August Movies Part 1: Shortcomings, Dreamin' Wild, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I have kicked off August with a series of dude-heavy movies. If you're interested in the travails of a grumpy Asian hipster, the true-life fairytale of a washed-up musician who discovered he may not be so washed-up, or the adventures of a bunch of teenage...mutant...ninja...turtles, keep reading.

Shortcomings: Written by Adrian Tomine (based on his graphic novel of the same name), this is Randall Park's directorial debut and presents the tale of Ben (Justin H. Min) an Asian-American man in LA who manages a movie theater, has very pretentious opinions on film, and has been living with Miko (Ally Maki), his filmmaker girlfriend for several years. When Miko gets an internship in New York, they agree to "take a break" which he interprets as license to try and date some white women. His best friend, Alice (the amazing Sherry Cola who is bringing a very similar chaotic queer energy like she did in Joy Ride), meanwhile also decamps to New York after a bad break-up. So finally, Ben flies over to New York to see her and figure out what Miko has been up to. 

This is a meandering, cringey tale about a rather terrible man who treats women poorly and has a lot of hang-ups about Asian identity. He is mad at the success of a Hollywood movie with an all-Asian cast (a fun little satire of Crazy Rich Asians) but Miko loves it, claiming that the success of this film will allow smaller, indie tales of other Asians to be told. Which is all very meta and fun, as that is emphatically the reason why we are now getting this movie. But at the end of the day, I did not particularly enjoy spending an hour and a half with a broody dude who made all the women around him mad. I get enough of that in real life, thank you very much. It's a perfectly well-directed film and Randall Park is clearly perfectly capable of making great movies, but this is not a story I was clamoring for.

Dreamin' Wild: Written and directed by Bill Pohlad, from an article by Steven Kurutz, this is the true story of Donnie and Joe Emerson, two brothers in Washington who made a record called Dreamin' Wild when they were teenagers in 1979. The record went nowhere, and the film opens with them in their 40s, Donnie still running a music studio and playing music with his wife and a band at local gigs, while Joe helps their father out on the family farm. However, when a music producer named Matt (Chris Messina) shows up at the farm with an old copy of Dreamin' Wild that has resurfaced in some record store and has become a cult favorite in music circles, their lives are forever changed.

This is a beautiful story about thwarted ambition, supportive families, and finally seeing your dreams come true. Casey Affleck plays older Donnie, while there are constant flashbacks to Noah Jupe as the young Donnie putting together this record, and both actors are wonderful at conveying the urgency and passion he felt for his music. Walton Goggins is great as the older Joe, a man who was not as talented as his brother, but still loved making music with him and quietly struggled, even though he continues to put a brave face on things, and Beau Bridges is stellar as their incredibly supportive father. I remember first hearing "Baby" from this record on the soundtrack of a film in 2012 and instantly loving it. Now all these years later, we have the origin story of the track and the amazing men who put it together, and their amazing family who supported them for all these decades until they were re-discovered and received their rightful due. While the film could do with some judicious editing, it's still emotionally resonant, thanks to some great performances, and that perennially evocative soundtrack.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: Turtle power! What do you want me to tell you about this movie? I mean, you're either in or you're out. I do not have a deep connection to the TMNT franchise, having briefly watched the cartoons as a kid, but this film is definitely a fun one to watch if you love animation and you love New York (which of course, I do). The animation style is vivid and fun, and feels like a new style, similar to how the animated Spider-Man films have felt so fresh and visually arresting. And of course, there are lots of references to New York and the joys of getting a bacon, egg, and cheese. 

This is the origin story of the four turtles, so if you were hazy on the details (I certainly was), this will be a useful primer as to how they were contaminated by some ooze and became mutants who now live in the sewer with Slither, their adoptive rat father (voiced brilliantly by Jackie Chan). There's a villain named Superfly (voiced equally brilliantly by Ice Cube) who has a diabolical plot, and they need to stop him with their ninja skills and the help of a high-school girl named April O'Neill (voiced by the great Ayo Edebiri). There are many fun action sequences, all set to a bopping hip-hop soundtrack and score by the Oscar-winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, so be prepared for some propulsive thrills. For 100 minutes, this film is perfectly entertaining and beautiful to look at. It is also very funny and you won't be bored for a second. But again. Depending on your tolerance for mutant ninja turtles, your mileage may vary.