniest dialogue I’ve seen in recent years, but beyond that the film is a truly heartbreaking tale about friends who break up.

It’s very possible that Colin Farrell is a frontrunner for the Oscar this year as well, as I think this is his best performance to date. There’s a vulnerability to his character that I’ve never seen in any of his previous films, and he shows his comedic chops once again, sort of similar to his performance in The Lobster. Brendan Gleeson’s performance is much more subdued, but acts as a perfect complement to Farrell’s oafish but lovable character. Not only are the two of these fantastic, but supporting characters Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon are sublime as well. This is easily the best ensemble performance of the year so far. The only films I can foresee maybe topping this is Glass Onion or Babylon.

There’s a LOT of subtext in this film, as it touches on many delicate subjects such as existentialism, personal worth, loneliness, comfort, and male ego. The more I think about this film the more I see the genius behind McDonagh’s writing. On the surface there’s a lot of hilarious dialogue, but there’s also a lot of hidden meaning in what the characters stop short of saying. It also helps that this film has a breathtakingly stunning backdrop as it’s filmed on the shores of the Irish coast, which makes you wonder how anyone could get sick of a magical place like this. Here’s hoping that in another decade or so we’ll revisit the McDonagh/Farrell/Gleeson trio and get In Bruges 3.

Grade: A-/86