Tim Basaraba – Every ten years or so, someone trots out an Adam Sandler film and labels his performance as a “serious role.” Paul Thomas Anderson tried it with Punch Drunk Love (2002), and it worked. Then Judd Apatow did it in 2009 with Funny People, and it didn’t. Would the Safdie Brothers be able to convince us that their lead could try again and hit the mark?
Tim Basaraba – How could Jake Kasdan take his surprise smash hit, Jumanji (2017), and make a sequel that didn’t rely on the first film’s set up? When in doubt, add two Danny’s, Devito and Glover. Both actors shine during their small amount of screen time, but, more importantly, give our main characters a template for comedic delivery.
Tim Basaraba – So they say limitation breeds genius? And Hitchcock’s Rope (1948), Noe’s Irréversible (2002) and Enter the Void (2009), and even Silent House (2011) benefited from from a “single shot” (wink, wink) approach? Could Academy Award Winner Sam Mendes benefit from this limitation as well?
Tim Basaraba – Can Chadwick Boseman carry a film as the lead? Yes! Black Panther, Thurgood Marshall and Jackie Robinson proved that. But without a historical figure or comic book iCon, does Boseman have what it takes?
Tim Basaraba – Having not seen any of Todd Haynes’ previous films, I had the rare pleasure of being unfamiliar with a director’s work upon sitting down in the theater for his 2019 thriller Dark Waters. This was refreshing and also a bit frustrating.
