The latest film releases are Mean Girls, The Beekeeper, The Settlers, and The Book of Clarence. Weighing in are Shawn Edwards, film critic at Fox 4 News and co-founder of the African American Film Critics Association, and Alison Willmore, film critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.
Mean Girls
This is a movie adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical version of the classic 2004 film, both written by Tina Fey. It stars pop singer Reneé Rapp as Regina George and Angourie Rice as Cady Heron.
Willmore: “It was really fun. I think it is not just a lazy remake. The screenplay that Tina Fey worked on — of course, she is in the movie as well — really feels punched up and updated. … I don't think the songs are necessarily that memorable, but they're filmed in this way where they're these long takes with a camera doing a tracking shot and moving through these spaces in the high school and/or in people's homes. They're really dynamic.
… But it is Reneé Rapp who I think walks away with the movie. … And she's just so fun as this queen bee of the school who is terrifying but also admired at the same time. I thought it was a pleasant surprise for me.”
Edwards: “It's odd that they're hiding the fact that the movie is a musical because the strongest point of the movie are the musical numbers. I mean, no, the songs aren't memorable. But the songs work. They're actually pretty good. They're solid in the dance numbers. They add all the energy to the film. It’s when you start to string together the story in a plot where everything falls apart, but the musical numbers are superb.”
The Beekeeper
Jason Statham stars as a former intelligence operative seeking vengeance for his friend who takes her own life after scammers take advantage of her.
Edwards: “None of it makes sense. It's almost like the filmmakers were involved in a poker game, and they lost the bet to prove that they could actually turn this dumb idea into an entire feature film. I actually like the premise of this film about these corrupt scammers taking advantage of elderly people and stealing their money. … There's this guy who's going to try to bring this down. The shame of this movie is it has a stellar cast … Jeremy Irons, Phylicia Rashad, even Josh Hutcherson. These are prominent thespians in this movie that have little to do but gawk at Jason Statham do his thing that we've seen him do 1001 times.”
Willmore: “It's so silly on a level that I thought it was just enough for me in January, where the stakes are very low. I've had the most fun explaining what this movie is about to other people after seeing it, just because the elements involved are so disparate and so strange. The very idea of The Beekeepers as a secret agency dedicated to protecting society, leading to Jason Statham muttering continually about needing to protect the hive … there’s something about that that’s satisfying.”
The Settlers
This Chilean film takes place during the 1890s and follows three men who are sent by a wealthy landowner on a mission to establish a trade route through a remote part of the country known as the Tierra del Fuego.
Willmore: “It's a really gorgeous film in a lot of ways because the setting is just so striking. You're in these enormous, almost alien-looking vistas. But it's also, obviously, an incredibly upsetting film. It's about the slaughter of people. It is about assault. It is very blunt in its themes.”
Edwards: “It's brutally realistic. At times, my stomach was churning. But I still wanted to go along on the journey. It felt like the Lewis and Clark story meets Boyz n the Hood. These are nasty people doing very nasty things. But cinematically, it's so beautiful. It actually does take your breath away.
… The thing that really jolted me is that the last third of the film takes this abrupt turn, and it jumps forwards like 10 years. And it addresses the mean and corrupt stuff you've seen with a narrative that indicts the horrific actions you just watched — the film itself. I don't think I've quite ever seen a film that used that mechanism to do that. And it really made me stop and think and it's like, ‘Well, what did I just see here?’”
The Book of Clarence
This adventure comedy starring LaKeith Stanfield is set in Jerusalem during the rise of Jesus Christ. He plays Clarence, a hustler hoping to capitalize on Jesus’ fame.
Edwards: “This is a biblical story with a stoner vibe about a modern-day influencer. … It's always interesting watching Clarence on this journey and how he wants to become the 13th apostle. All the vibes are contemporary, but it's set to way, way back in the day, and at the very least, is highly artistic. At worst, hey, you've seen worse in his genre, but I liked the fact that [director Jeymes Samuel] is trying to inject some new energy into it.”
Willmore: “I love the humor. It does fall away towards the end. I think it should be stated that this movie is a comedy, but it's also very earnest. And the last act is actually pretty straightforward and sometimes gets fairly dark in terms of what happens.