Tag: Jim Cummings

The Beta Test

Post author By Mark
Post date November 18, 2021

Jim Cummings is fast becoming an unbridled force within indie cinema, thanks to his unique mix of sharp-tongued comedy and dramatic weight that seemingly comes out of nowhere. His latest, The Beta Test – co-written and directed with PJ McCabe – is yet another incendiary blend of the two styles, this time focused on the world of Hollywood agents and a very topical, risky look at their underhanded sexual exploits and the power they seek to gain from them. Razor sharp writing, an explosively paced script and a now frankly expectedly excellent performance from Cummings help make this one of the year’s best, if extremely uncomfortable, gems.

A smooth-talking, bullshit-spewing Hollywood talent agent by trade, Jordan Hines (Cummings) struggles to separate his work life from his personal life; the constant need for attention he feels constantly interfering in wedding preparations with fiancé Caroline (Virginia Newcomb). When Jordan receives a curious purple envelope in the mail inviting him to a no-strings attached sexual encounter, his interest is piqued and he accepts the invitation, knowing full well the consequences of his actions in a post-Weinstein Hollywood. As his guilt and the fear of repercussions begin to grow following the act, Jordan descends into a frantic search for the organisation behind the envelopes; a search that ultimately forces him to confront the veneer of a person he has built himself to be.

Jordan Hines is a terrible person, in the best way possible. This isn’t a man that the audience is supposed to deeply connect to or even like, but is fascinating to watch on a character level. People like this actually exist, and Cumming’s incredible performance makes it a treat to dig into that psyche and see what makes him, and others like him, tick. There constantly seems to be a war between two people happening inside Jordan’s head, threatening to spill out; has he truly committed himself to this life of falsity, of constantly selling himself, or does he yearn to leave this life behind, hating what it has made him?

Cummings’ false smile – carefully maintained to a pristine white so as to be appealing to potential clients – all too quickly turns to a sneer when he doesn’t deem the other person in the conversation worth his time. The constant stream of people-pleasing chatter he vomits out – “That’s excellent. Everything’s excellent” – hides the utter disdain he holds for the people whose business he is wooing. Jordan craves power, but can only find it through profiting off other people’s work, ultimately driving him to commit to an act that will potentially destroy the only real part of his life: his relationship with Caroline. When things hit rock bottom for Jordan, Cummings soars; an unhinged performance that is hilarious while deeply saddening as this man crumbles under the weight of all the pressure and problems he has brought on himself.

The careful balancing act of Jordan’s personal and professional life makes for a wildly intense script – think Uncut Gems but for Hollywood agents – that isn’t afraid to delve into the more taboo aspects of the giant scandal that led to the #MeToo movement, namedropping Harvey Weinstein on multiple occasions. The frenetic energy of the film keeps the audience from getting too bogged down in the obvious sadness and depression of that time, but it can still be incredibly uncomfortable. After all, these are people that at one time, potentially still, admired Weinstein and the power that he accumulated. Cummings and McCabe are having fun with the pomposity of these people’s egos but that darker edge isn’t ignored and the film is all the better for it; walking the line perfectly for a fun ride with some serious substance.

The Beta Test is further proof of Jim Cummings’ immense talent both in front of and behind the camera and a fantastic debut for PJ McCabe; an exploration of one man’s manic descent into a world of greed and power that is sadly relevant in today’s world. The character of Jordan might not be to everyone’s taste, but thanks to a whip smart, hilarious script and Cummings’ total commitment to the role, he and McCabe have crafted a deliciously dark satire of one of the worst times in Hollywood history. If this is merely a beta test, then I can’t wait to see whatever is next for Cummings and co.

The Beta Test stars Jim Cummings, Virginia Newcomb, PJ McCabe, Wilky Lau, Jacqueline Doke & Kevin Changaris – Available on Digital on Demand now.

8/10

Tags Jacqueline Doke, Jim Cummings, Kevin Changaris, PJ McCabe, The Beta Test, Virginia Newcomb, Wilky Lau

Movie Reviews

Halloween Kills

Post author By Mark
Post date November 1, 2021

For the latest instalment in Michael Myers’ parade of violence across Haddonfield, no one could accuse Halloween Kills of being a misleading title. Murder is the name of the game here, and there sure is a lot of it, in almost every conceivable form. But director David Gordon Green’s sequel loses focus when it comes to furthering its predecessor’s examination of trauma and how that has affected three generations of the Strode family, spending the bulk of its time on carnage instead of character. The few ways that the narrative does inch forward pushes the franchise in new directions, but there just isn’t enough here to justify not skipping this and heading straight to the end of the planned trilogy.

Things are kicked off with a flashback to the pivotal Halloween night of 1978, as a young Officer Hawkins (played as a young man by Thomas Mann and in the present day by Will Patton) confronts Michael at the end of his night of terror. Cut to present day and events resume immediately following the prior film, as Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis), daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) flee Laurie’s burning home to seek shelter at the hospital, and first responder firemen race towards the blaze, unaware of the horror that awaits them.

Elsewhere in Haddonfield is original massacre survivor Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), determined to remind the townspeople of their history and to ensure they remain vigilant. When he learns of Michael’s resurgence, Tommy gathers fellow survivors Lonnie (Robert Longstreet), his son Cameron (Dylan Arnold) and Lyndsey (Kyle Richards) and scours the streets, determined to capture the Boogeyman and riling the town into a murderous mob in the process.

Gordon’s script is ambitious, shifting the focus from the Strode family to the entirety of Haddonfield and the effect Michael has had on the town’s collective past. Matichack and Greer find their roles largely scaled back here, as Anthony Michael Hall’s Tommy takes centre stage; a figurehead for the mob he has rallied to take down Myers. It’s an interesting character to fixate on, and one that does show Green’s interest in exploring the effects of trauma on different people – rather than just Laurie – and Hall is great as the enraged yet frightened Tommy. Where his character falls short is in the ill thought-out plan to incite a mob against Myers; emboldening the town with chants of “Evil dies tonight”. It’s a hokey phrase that is repeated so often that it quickly becomes irritating; a heavy handed metaphor for Michael that hints at a supernatural element (the physical embodiment of evil), and one which creates a jarring sense of campiness that clashes with the otherwise serious tone.

As a direct continuation of the last film, the threat of Michael still feels palpable, but as we track the killer on his path through victim after victim – unopposed as the rest of the town deals with red herrings and in-fighting – the novelty of these murders soon wears off. There are some great gore effects and a few stand-out scenes amongst them to be sure, but the film soon begins to feel like filler; an overly long bridging piece which serves as an epilogue to the last film and prologue to the next without ever really necessitating the need to exist as a standalone film. The plot is furthered in some major ways, but only in how things are set up to be paid off in the future, rather than individual character motivations.

Speaking of characters, the most divisive decision Green and company have made in the sequel is to completely shelve Laurie, confining her to a hospital bed and never having her come face to face with her tormentor. It’s a colossal waste of Jamie Lee Curtis’ talent but she still manages to have some nice emotional interactions with Will Patton’s Officer Hawkins, whose significance to the franchise is greatly expanded here through flashbacks. These flashbacks are some of the best scenes the franchise has delivered in decades, faithfully replicating everything about the 1978 film right down to the slight graininess of the image and expanding on the story rather than changing it. Thomas Mann is terrific as the terrified, traumatised young Hawkins and Jim Cummings (indie superstar behind The Wolf of Snow Hollow, check it out) shines as a jaded mid-western police officer on the hunt for Myers: a fun nod to his other police-centric roles.

Halloween Kills biggest problem might just be how unfocused and unnecessary it feels; a stopgap on the way to a far more interesting conclusion that could have just as easily been a few scenes tacked onto the start of the next instalment. Shelving Laurie and shifting the focus to the rest of Haddonfield does allow for some interesting expansion of the lore but doesn’t greatly shift the board from where things ended in the 2018 film. If you can look past these problems, however, and focus on the quality filmmaking on display – with wonderfully macabre kills and another fantastic Carpenter score – then you will very likely walk away entertained. A stumble on the way to what will hopefully be a very bloody conclusion.

Halloween Kills stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Anthony Michael Hall, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, Dylan Arnold, Robert Longstreet, James Jude Courtney, Kyle Richards & Jim Cummings – In cinemas and streaming in the US on Peacock now.

7/10

Tags Andi Matichak, Anthony Michael Hall, David Gordon Green, Dylan Arnold, Halloween Kills, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jim Cummings, Judy Greer, Thomas Mann, Will Patton

Movie Reviews

The Wolf of Snow Hollow

Post author By Mark
Post date January 15, 2021

There’s not a whole lot of genuinely great werewolf films out there, think about it. The Howling, An American Werewolf in London, and maybe a handful of others at best. Which makes it such a big deal when a film like The Wolf of Snow Hollow comes along and vaults itself into the top of the genre with a wholly original spin on the cult favourite monster; a unique blend of horror, police procedural and black comedy from the mind of writer, director and star Jim Cummings. While its distinctive tone, which fluctuates between the serious case of a wolf preying on the people of Snow Hollow and the jarring yet hilarious meltdown of Cummings’ police deputy John, may not be for everyone, if you lean into the madness you will be rewarded with a hilarious, creepy and touching film that launches itself to the top of 2020’s considerable horror offerings and is primed for future cult classic status.

When a young woman is brutally murdered at an idyllic rental property in Utah’s Snow Hollow, the town’s deputy, John (Cummings), arrives late to the crime scene, having been notified midway through an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. That addiction proves to be one of the least of John’s problems as he inspects the gruesomely disfigured body, while also juggling the care of his father Sheriff Hadley (Robert Forster) who stubbornly refuses to retire as he battles health scare after health scare, leaving John barely able to hold it together to manage his staff. Promising his ailing father that he will catch the killer, who he refuses to accept may in fact not be human, John’s mental state descends into madness as he struggles to juggle being a single father to teenage daughter Jenna (Chloe East), managing an increasingly restless police force who don’t respect his authority, severe anger management issues and a potential relapse into alcoholism due to the stress of it all. Sounds like a lot right? That’s without including the violent beast which continues its streak of killings on the increasingly frightened townspeople, who begin to doubt the effectiveness of the officials devoted to protecting them; a theme that hits especially hard given the events of 2020.

At first it is difficult to pin The Wolf of Snow Hollow’s tone down. What begins as a chillingly effective horror sequence that slowly builds the sense that someone or something is lurking in the shadows then takes a sharp left turn with the introduction of John. Jim Cummings’ performance is something of an oddity within the film, a tonal mismatch that can at first feel like it does not belong within this grounded and violent horror film. His character moves at a mile a minute, constantly murmuring about the problems in his life as he investigates the case, eventually boiling over into frequent, often hilarious, full-blown breakdowns as he erupts at his staff or ex-wife, ripping them a new one before his attention is suddenly diverted by an errant thought in his overcrowded head. Cummings does an excellent job of portraying the extreme stress John is under and the multiple parts of his life vying for attention through a constant stream of subconscious dialogue which, at times, moves almost too quickly for the audience to keep up. Most of the time this just means the odd joke or two goes unappreciated – which is fine given this is such a fun movie that it will likely become a Halloween staple – but on a rare occasion or two it does result in an important piece of the case being overlooked, especially as clues are seemingly pulled out of nowhere towards the end of the film if you haven’t been laser-focused.

Cummings also manages to instil a whole lot of heart into the proceedings, as we come to understand the frustrated yet loving bond between father and son. Robert Forster is fantastic in one of his final roles as the over-stressed police chief who refuses to quit and always manages to distract his son in one way or another from discussing his health in order to stay on as sheriff for a little bit longer. In his stressed out, confused state, John often overlooks this bond with his father, instead seeing him as a cause of stress to be retired and pushed aside so he can focus on the bevy of other tasks demanding his attention. The rare tender moments between the two feel especially earned and pack a genuine impact, given the complete tonal change from previous conversations, as John and the audience both come to realise the damage caused by sacrificing such an important personal connection. This theme extends to John’s relationship with his daughter Jenna, who is constantly pulled from John by her mother but who refuses to give up on him, choosing to live with him even though she will be left alone in the house as he investigates the killings. It is a cry for help that John again refuses to acknowledge, seeing Jenna only as someone to protect but not actively engage with. Chloe East is brilliant here, acting stand-offish to her father as an attempt to mirror his attitude but breaking completely when his alcoholism resurfaces and the future of their family looks uncertain. It’s heartbreaking stuff that lands even if Cummings does immediately switch the tone up again with a joke or descent back into horror.

With these horror sequences, Cummings chooses to adopt a less-is-more approach, focusing on creating an atmosphere of tension and dread rather than gory, over-the-top mauling scenes. A simple shot of the beast towering over a car pre-kill is just short enough to keep the mystique of the animal (and reduce the focus on the low budget wolf costume), while still conveying the very real threat to its victim. It’s a refreshing take on horror that doesn’t rely on jump scares to create fear, instead utilising glimpses of the carnage left behind at crime scenes and infrequent shots of the attack in action. An almost slapstick sound design to these attacks also contribute to the mythicising of the threat of the wolf, with plenty of 80’s B-movie squelches and frantic screams as limbs are torn apart and littered all over the place. When Cummings wraps things up he does so in thrilling fashion, with a bare knuckle chase sequence that still manages to pack in the odd low-key joke whilst keeping you glued to the screen.

While the rest of the world was going to hell in 2020, the horror genre continued to, well, do just that in a good way and The Wolf of Snow Hollow rightly earns its place as one of the best horror films of the year. Unlike his character, Cummings proves incredibly adept at juggling multiple balls at once; from the constantly shifting tone and multiple genres the film draws from to a perfectly manic lead performance at the centre of it all. You’ll come for the promise of werewolf shenanigans, but you’ll stay for Cummings’ unique blend of acerbic wit and an intriguing police investigation that will keep you guessing right up to the very end. A must-watch.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow stars Jim Cummings, Riki Lindhome, Chloe East, Will Madden, Jimmy Tatro, Annie Hamilton & Robert Forster – Available to buy or rent on iTunes now.

Tags Chloe East, Jim Cummings, Jimmy Tatro, Riki Lindhome, Robert Forster, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Will Madden