Summer Movie Reviews: Yep to Nope; Catch that Bullet Train

Moving Pictures By Mo Burford

Nope ( Jordan Peele, 2022)

The camera is always already an eye, in the seat of the heart: it takes flight, it lies flat; it peers through windows, it takes in empty rooms; it beholds a city, it captures a single tear. 

The film is no slouch, but it has to work tirelessly to not be bad. To paraphrase many folks in the film industry, it is a wonder that any movie is good. It requires a level of cooperation unheard of in the arts, dozens of people for small films and hundreds for larger ones all working together. And for a movie to be good—let alone great—all these pieces have to work in sync towards a common vision. From things you probably already think of, like actors, directors and stage hands; to things more surprising, like weather, executives and endless technology. That is to say, a lot can go wrong with the best of intentions. (For a perfect example of this, see Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau, the documentary covering 1996’s notoriously bad Island of Doctor Moreau.) 

So, it is all the more incredible that something like Nope exists. The latest film by Jordan Peele (director of 2017’s Get Out, and 2019’s Us) is equal parts summer entertainment and layered art film. I have seen Nope twice now, only a day apart, and the second viewing was even more rewarding than the first—which is saying something. 

Peele exists in the rarefied air of filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, who can still write, direct and produce their own original projects with big studio backing—and more importantly, a studio budget. And Peele uses that budget to exquisite ends in Nope, a film as fun as it is beautiful and mysterious. 

Nope is just about everything I want in a movie: it's weird, it's a little gory, it’s a bit confusing, it’s funny, it’s sad, it's suspenseful--even a little scary at times. Heck, it’s even a little dumb, but exquisitely so, to paraphrase a character from the film. 

I have very few nits to pick with the film. One thing I will say, which was reaffirmed by my partner, is that the film withholds information in ways which can cause the viewer to feel a little on the outside of things. Combined with the film’s quick pace, it can be easy to miss certain connections. (Again, the film really benefits from a second watch.) And though this can amplify certain moments of confusion, I would argue it doesn’t detract from the joy of watching the film.

The acting is superb, with Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer threading that very difficult needle between the big melodrama of horror and the grounded performance of an art film. The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema is beautiful. And the score, by Michael Abels, deftly shifts from genre to genre as the movie does: one moment a soaring western theme, and the next a tune screeching and horrific. Overall, I can’t say enough great things about this film! 

The cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema is beautiful. And the score, by Michael Abels, deftly shifts from genre to genre as the movie does: one moment a soaring western theme, and the next a tune screeching and horrific.

I loved this movie and can’t wait to see what Jordan Peele does next. 

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2

(four and a half stars) 

Nope is now showing at select cinemas.

Bullet Train, 2022, David Leitch

Bullet Train is a different kind of beast altogether. It is both something we’ve come to expect in a modern action film, and with a little extra something added. It is Murder on the Orient Express but instead of trying to solve a murder where everyone is a suspect, everyone is just trying to kill each other. It’s a popcorn movie—if you don’t mind a bit of blood and gore. And, in that vein, it’s one of the better action movies I’ve seen this summer. 

If you’ve read my column, you won’t be surprised to hear me complain about how an over-reliance on CGI has made most modern movies, and especially action movies, extremely flat. The very action this genre of movie is named after often feels weightless, disjointed and/or unintelligible. Thankfully, Bullet Train does its best to find a middle ground that, while sometimes still disappointing, overall satisfies. But before we move on let’s be clear: CGI blood will always look extremely bad; I’ll take corn starch and food coloring any day of week.

Bullet Train is fun, especially if you like lots of hand-to-hand combat and big, mildly comedic characters; and it was a fine use of eleven bucks during a scorcher of a summer. As someone who watches their fair share of action movies, it’s shocking how truly terrible most of them are, and watching this movie I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying the movie: flinching at big hits and (almost) looking away at a grizzly death. 

If you’re looking to scratch an itch that only a kick to the head or a katana duel can satisfy, this is the summer movie for you! 

Bullet Train

★★★

(three stars)

Bullet Train is now showing at Columbia Cinemas.

Questions, comments, movie suggestions? Email Mo at movingpicturesccc@gmail.com

For more reviews and to see his up-to-date movie log, follow Mo at Letterboxd