Buzz Blog

Last Breath ***
In essence, this real-life survival thriller feels like an underwater variation on Apollo 13—and like that predecessor, it works better at capturing the simple mechanics of dealing with a life-and-death scenario than the melodrama surrounding it. Adapted from the 2019 documentary of the same name, it deals with a trio of deep-sea divers—Chris Lemons (Finn Cole), Duncan Allock (Woody Harrelson) and Dave Yuasa (Simu Liu)—repairing oil platforms in the North Sea when a massive storm and technical difficulties strand Chris 300 feet below the surface. The screenplay leans into some dramatic clichés, like the fact that this is scheduled to be Duncan’s last dive, and that Chris is planning a wedding with his fiancée (Bobby Rainsbury), as though we might not worry about their fate otherwise. But director Alex Parkinson is wise enough to give the most attention to complex logistics, from the pressurized capsule that prepares the divers’ bodies for their work environment, to the improvised rescue efforts by the team on their ship. And there are still some arresting images evoking the dangerous nature of this work, like framing one diver as a pinprick of light descending into complete darkness. The tight time frame of the actual rescue operation leaves a fair amount of time on either side for less interesting material, but Last Breath manages to be compelling when problem-solving has genuine stakes. Available Feb. 28 in theaters. (PG-13)

My Dead Friend Zoe **1/2
Co-writer/director Kyle Hausmann-Stokes has found a solid narrative device for examining the complex issue of military veterans struggling with mental health; I just wish the movie surrounding that device didn’t feel so messy and unfocused. Inspired by his own experiences as an Army veteran and expanded from his 2022 short, Hausmann-Stokes tells the story of an Afghanistan veteran named Merit Charles (Sonequa Martin-Green), who finds that she can’t shake the presence of her Army best friend Zoe (Natalie Morales), who died in circumstances to be named later. At the same time, she’s dealing with Alzheimer’s diagnosis of her beloved Vietnam-vet grandfather (Ed Harris), the persistence of a group therapy session leader (Morgan Freeman), the expectations of her mother (Gloria Reuben) and a possible romantic interest (Utkarsh Ambudkar)—and while that whirlwind of responsibilities might be effective at conveying how out-of-control Merit’s life feels to her, it also results in a too-busy narrative. It’s much more effective when Martin-Green and Morales are sharing the screen, whether in “real life” scenes or as Merit’s guilty fantasies, because their easy chemistry makes it easy to understand how much Zoe meant to Merit, and why Zoe’s absence haunts her. This narrative takes seriously the silent pain faced by so many veterans, and it only falls short when it gets distracted from that pain. Available Feb. 28 in theaters. (R)

Riff Raff *1/2
I’d be willing to bet that many of the cast members here convinced themselves they were actually making a drama about the messiness of family, instead of a half-baked variation on those yakkety-yak crime thrillers that proliferated post-Pulp Fiction. In this one, a guy named Vincent (Ed Harris), his wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and teenage stepson DJ (Miles J. Harvey) find their post-Christmas holiday at a remote Maine cabin is disturbed by the arrival of Rocco (Lewis Pullman)—Vincent’s son by his first wife (Jennifer Coolidge)—on the run with his pregnant girlfriend (Emanuela Postacchini) after running afoul of Vincent’s old criminal running buddy, Lefty (Bill Murray). That’s a lot of characters and business, without even mentioning Pete Davidson as Lefty’s hired gun, and the screenplay by John Pollono tries to cram all of them into something that nominally address fathers’ mistakes and the price paid for those mistakes by their children. It’s simply never remotely convincing as a drama, far too focused on devoting time to forced bits of business like Lefty’s reaction to a grocery store clerk, and Rocco’s anecdote about a crazy one-night stand. Director Dito Montiel indulges all of that nonsense, and the performances subsequently spin out of control as well; Coolidge in particular feels like she’s improvising virtually everything she does, and not in a good way. Riff Raff might want to take bad authority figures to task, but it could have benefited from a much firmer hand. Available Feb. 28 in theaters. (R)

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat ***
Director Johan Grimonprez’s Oscar-nominated documentary takes an impressive swing at providing a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down; I just wish it were less busy in the process. The “medicine” in this case is an overview of the Congo crisis of 1960-1961, as the newly-independent nation and its Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, tried to free itself from colonialism and outside interference; the “sugar” comes in the form of an amazing soundtrack of jazz greats and African musicians, loosely built on Black American jazz musicians being used by the government as goodwill ambassadors to Africa at that time. Grimonprez has a ton of ground to cover, including the general movement away from colonial control in Africa, how these new countries were treated as Cold War battlegrounds by the American and Soviet governments, and how Black American activists like Malcolm X used events in Africa as part of a wider message of Black liberation. It’s impressive how much the film is able to convey in 150 minutes, including shockingly forthright comments about CIA interference and planned assassinations, so you’re bound to come away better informed. The musical material simply never feels as integrated as it could, even as Grimonprez and company make some great choices about when to employ silence. Even if you love jazz, and you love learning history, this soundtrack feels like something that could be lifted out. Available Feb. 28 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. (NR)