Levi on Film

“ Turning Red,” 2022, directed by Domee Shi ★★★★☆ Pixar has, for many years, been known for their ability to tell relatively complex stories in condensed, kid-friendly ways. As time has gone on, they’ve pushed further into more complex ideas; 2020’s “Soul” was easily the studio’s most thematically bulky film to date, facing questions of mortality and purpose head-on. As these movies have gotten more philosophical and ambitious, though, they’ve also stumbled. “Inside Out” was a respectable attempt at visualizing human emotions, but was limited by the simplicity of its own mechanics. “Onward,” “Luca” and “The Good Dinosaur” were big swings as well, but were duds both at the box office and with critics. After one too many “Toy Story” sequels and two too many “Cars” sequels, it’s begun to feel like maybe Pixar has lost their way. “Turning Red,” though, feels like a fresh new outlook on the tried and true formula. Directed by Domee Shi in her feature directorial debut, this latest release t...

  “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” 2022, directed by Sam Raimi ★★★☆ ☆ Skepticism is warranted, even necessary, when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It can’t be overstated how profusely virulent the comic book genre, and especially Disney’s multi-billion-dollar global franchise, has been for the industry, and it hasn’t slowed down for a minute. The MCU’s latest entry is “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Helmed by Sam Raimi of “Evil Dead” and “Spider-Man” fame, it’s the first film since the MCU’s inception in 2008 to delve into the horror genre. Despite Raimi’s impressive track record, one would be understandably wary of how much his style would really be implemented in such a monotonous, blatantly corporate series of movies. This isn’t the first time Marvel has brought in a respected auteur to direct; Oscar-winning “Nomadland” director Chloe Zhao was hired for last year’s “Eternals,” a film that, despite Zhao’s best efforts to limit green ...

“The Northman,” 2022, directed by Robert Eggers ★★★★☆ It’s a stroke of incredible luck that “The Northman” was even made. High-budget, R-rated period pieces are becoming increasingly rare; Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” which performed well with critics and was one of the only movies of its kind in recent memory, couldn’t even make a third of its budget at the box office. Giving Robert Eggers $90 million to make a dense, relentlessly gory Viking epic was, to say the least, a risk, and one that hasn’t yet paid off; the film has only made $20 million in the first two weekends. For select moviegoers, though, “The Northman” is a cathartic scream of relief. Seeing skilled artists and actors working with such a large sandbox is an infrequent occasion, and Eggers’ striking flourishes and commitment to the genre fill a long-empty hole that “Gladiator” left in the industry for over two decades. While “The Northman” is far from perfect, leaving some of its larger ideas at the door in place of u...

“Memoria”, 2021, directed by Apichatong Weerasthakul ★★★★★ It’s not very often that we find films that are so endlessly layered, skillfully crafted, and stylistically unique as “Memoria.” Director Apichatong Weerasthakul isn’t exactly renowned or even especially prolific — he’s only directed seven feature length films in the past two decades — but his work has become extremely popular with very specific audiences, notably critics on the international festival circuit. His films consistently earn an award at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and his 2010 film “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes that year. His most recent project, the dense, abstruse and sometimes painfully slow “Memoria”, is easily one of the best films of the past year. Made in collaboration with British actress Tilda Swinton, who stars and also served as an executive producer, “Memoria” is a film that watches scenes from afar, poses monumental questions and places the viewer in...

“ Everything Everywhere All at Once”, 2022, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert  ★★★★☆ “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has exploded into theaters. As of this week, the sophomore outing from Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as just “Daniels”) rests above 90% in both the critics’ and audiences’ sections on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s also currently the highest-rated movie of all time on the movie-oriented social media platform Letterboxd, and is already in discussion as one of the best movies of the year. While the film is certainly fun, funny, and engaging, and is almost definitely a step up from the Daniels’ last project “Swiss Army Man,” it’s a highly derivative work that struggles to keep emotional and narrative intimacy within its own bombastic premise.  “Everything Everywhere” stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, a tired, middle-aged woman who owns a laundromat with her husband Waymond, played by “Indiana Jones” child star Ke Huy Quan. Also suppor...