'Disfluency' Reviews: "a hugely empathetic, emotive and rewarding experience"

    On January 10, 2024, with a streaming release on January 24, 2024, Buffalo 8 releases 'Disfluency', which has earned rave reviews from critics at the time of this writing and a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "After flunking her final college class, Jane retreats to her Michigan hometown for one last, carefree summer vacation. She soon rekindles an old friendship with a single mother, teaching her sign language so she can reconnect with her son. Despite her best efforts, however, Jane can't hide the traumatic secret that caused her academic failure." The ensemble cast includes Libe Barer, Ariela Barer, Chelsea Alden, Dylan Arnold, and Travis Tope. Read the full review round-up below.

    Rob Aldam of Backseat Mafia says, "While the term post-traumatic stress disorder might have first been officially used in the late 1970s for the diagnosis of Vietnam War veterans, the concept of an extreme stress reaction predates it by a couple of decades. Of course, the actual symptoms of PTSD were nothing new, though the condition has been known by a variety of names over the centuries. There’s no doubting its connection with warfare, but also any form of severe interpersonal violence. One young woman struggles to process what happened to her in Disfluency. Jane (Libe Barer), the prodigal daughter, returns suddenly to her parents’ lake house after unexpectedly flunking her final college class. Her mother (Diana DeLaCruz) is beside herself that her youngest has ruined her prospects, although her father (Ricky Wayne) is a little more upbeat. She returns to her hometown and finds consolation in her older sister (Ariela Barer), high school friends and crush (Dylan Arnold) for the long hot summer. Trying to process what has happened to her. On the face of it, the premise of Disfluency might not sound particularly original, but the way the drama unravels in writer/director Anna Baumgarten’s debut feature is brilliantly done. This is largely thanks to some great writing and a wonderful central performance from Libe Barer. The use of language, especially speech disfluency, as a way of conveying how Jane is feeling works exceedingly well. While the luscious cinematography captures the hazy days of youth. All helping to make Disfluency a hugely empathetic, emotive and rewarding experience."

Photo by Edgar Soto on Unsplash

   Brian Eggert of Deep Focus Review notes, "Director Anna Baumgarten’s Disfluency uses a linguistic term as a metaphor for our sometimes delayed response to trauma and how that can upset the course of our lives. The title refers to vocalized pauses such as “um” and “like” that so many of us involuntarily use as interrupters to our thought flow. “I’m sorry” is the term of choice for Jane (Libe Barer), a talented student who nonetheless just flunked her final undergraduate course—about disfluency, of course. After returning home to Michigan for the summer, Jane says “I’m sorry” as a reflex, and in turn, buries the reasons why she flunked. But with the help of some hometown friends and her sister Lacey, played by Libe’s real-life sibling Ariela Barer, Jane works up the confidence to tell people what happened. Disfluency comes with a content warning that some viewers may find its themes difficult. Indeed, Jane confronts her repressed trauma with the suspicion that she may have been raped at a college party. Libe is particularly good in her scenes of teary recollection during an anxiety-ridden trip to the police station with her sister. And the off-screen relationship between the siblings helps give the sisters’ on-screen dynamic a naturalness—the best parts of the film are the scenes between them. However, the film’s dramaturgy and generic form resemble a production suited for a Lifetime Original movie or even a movie-of-the-week circa 1995. But that shouldn’t be held against it. Even if Disfluency feels maudlin and commonplace in its execution, the Barers sell every emotion in their performances, making the result undeniably effective. 3/4 Stars."

'Avicii - I'm Tim' Hits the Right Notes

    On December 31, 2024, Netflix releases 'Avicii - I'm Tim', which has earned rave reviews from critics at the time of this writing. In the film, "Before there was Avicii, there was just Tim. For the first time through his own words, witness the journey of a shy but prodigious musical talent who would soon become one of the defining artists of his generation." But what did the critics say?

    Will Bjarnar of Next Best Picture says, "Charting the life and accomplishments of Tim Bergling – the Swedish DJ known to anyone who has listened to music in the last 10-plus years as Avicii – Burman’s film does, indeed, follow the tired cradle-to-grave formula that has dulled projects of a similar ilk in the recent past (Bergling tragically took his own life in 2018 at the age of 28). But what this documentary possesses that hundreds of others lack is a rare sense of soul. It doesn’t rely on sit-down interviews with journalists who have deemed themselves the foremost authorities on an artist’s career, instead placing an emphasis on industry personalities and, especially, close friends of Bergling, with the two often intersecting. More than any other, to the film’s ultimate credit, we hear from Bergling himself. It’s evident that Burman and co. were working with Avicii’s team on a documentary of sorts for years before his death, but “I’m Tim” employs a great deal of archival behind-the-scenes footage of Bergling’s rise that was clearly filmed in an effort, from the moment he pieced together the beat to his first hit, “Levels,” to the moment something clicked within him leading to a change in his sound and taste. We see Bergling working with artists like Chris Martin – he produced Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars” – Dan Tyminski, who provided the vocals for “Hey Brother,” and Aloe Blacc, who sings on “SOS” and Avicii’s biggest sensation, “Wake Me Up.” This footage is intercut with interviews with said artists, as well as conversations with some of Bergling’s closer personal confidants, like his longtime manager Arash “Ash” Pournouri and the nightclub promoter Jesse Waits, who became a brother to Bergling over the course of their years long friendship." Adding, "Most prominently and notably, we hear Bergling discussing his complicated relationship with fame and his struggles with mental health. Almost always heard in voiceover, he  notes that he never felt like much of an artist or producer but a person “filled with music.” You can see that mentality in his early performances, in particular; Bergling, often donning an Atlanta Braves or Oakland Athletics cap because of the “A” logos they featured on the front, typically wore plaid button-ups one might pull off the clearance rack at Kohl’s while performing at EDM (electronic dance music) festivals like Miami’s heralded Ultra. While his fans donned skin-tight neon digs, the artist known as Avicii appeared as though he was about to accept an academic excellence award at his high school. Such habits make it clear that Avicii was merely a mask for the man named Tim, the artist serving as an alternate personality, not quite something he’d consider an escape. A friend recalls that “Tim and Avicii weren’t really getting along for a long time,” almost like the DJ within was a Venom-esque syndicate itching to control the man’s body and soul. Tim himself says, “I didn’t like [having] to be Avicii and then [having] to be Tim… Then I didn’t even enjoy making music.” It’s heartbreaking, an internal sparring not at all worthy of chalking up to the price of fame." 

Photo by Marcela Laskoski on Unsplash

Should there be a 'Squid Game' prequel?

         On December 26, 2024, the second season of 'Squid Game' was released to acclaim. As an avid fan of the series, I was enthralled by the drama of it all as well as the new characters, which actually might be more fun that the first group of the game's victims. Unpopular opinion, so have at me lol. Saying that, any fan knows that the show's creator has stated it will only last three seasons, which is sad yet makes me happy since the series has a clear ending in mind. After the last season of 'Game of Thrones', which was a really mixed bag, this is actually calming in a weird way. But, and this might seem all very 'House of the Dragon' here, I believe that a prequel about how the games began would be amazing. Hear me out:

1)The Various Time Periods: Since it really was not established how old the games are, the sky is the limit here. Let's say the games began in the 1980s for example. It would be cool to see how it all started plus the fashions, technologies, and whatnot.

2)Oh Il-nam: When we last saw him, Ph Il-nam was "The Old Man" that deceived us all. But what was he like when he created the games? Was he more emotional? Less? Was he seeking revenge on society or someone in particular? Who helped him create the games? Who was the first winner? Were there any hiccups in the early gameplay? The questions go on and on. In my mind, he would be played by Park Seo-joon or Lee Moo-saeng, but I am sure the line would be out the door to audition for such a juicy role.

    In short, the ball is your court Netflix!

Photo by Daniel Bernard on Unsplash

Second Season of 'Squid Game' is Not as Dynamic but Still Worth it

     On December 26, 2024, Netflix released the second season the of the award winning 'Squid Game', which quickly amassed a score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the series, "Hundreds of cash-strapped contestants accept an invitation to compete in children's games for a tempting prize, but the stakes are deadly." All the while, the recent winner re-enters the game in order to take it down internally. The ensemble cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, Im Si-wan, and Yang Dong-geun. But what did the critics say?

Photo by Riza Gabriela on Unsplash

      Belen Edwards of Mashable says, "With every effort to dial up an element from Season 1, be it the voting mechanic or the Front Man's role, Squid Game Season 2 weakens its own mystique and appeal." Adding, "Squid Game's overemphasis on voting is just one symptom of Season 2's overarching problem: Recycling Season 1 plot points with twists that run themselves into the ground. Let's start with an obvious one. Once again, the games' player 001 is a plant from the people controlling the games. This time around, it's none other than Front Man Hwang In-ho, who's snuck into the games to watch over Gi-hun, and who ends up becoming one of his closest allies. All the better to break his spirit once he finds out his true identity! The only problem is, Gi-hun doesn't learn who 001 really is this season, so we lose the feeling of brutal catharsis we got with the Oh Il-nam (O Yeong-su) reveal from Season 1."

       Sara Wallis of Daily Mirror praises the series, stating, "By mid-season, the twists and turns will be coming so fast, you won’t be able to look away until the final, devastating, flourish. Let the new games begin." Continuing, "When you finally see him on a bunk bed in that familiar green tracksuit labelled ‘456’, you’ll sit bolt upright and grab the popcorn. There’s comedy amid the trauma - the new batch of players complain about everything from the colour of the uniforms to the secrecy of the staff. They don’t know what’s coming… but Gi-hun does, and so do we. Some parts are familiar - the gigantic doll with the laser stare makes a reappearance - but there are scary new games. A clever new rule brings even more tension and rivalry within the group, while there are plenty of players to get emotionally attached to and to hate."

   Joel Keller of Decider notes, "The long-anticipated second season of Squid Game lives up to what Hwang Dong-hyuk accomplished in the first season, with Gi-hun back in the game, but for very different reasons than when he first played it." Concluding, "The first episode shows that Hwang isn’t into repeating what made the show such a global success back in 2021. We suspect that even the games Gi-hun plays will be different, giving him less of an advantage than he might think he has given his previous experience. That’s certainly a good thing, as will meeting a new group of players once he re-enters the game. Also, at the same time, Jun-ho will keep probing from the outside, looking for his brother and trying to put a stop to the game in his own way."

   Annie Banks of The Mary Sue says, "If anything, Squid Game Season 2’s uneven seven-episode stretch closes itself out with a cliffhanger that might just be worth the watch. It’s simply too bad the season couldn’t offer much more than that." Adding, "The socioeconomic commentary that contributed to what make Squid Game so fascinating upon its initial arrival is slow to arrive in Season 2, but its emergence midst episode one looks to one of the series’ strongest elements. When The Salesman (Gong Yoo) offers a homeless man the choice between a bread roll and a lotto ticket, the first value-driven conflict is introduced. After the scratch-off ticket doesn’t reveal any major winnings and The Salesman asks for his coin back, Squid Game Season 2’s simple-yet-effective depiction of apathy for the impoverished begins to unfold. As this pattern continues throughout the second season, Squid Game Season 2 leans back on its commentary of classism. These moments that provoke conversation around the show’s major points of contention are Squid Game Season 2’s strongest, and hopefully, fleetingly, their impact will influence its audience." 

Third Season of 'What If...?' Captivates Critics

         On December 22, 2024, Disney+ premiered the third and final season 'What If...?', which has received predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the series, the multiverse comes to life in new and exciting ways. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Mackie, Mark Ruffalo, Teyonah Parris, Simu Liu, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Kathryn Hahn, Seth Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar Isaac, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Emily VanCamp, Dominique Thorne, Wyatt Russell, Hayley Atwell, and Jeffrey Wright. But what did the critics say?

       Arezou Amin of Collider says, "What If Season 3 caps off the series with a bleaker final outing that ultimately manages to keep hope at the center of it all." Adding, "Without a doubt, Season 3 of What If...? is the show's bleakest yet. While the earlier seasons had riffs on Christmas movies, winks at the heist genre, or cartoonish showdowns with the episode's villains, moments like this are few and far between in Season 3. This isn't exactly a surprise. It feels as though the world around us has been moving in a bleaker direction for quite some time, and all media is a reflection of the time in which it was made, be it intentional or otherwise. The topics that What If...? Season 3 touches on are hardly new to the MCU, or even the wider superhero genre; greed, power, violence, prejudice, and subjugation remain at the heart of what drives the villains. Episode 6, "What If 1872," is particularly unafraid to directly call out the injustices its heroes are fighting, and unsubtly hints at similar issues still occurring today. What is new, however, is how utterly hopeless so many of the episodes feel.Yes, every story needs a low point in which the characters believe they cannot continue the fight; every Marvel movie has that moment. But the sheer, colossal, multiversal scale of the series really amplifies that helplessness, with the scenarios The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) chooses to visit feeling more cataclysmic than they usually do. Absent from this season is the lighthearted air of "What If T'challa Became Star Lord" and "What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas," or the groundbreaking nature of "What If Kahhori Reshaped the World." Season 3 does have its relatively lighter episodes with fun concepts — those starring Howard the Duck (Seth Green) and Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) come to mind — but even those are tinged with the larger, cosmic scale of everything happening around them."

       Alan French of FandomWire notes, "When you dig into the creativity of What If…, it starts at the animation stage. For all the cool storytelling tricks that the series hopes to pull off, What If… Season 3 has to push the boundaries of what is possible in the medium. Like the two seasons before, a mixing and matching of styles allows the show to soar. In the old West, the vistas and gunslinging shine bright. Beyond the cosmos, the monsters look bigger and badder than ever. Magic duels between movie stars are larger than life, and even adding film grain to the frames feels bold and interesting.What If… Season 3 does not work unless this integral piece of the puzzle works. It’s not only that it looks gorgeous, but it adds dramatic tension to every episode. The fight sequences remind us just how tired the action has become in the live-action movies. With stunning creativity, What If… pushes the physical limits and creative uses of the powersets of its heroes. Even better, the writers never focus only on battle. Their powers are just as integral to their interpersonal relationships and antics as they are in battle."

Image Courtesy of Disney

The Holiday Offerings of the Week Keep Spirits Bright

         The holiday offerings brought to viewers this week may be less plentiful, but oddly enough might be the most interesting thus far. Here are the three that are especially noteworthy.

        On December 21, 2024, Lifetime released 'A Carpenter Christmas Romance', which is the spiciest film of the season. Mandi Bierly of TVLine says, "From Sarah Drew, writer of last year’s A Cowboy Christmas Romance, comes Lifetime’s sexiest holiday movie of 2024 (with an equally shameless title). Pretty Little Liars’ Sasha Pieterse stars as fantasy romance novelist Andrea, who takes refuge at her late grandpa’s farmhouse when readers threaten to boycott the last book in her best-selling series after its final page killing off a fan favorite leaks. She may still have one admirer, however: Seth (Mitchell Slaggert, The Sex Lives of College Girls), who’s described as Andrea’s “very own Jordan Catalano.” Growing up, she’d spend her summers on the farm and tutor/make out with the popular athlete — who made her feel like his “nerdy little kept secret” in public (Normal People vibes). This “Jordan” looks more like a Hemsworth brother than Jared Leto, but artisanal woodworker/handyman Seth embodies the growth we never got to witness on My So-Called Life. We find out why he treated Andrea poorly when they were young, how his post-high school life unfolded, and what happened to make him the stand-up guy who’s literally rebuilding his town after a fire decimated it. Because this is Lifetime, that noble transformation is accompanied by a surprise-appearance shirtless scene, slo-mo wood carrying, a hand-on-hand sanding tutorial, a rain-soaked sex scene, and a blow-up before Seth renews Andrea’s faith in happy endings. Fingers crossed we get A Man in Uniform Christmas Romance next year."

Photo by Jodie Walton on Unsplash

        Also on December 21, 2024, Hallmark released 'Happy Howlidays', which also anxiously anticipated. Bierly writes, "Ezra Moreland, the winner of Hallmark+’s Finding Mr. Christmas, stars as dog rescue owner Max. When his heartbroken pup Jules falls head over paws for Russell, a stray reluctantly fostered by Seattle Tourism Board coordinator Mia (Jessica Lowndes), the canine couple become a city favorite — and the foursome is forced to go on more holiday outings together for content. There’s a depth to hot mess Mia’s story that you won’t be expecting, and a cameo from a Hallmark fave that you won’t find too surprising. Moreland has yet to master the necessary charm to remain a Hallmark Leading Man, but a shirtless scene shows promise for him to at least become a go-to Ex."

        On December 22, 2024, Lifetime releases 'Engaged by Christmas', which on paper seems to be a fan favorite solely based on the themes being popular amongst fans. Bierly notes, "Professional proposal planner Zoe (Brittany Bristow) is about to launch her own broader romance-based business with a “12 Dates of Christmas” blog when taking the suggestion of her most trusted advice columnist, Aunt Adora, to have an honest conversation with her boyfriend about their future results in her being suddenly single. Once desperate Zoe discovers Aunt Adora is actually nephew Adam (Marcus Rosner), she blackmails him into being her de facto plus-one and publicizing her services. Bristow and Rosner, holiday movie pros, make this predictable plot go down as smoothly as the beverages served at Zoe’s hot cocoa pop-up."

'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Reviews: Latest Entry into the Franchise Thrills Fans

         On December 20, 2024, Paramount Pictures released 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3', which has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics, currently holding at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. In the film, "Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet." The ensemble cast includes Keanu Reeves, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, Krysten Ritter, Adam Pally, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Tika Sumpter, Ben Schwartz, and Lee Majdoub. Read the full review round-up below.

        Robert Kojder of Flickering Myth says, "Frenzied action and loopy comedy aside, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has heart and is aware it doesn’t always “gotta go fast,” occasionally slowing down to ensure we care about these characters while laying out its themes with affecting sincerity" Adding, "With Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Jeff Fowler and company have found the right balance of humor (even Jim Carrey feels reinvigorated and energized more than in the first two, up for the goofy acting challenge presented that is right inside his slapstick wheelhouse, while also simply given mostly funnier material to work with) and frenzied action elevated by strong, vibrant CGI (this is unquestionably one of the better-looking special-effects extravaganzas of recent memory) alongside an engaging story. There is a case to be made that Shadow’s back story could have been even longer and not limited to a couple of flashbacks, but the right characters here are put front and center, which makes all the difference for a Sonic adaptation to click."

       Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist notes, "If you’re not a parent, you may have no interest in seeing Paramount’s “Sonic” movie franchise unless you’re like my dear friend Caleb, who is in his early 30s, loves anime, and seemingly has the same taste as my eight-year-old son. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But this is fine, “Sonic” movies are definitely movies for children first and foremost”— and there’s nothing wrong with that either—and “Sonic 3” mostly continues down that same path." Concluding, "However, presuming you don’t know the “Sonic” movies—I certainly would have never seen them without my kiddo—they’re actually quite surprisingly endearing, lighthearted, amusing and entertaining. And when they’re at their best, they’re essentially stories about outsiders trying to fit in, our collective need to belong and the heartening qualities of found families; all good emotional qualities that put an extra pep into the wacky energy of these fun movies."

Photo by Adam Mills on Unsplash

       Jordan Hoffman of The Daily Beast was less impressed, stating, "This is a movie you take your 9-year-old nephew to when he won’t shut up about Pokémon and you need something to occupy him for a few hours before you lose your mind." Continuing, "There’s a big battle in Japan that involves lasers flying all over the screen. Then, after some Japanese marshmallows sing The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” the trio joins forces with their former nemesis, the Eggman, aka Dr. Ivo Robotnik, played by Jim Carrey. Carrey, who has pretty much stopped appearing in studio movies except for the Sonic franchise, has decided on a performance style that I suppose you could politely call “a choice.” It mainly consists of sticking his belly out and doing a voice that sounds like Robin Williams at his most zany crossed with the “I Got Starbies Girl.” What else did it remind me of? Hmmn, let me think. Ah, yeah, the time I had to see a doctor for an inflamed hemorrhoid. It reminded me of that."