SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS – A Review by John Strange
Shazam! Fury of The Gods is the latest DC Universe movie. Teenaged Billy Batson (Asher Angel) aka Shazam (Zachary Levi) has recruited all of the foster kids he lives with. This is a good thing. His lack of knowledge on what and how to do his superhero job shows in his words and actions, and that is absolutely not.
The story of the gods coming for Billy and the family to take back their power is a good one. Helen Mirren is Hespera, the eldest of the Titan Atlas’ daughters. Her sisters, Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), join her to regain their power.
The Shazam family is each played by two people. One is the kid and the other is one of the members of the Shazam team. The only actor I recognized in these players was Meagan Good as the super half of the Darla Dudley character.
This film is loaded with action and some excellent CGI. The emotional flow of the film is as chaotic as the storyline. Is this a bad thing? No, absolutely not. It is one of the tools the writers used to convey the kid’s doubt and fear but also to highlight their courage and tenacity.
The film is designed for the younger generation, the Gen Z folks, not old coots like me. I began reading comics as a young boy and my reading covered both the major companies and several of the smaller ones as well. I read everything I could get my hands on.
The version of the DC Captain Marvel (changed to Shazam due to litigation many years ago) that I read wasn’t this version. This one came much later (like I said, old coot). I like the idea behind this character and his family, and I can see a long line of sequels using these characters.
I have two last things to say. Wonder Woman and Skittles (taste the rainbow!).
Director: David F. Sandberg
Cast: Helen Mirren, Zachary Levi, Grace Caroline Currey, Lucy Liu, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Diedrich Bader, Asher Angel, Marta Milans, Ross Butler, P.J. Byrne, D.J. Cotrona
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence, and language)
Brutal is the first word that comes to mind when describing this condemning narrative of the wealthy, and all they possess. This film is as stark as the penthouse apartment where the story takes place.
The penthouse apartment is vast and cold, made of cement, steel, and glass. It’s decorated with designer items, state-of-the-art furniture, a few plants, and extremely expensive artwork. The place and its high-tech security system are partners in the imprisonment of one art thief named Nemo (Willem Dafoe).
Inside tells the story of Nemo. Who, with a team of thieves, breaks into the penthouse to steal as many works of art as possible. They know the owner is out of the country on business, so they have the place to themselves. Something goes wrong with the heist, and the security system locks it all down. His team abandons Nemo. Expecting the guards or police to come rushing in, he waits. But no one comes. On a giant monitor, he watches all the live security footage of the building. As the story goes on, Nemo fixates on a cleaning lady he hopes will set him free.
As time passes, Nemo must use his wits and inventive mind to survive. It’s impressive how he figures out how to survive in an apartment with no running water and very limited food stock. He loses himself in his own attempts to create art as the space becomes a prison. He must dig deep within to keep his sanity.
The film luxuriates in its own brutality as it shows Nemo’s moments of hunger, thirst, and the very human need to use the toilet. I told you he is stuck in there for months on end.
Inside is as highbrow as the art that is all around Nemo. Various mediums, including painting, sculptures, photography, drawings, installations, and video represent the art collection in the film. They were recreations of the real pieces. Any art lover will have fun seeing pieces that are known to be in private collections and not housed in museums.
My main issue with the film is that it might not reach a broad audience even with a star like Willem Dafoe in the lead. Even the Greek director’s (Vasilis Katsoupis) description of the film is too academical for most US film audiences. He is published as saying,
“Inside is an ironic look at how our golden cages can come out as prison cells. A brutal view of the dark side of luxury. A note on the perception of the real world and how it changes given unprecedented stimuli. And, last but not least, a cinematographic take on contemporary art and living, and its real value.”
I give Inside 3 stars, only because the ending saved it for me, else I would have rated it much lower. If you are a hardcore Willem Dafoe fan, you will enjoy all one hundred and five minutes of the film. That includes the audio coda at the end of the credits. If not, you can pass on this one.
Directed by: Vasilis Katsoupis
Written by: Ben Hopkins, Vasilis Katsoupis
Rated: R
Selig Rating: 3 Stars
Running Time: 105 min
Drama
Limited Theatrical Release: March 17th
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Gene Bervoets, Eliza Stuyck
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
Have you ever been to a museum exhibit and a piece just speaks to you? Different emotions hit and you find yourself standing there processing it all. I walked out of Inside feeling as if I had watched a living art exhibit. Days later and I am still processing moments. Director Vasilis Katsoupis along with all cast and crew have delivered meeting the tagline “A Solitary Exhibition”.
This is the story of Nemo (Willem Dafoe), an art thief with an eye for priceless works of art. After entering a New York penthouse and gathering pieces by Egon Schiele he is ready to exit and instead becomes trapped inside. The audience is watching as Nemo is working through how to escape and survive. How will he face trials such as no running water, no gas, and a thermostat he cannot control? How does he process his situation? What human needs does he have to meet to survive and how will he handle them?
Willem Dafoe conveys so much with his movements and expressions that I did not realize until the end that there was no constant dialog. Defoe’s performance completely pulled me in for the experience Nemo was living through. Inside is ‘art that will remain’ as a testament to the talent he possesses.
Adding to the emotional rollercoaster ride, Curator Leonardo Biagazzi brought together a wide range of pieces to decorate the penthouse. He has all seven forms of art represented. A few pieces were used in brief moments with a single piece of art on the screen. Which gave pause to the emotion of the film for emotional reactions to the pieces themselves. Other times the pieces were on the screen yet not the primary focus. I found this to be a unique way to be exposed to artists I was not familiar with. Parts of the collection are famous enough that they are listed in the credits.
Art is not always an expression of the beauty in the world. Sometimes it reflects the raw and gritty side of life. I do not want to spoil the experience of this for anyone, so I do not want to give specifics. This film does go deep and dark with the realities of life. I strongly encourage seeing the film without children first. You know your offspring(s) maturity level and mental state. I strongly encourage being fully informed in making the choice.
I give this film a rating of 3 stars.
Director: Vasilis Katsoupis
Cast: Willem Dafoe
MPAA Rating: R (for language, some sexual content, and nude images)
The 2023 Oxford Film Festival announced the award-winning films and filmmakers at the conclusion of this year’s edition of the film festival. G.B. Shannon Show Business Is My Life (But I Can’t Prove It) won Best Documentary Feature which included a $250 Cash Prize and 3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos from Taproot Audio. Jasmín Mara López’s Silent Beauty received an Honorable Mention in the category. Mike Cheslik’s Hundreds of Beavers was named Best Narrative Feature and received a $10,000 camera rental package from Panavision, 3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos from Taproot Audio and editing consultation from Joe Shapaerio. Johanna Putnam’s Shudderbugs was cited for a Special Jury Mention for Microbudget Savvy.
Michael Stevantoni and Strack Azar’s The Banality, and Kelly Duane de la Vega and Zandashé Brown’s In the Bones tied for Best Mississippi Feature, with both films receiving a $250 Cash Prize and 3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos from Taproot Audio. Honorable Mentions in the category went to Roderick Red’s The Defenders: How Lawyers Protected the Movement, and Mark Williams’ The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo.
Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Matt Wymer, said, “The awards ceremony was a wonderful culmination of our 20th Anniversary edition. The party started on Wednesday and continued to the end of Sunday as we celebrated the spirit of going to the movies all weekend long.” Regarding the film festival’s prize packages, Wymer added, “We are proud of the prize packages we include with our awards. They are designed to help our filmmakers make their next project and will continue to grow toward that goal.”
Awards for short films, student films and music videos included Zaire Love’s Slice, which was made in part via a grant from the Southern Documentary Fund, and Alex Megaro’s Krush The Wrestler, which tied for Best Documentary Short. Amanda Fallon Smith and Colin Babcock’s Coup de Grace got the nod for Best Narrative Short, as well as receiving a $10,000 camera rental package from Panavision, 3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos from Taproot Audio and editing consultation from Joe Shapaerio. Jack Evans’ Dateleap received an Honorable Mention in the category. Edward Worthy’s Rear won Best Mississippi Narrative Short, as well as receiving a $10,000 camera rental package from Panavision, 3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos from Taproot Audio and editing consultation from Joe Shapaerio. Christina Huff won for the third year in a row, taking the Best Mississippi Documentary Short prize for her film, The Hollidays in Mississippi.
Kira Cummings’ Ray Kincaid: Scatter Brain Freestyle won the prize for Best Missssippi Music Video, and Rory Ledbetter and Danny Klimetz received an Honorable Mention in the category for Heart in a Notebook. Best LGBTQIA Film went to Michelle Ehlen’s Maybe Someday, with Matt Nadel and Megan Plotka’s CANS Can’t Stand getting a Special Jury Mention for Social Advocacy. The Best Fest Forwrad Film was Wing Yan Lilian Fu’s My Dear Son. Carrie Hawks’ Inner Wound Real was Runner Up in the category. Steve Collins’ I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. Took the prize fr Best Comedy Short, with Russell Leigh Sharman’s Angle of Attack receiving an Honorable Mention.
Parties were a primary focus of this year’s edition, with highlights including creatively themed and musically-infused parties and special events starting with a 20th Birthday Party with Kid Party Games, Balloon Animals and a Birthday Cake Contest which also included a free screening of Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s festival hit, Butterfly in the Sky. A Music Video Block Party featuring some of Oxford’s best night spots included live music performances from bands whose music videos screened at the film festival. Faulking Around Friday”, included books and whiskey at the Historic Ceder Oaks. The BIOXbuster Video Party celebrated the days of enjoying films on VHS along with Laser Tag, music and more.
The Oxford Film Festival also offered free Science on Screen events which are an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, as well as free sensory screenings sponsored by the Mississippi Commission of Developmental Disability. The Oxford Film Festival would not be possible without the generous support from the following grants: Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), South Arts, Visit Mississippi, and Visit Oxford.
2023 OXFORD FF AWARD-WINNING FILMS AND FILMMAKERS
Feature Film Awards
Show Business Is My Life (But I Can’t Prove It) – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
A Film about Gary Mule Deer
Director: G.B. Shannon
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Silent Beauty – HONORABLE MENTION
Director: Jasmín Mara López
Hundreds of Beavers – BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Director: Mike Cheslik
$10,000 camera rental package from Panavision
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Editing Consultation (Joe Shapaerio)
Shudderbugs – SPECIAL JURY MENTION (Microbudget Savvy)
Director: Johanna Putnam
The Banality – BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE (TIE)
Directors: Michael Stevantoni, Strack Azar
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
In the Bones – BEST MISSISSIPPI FEATURE (TIE)
Directors: Kelly Duane de la Vega, Zandashé Brown
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
The Defenders: How Lawyers Protected the Movement – HONORABLE MENTION
Director: Roderick Red
The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo – HONORABLE MENTION
Director: Mark Williams
Short Film & Music Video Awards
Krush The Wrestler – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT (TIE)
Director: Alex Megaro
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Slice – BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT (TIE)
Director: Zaire Love
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Coup de Grace – BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Directors: Amanda Fallon Smith, Colin Babcock
$10,000 camera rental package from Panavision
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Editing Consultation (Joe Shapaerio)
Dateleap – HONORABLE MENTION
Director: Jack Evans
Rear – BEST MISSISSIPPI NARRATIVE SHORT
Director: Edward Worthy
$10,000 camera rental package from Panavision
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Editing Consultation (Joe Shapaerio)
The Hollidays in Mississippi – BEST MISSISSIPPI DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Director: Christina Huff
Ray Kincaid: Scatter Brain Freestyle – BEST MISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEO
Director: Kira Cummings
Record Deal (Little Elephant Custom Vinyl)
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Heart in a Notebook – HONORABLE MENTION
Directors: Rory Ledbetter, Danny Klimetz
Maybe Someday BEST LGBTQIA FILM
Director: Michelle Ehlen
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
CANS Can’t Stand – SPECIAL JURY MENTION (Social Advocacy)
Directors: Matt Nadel, Megan Plotka
My Dear Son – BEST FEST FORWARD FILM
Director: Wing Yan Lilian Fu
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
Inner Wound Real – RUNNER UP
Director: Carrie Hawks
I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. – BEST COMEDY SHORT
Director: Steve Collins
$250 Cash Prize
3 Days Post-Production Audio 7.1 Atmos (Taproot Audio)
ChaiFlicks, a streaming platform dedicated to Jewish entertainment, announced Swiss drama series Labyrinth of Peace will start streaming in North America exclusively on the platform starting April 12, 2023.
A special presentation of the series, including a Q&A with its Tribeca Film Festival award-winning creator Petra Volpe (The Divine Order), will take place at the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan’s commemoration of Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) on April 18th.
Inspired by real events, Labyrinth of Peace offers a high-budget dramatization of the tensions, corruption, and intrigue that unfolded in hitherto-neutral Switzerland in the aftermath of World War II. Through the story of one family of Swiss industrial magnates, Labyrinth of Peace explores issues such as Switzerland’s complicity in Nazi crimes, its assistance to escaping war criminals and treatment of Jewish survivors after the war.
A co-production from Zodiac Entertainment and ARTE, Labyrinth of Peace premiered in Switzerland in 2020 as the centerpiece of national broadcaster SRF’s slate marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Lead actors, Annina Walt and Dimitri Stapfer, earned the Best Actress and Best Actor awards at the Swiss Television Awards for their roles in the series, respectively.
Labyrinth of Peace earned several awards on the Jewish film festival circuit upon U.S. distribution in 2022, including the Audience Award for Best Narrative and the Jury Prize for Best Narrative at the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award at the Seattle Jewish Film Festival.
Series creator Petra Volpe, who will participate in the NYC premiere, is best known for her debut feature film The Divine Order, Switzerland’s official entry for the 90th Academy Awards for which she also earned the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival’s Nora Ephron prize.
I have always loved movies. From an early age, I watched them whenever and wherever I could. On TV with the family or at our area drive-In, the Apollo Twin Drive-In, owned by Gordon McClendon. He had others in town including the Gemini Drive-in on Central Expressway at Forest Lane (the only other one of his I ever visited).
Watching Back to The Drive-In, I was reminded of all of those wonderful times. This film, made by director April Wright, looks at eleven different drive-in theaters in the United States. Most are east of the Mississippi River, but she also went out to California to check out a few.
Some of these venues have been in operation since the early 50s, though they have had multiple owners, some more than others. Some have shut down and been rebuilt and reopened and a couple of the theaters are in their first “lives”.
All of them have experienced the same challenges with COVID-19, supply, and personnel. Some have regional challenges like the fog at Wellfleet Drive-In in Massachusetts on Cape Cod while others deal with extreme heat, especially those in the North Texas area (Galaxy Drive-in, Coyote Drive-in, and Brazos Drive-in).
Each drive-in has its own appeal and personality. Many are run by flesh-and-blood families, others are run by groups that have become families. All do this because they love it.
My favorite drive-in highlighted in the film was built in the family’s backyard (and it’s a BIG backyard)! Another sits in the shadow of a downtown area though most are further out from the center of their towns or cities.
I loved the emotions I re-experienced watching this wonderful documentary. I now have a new set of bucket list locations to visit in the next few years, starting with the three in my area of North Texas. I am sad that I have not already been to any of them.
On my travels in the next year, I am also going to try to see the Greenville – Nelco Cineplex in Greenville, Mississippi (on my way to the Oxford Film Festival) and the Starlite Drive-In in Wichita, Kansas (on the way to the Tallgrass Film Festival)!
Watch this film and then make a plan to go watch a film at a drive-in near you! I think you’ll have a good time and make some lasting memories!
