Posts Tagged ‘The Weeknd’

HURRY UP TOMORROW: 1 ½ STARS. “plays like a parody of a vanity project.”

SYNOPSIS: Based on The Weeknd’s sixth studio album of the same name, in “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” a new psychological thriller now playing in theatres, an insomnia plagued musician (Abel Tesfaye) is drawn into a surreal journey by an enigmatic woman (Jenna Ortega) who leads him to the edge of madness.

CAST: Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan, Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd). Directed by Trey Edward Shults.

REVIEW: What do you get when you mix and match state-of-the-art, moody hook-driven pop music with a riff of Kathy Bates in “Misery,” a hint of tortured artist syndrome and trippy, experimental visuals? You get “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” a movie so self-indulgent it plays like a parody of a vanity project.

“Hurry Up Tomorrow” explores the darker side of pop stardom, inspired by The Weeknd losing his voice during a 2022 concert due to psychological stress. The four-time Grammy award winner funnels that harrowing experience into a strange film about a famous singer trapped in a world where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred.

A trip into the character’s emotional state, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is more of a vibe than narrative. In its study of fame, and the isolating effects of being adored by fans, it’s a journey that is equal parts fan service and self-absorption.

Episodic in nature, the movie unfolds in vignettes, each set to a bangin’ soundtrack courtesy of The Weeknd’s album. The music doesn’t drive the story as much as it creates a tone, acting as a backdrop for the evocative imagery shot by cinematographer Chayse Irvin on 35mm, 16mm, and Super 8 film.

It’s a cool looking film, but its themes, although specific to The Weeknd’s experience, feel reminiscent of other movies. The well-worn take on the destructive power of fame has echoes of everything from “Sunset Boulevard” to “A Star is Born. The feeling of disconnection from real life that comes with widespread recognition was eloquently essayed in “Rocketman” and “Birdman,” and the exploitation of women by musicians on the road was covered in “Performance” and “Almost Famous.”

Despite committed performances from “Wednesday’s” Jenna Ortega and “Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan, the focus on style over substance, with no attempt to add anything new to the conversation on fame, allows “Hurry Up Tomorrow” to get lost on its search for profundity. It mistakes long gaps in the dialogue for depth when, in fact, those pauses give the film a listless quality that sucks the energy out of the filmmaking.

There’s a scene in the middle of “Hurry Up Tomorrow” where Able (Tesfaye) and Anima (Ortega) play table hockey that may be representative of the whole movie. Table hockey is a board game masquerading as Canada‘s favourite sport just as “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is a music video masquerading as a film. In short, it’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it (as Ortega memorably does), but feels like an ad for the record.

UNCUT GEMS: 4 ½ STARS. “draws you into its dirty little world.”

It has been a long time, possible forever, since anyone has written that one of the year’s very best movies stars Adam Sandler. Nope, it’s not a rerelease of “Billy Madison” or the director’s cut of “Happy Gilmore,” it’s a crime thriller from acclaimed indie filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie called “Uncut Gems.”

Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a walking, talking raw nerve. A New York City jeweler, his life is a mess. His business is failing, he owes everyone in town money and yet cannot stop gambling. He’s planning on leaving his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) for new girlfriend Julia (Julia Fox)—who also works in his store—and the damn security door in his shop is on the fritz.

Like all hustlers he’s always looking for the big score and thinks he may have found it in, of all places, the History Channel. After watching a documentary about mining in Africa he hatches a plan to get his hands on a rare Ethiopian black opal he figures is worth upwards of one million dollars. He has a buyer in NBA superstar Kevin Garnett (playing himself), who thinks the gem has mystical powers that will help his game, but Howard needs more cash upfront than the basketball player is willing to pay.

He’s trying for a win, the kind of windfall that involves great risk, but will the risk be worth it in the end?

Watching “Uncut Gems” is an exhausting experience. Howard’s jittery personality is brought to vibrant life by Sandler. For two hours he’s like a NYC traffic jam come to life, complete with the shouting and jostling. He’s the architect of his own misfortune, constantly in motion, bringing chaos to all situations. With handheld cameras the Safdies capture Howard’s gloriously scuzzy behavior, luxuriating in the character’s foibles.

Sandler has breathed this air before—most notably in “Punch Drunk Love”—but he’s rarely been this compelling. He brings his natural likability to the role but layers it with Howard’s neurosis, frustration, conniving and even joy. It’s a remarkable performance, powered by jet fuel, that, by the time he is locked in the trunk of his own car, naked, will draw you into “Uncut Gems’” dirty little world.