Category: Reviews

‘Plane’ does not soar, but this action flick hovers, entertains, and sticks the landing

Jeff Mitchell

“Plane” (2023) – “These planes are pretty much indestructible.” – Flight commander Brodie Torrance (Gerald Butler) Oh, famous last words. Commander Torrance will pilot Trailblazer Flight 119 – a 6-hour 30-minute flight – from Singapore to Tokyo, and he delivers the above decree with the utmost confidence to a few of his passengers while standing in the aisle.  If you’ve ever experienced flying over an ocean, this fluttering thought has probably crossed your mind: “I hope this airplane is in tip-top, because there’s a whole lot of water between here…

‘Living’: Nighy deserves a Best Actor Oscar nomination in this affecting, tender Kurosawa remake

Jeff Mitchell

“Living” (2022) – The year is 1953 in the UK.  As director Oliver Hermanus’ film – a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 “Ikiru” – opens, London is alive!  The city bustles with vitality with residents, tourists, various vehicles, and those classic AEC Routemaster red, double-decker busses traversing across the pavement while “Serenade for Strings in E” gloriously bounces in the background. Also, Hermanus includes a title sequence that looks like the film is straight out of the 1950s.  He and writer Kazuo Ishiguro offer a time machine to the last…

Hanks and Trevino are terrific, but ‘A Man Called Otto’ feels cliche and crowded

Jeff Mitchell

“A Man Called Otto” (2022) – Otto.  Who is Otto?  Otto Anderson is 60-something years old and recently retired, but his employment ended forcibly.  It wasn’t his idea.  This retiree lives alone in a two-story patio home in Pittsburgh. Mr. Anderson’s character is a cranky, crabby, and cantankerous combination.  His neighbors mumble “bitter old man” or “grumpy old bastard” under their breath, and with good reason, because this Pennsylvanian harbors the classic “get off my lawn” tropes, and yes, Otto literally goes there about the grass.  This lonely solo artist…