Project Hail Mary

 

Hard science fiction, AKA actually sciency science fiction, seems like a rarity these days. For every The Martian there are ten books/movies that just happen to take place in space and/or the future with very little actual science-based conjecture, making the label inaccurate. Project Hail Mary the book, like The Martian, is one of those rare works that not only attempts to make things as scientifically plausible as possible but also takes the time to show its work to the reader. Project Hail Mary the film loses some of the latter in its journey to the silver screen, but it triumphantly adapts everything else perfectly and is all the more powerful for its plausibility.

Project Hail Mary, like The Martian (both by Andy Weir, in case you were wondering why I keep bringing it up) is notable not only for its science but also for its humor and heart. Ryan Gosling plays Ryland Grace, our main character, and thank goodness he does, because I can think of very few other working actors today who could bring not only the charm required for the role but also the dramatic ability and charisma. I don’t think there’s a single scene in the film that doesn’t have Gosling in it, and the weight he carries as a result is staggering.

Directing his efforts are the team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, a duo whose previous collaborations include the Spider-Verse films and The LEGO Movie. Like the choice of Gosling, the selection of these two couldn’t be any more perfect for the story in question as they nail every moment, from the lighthearted to the existentially tragic. There is some heavy stuff in Project Hail Mary; themes of isolation, impending doom, self-sacrifice… and Gosling, Lord, and Miller make you feel all of them.

Some of the hard science that is present in the book is left out, which I believe is a necessary sacrifice when adapting the story to film. As much as I enjoyed Grace explaining every little calculation, theory, and discovery in the novel there is no doubt that the pacing of the film would have suffered if all of that had been included. But when the actual science does come through, it gives the proceedings a realism that enhances the experience, because deep down you know that some of this could happen. And that is as terrifying as it is wonderful and exciting.

Project Hail Mary is a singular movie-going experience. Back when I did theater in high school we had a pre-play ritual that involved saying “make them laugh, make them cry, make them fall in love.”  Project Hail Mary will make you do all three, guaranteed.

Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters. 

Scream 7

 

If Ghostface ever rang me up and asked me what my favorite scary movie was my options would be very, very limited (although the answer would be Alien). I’m kind of a coward when it comes to horror, but over the last few months I discovered that the Scream movies are not actually all that scary as I slowly fell in love with them. I’m far from the first person to make this comparison, but many of the films play out less like actual horror and more like violent Scooby-Doo episodes or modern-day whodunits with a cheeky attitude. After catching up on the first six over a period of a few months, Scream 7 is the first one that I have actually caught in the theaters. It is also the first one that I didn’t like.

After (rightfully) sitting the last one out because she was offered less money than she’s worth, Neve Campbell is back for this round and making the appropriate amount of bank as Sidney Prescott, the perpetually stabbed survivor of far more Ghostface attacks than are probably healthy. And thank goodness she is, because she and Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers are definitely the best part of Scream 7, a film that doesn’t feature any other interesting  characters. As a slasher series, Scream has always had to constantly introduce new faces for the sole purpose of rounding out the body count, but previous films at least saw to it that we knew at least a tiny bit about some of these people before they were offed. In Scream 7 I simply did not care for anyone not named Sidney or Gale, and that includes the Meeks-Martin siblings (played by Jasmin Savoy Brown and Mason Gooding), veterans from the previous two films that I like but were given absolutely nothing to do in this one. As for the customary third-act bad guy reveal, all I can say is that it is by far the worst, most asinine, and least impactful one yet, and it’s not even close.

Scream 7 was directed and written by Kevin Williamson, and it’s ironic that I found his directing much more competent than his script, as he also wrote the screenplays for the original Scream, Scream 2, and Scream 4, all of which I enjoyed quite a bit. There are some pretty creative deaths in 7, and a couple of shots of Ghostface will stick in my mind for a while. But not only does the screenplay not allow for any interesting characters, it also doesn’t feature any of the sharp wit or dark sense of humor that its predecessors had in  varying degrees. Not even the meta commentary that Scream is famous for feels right here; Scream 7 doesn’t have anything new or interesting to say at all, not about the horror genre and not about anything else. It really is a testament to the general high quality of the other five sequels (even 3, which I like more than most people) that it has taken this long for the series to burn itself out.

It is high time that Sidney was given the rest that she deserves and this series was put on hold, but that’s not going to happen any time soon as 7 has had the best opening week of any Scream film to date. It’s a shame that such a mediocre entry has that distinction, and I guess the best we can hope for is that the next one won’t suck as much.

Scream 7 is now playing in theaters.

Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind (2004) Mini Review

 

To be a 10/10 in my eyes, a film needs three things-- it needs to elicit an emotional response, keep my attention and interest from start to finish, and I shouldn't be able to find anything to complain about. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is, to me, a 10/10 movie. The story is painful, touching, and ultimately sweet. I am, admittedly, a sucker for unconventional story structure, and it doesn’t get more unconventional than this (a lot of the film takes place in the realm of memories/dreams and goes backwards from scene to scene Memento-style for a bit, among other oddities). It’s one of those films that demands your entire attention lest one become confused, and though it happened to me a couple of times everything became clear at the end and the experience was all the richer for jt. The acting in Eternal Sunshine is superb—it’s one of those “serious Jim Carrey movies” that shows off the comedian’s dramatic chops, and the fact that Kate Winslet singles her performance in this film out as her favorite shows that she has impeccable taste. As for complaints, well, I initially thought that the small storyline of Elijah Woods's characters was unneeded, but when I really thought about it I saw that it enhanced the main narrative in a subtle way and wasn’t superfluous after all. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is, in my eyes, one of those few movies that reaches perfection even as the characters constantly fail at it. Highly recommended.