Rivertown Reviews: ‘Tar,’ ‘Prey For the Devil’

‘TÁR’

In theaters

Amber-Rose Reed

Part psychological thriller, part character study, “TÁR” is the story of fictional conductor Lydia Tar, whose storied musical career is poised to ascend to its zenith — before it all comes crashing down.

“Crashing” feels too abrupt for a subtle, slow-burn film like "TÁR,“ and yes, the title is stylized as all caps. The film focuses on its titular character as she prepares for the final live recording of Mahler’s symphonic cycle and lives the life of the cultural elite. Cate Blanchett is nearly magical in the role of Lydia Tar – and in every single scene.

She is magnetic.

The acting as a whole in the film is brilliant, along with pitch perfect (pun intended) sound and set design. It’s a beautifully crafted film, with a great deal to think about.

I think what "TÁR“ is trying to say about cancel culture, modern sensibilities about canonical artists, etc, is less important than what it is asking about them, and largely, the film leaves it up to the viewer to draw sympathies and allegiances. Lydia Tar is objectively awful. She is condescending, manipulative, cutthroat. She’s also objectively genius, or so says everyone from the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik (who plays himself in an opening scene that should not be as riveting and delightful as I found it) to financier Eliot Kaplan (Mark Strong). The viewer sees only hints of this genius, just as we see only hints of her misconduct, in emails, inappropriate moments, innuendo.

Though the film seems to seek objectivity or remove from judgment — and largely succeeds in my view — I do wonder if such objectivity is ever truly objective. If a figure of cultural authority sexually engages and then blacklists someone under their mentorship, are we obliged to weigh their genius? Debates rage over this every day. In black and white, though, it seems heartless to even consider whether a live recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony is worth the pain of actual humans. Is this something we should be neutral on, whether it comes from a figure like Bach, who seems far removed from our time and place, or like so many of the fictional Tar’s real-life counterparts here and now?

"TÁR,“ directed by actor-turned-director Todd Field (”In the Bedroom,“ ”Little Children“) is very, very good, and I think the viewer’s experience of the movie and of Lydia, will be no doubt colored by their thoughts on virtuosity, “cancel culture,” etc.

Or you can just go and watch Cate Blanchett be amazing. That is also valid.

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‘Prey For the Devil’

In Theaters

Alexa Chipman

Demon possession is on the rise, and priests in the Roman Catholic Church are overwhelmed by the task of exorcising that evil. That’ the set-up for “Prey For the Devil,” directed by Daniel Stamm (2010’s “The Last Exorcism”). When a talented nun shows interest in exorcism, they decide that Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers) should be allowed some basic instruction.

She soon finds herself drawn into the particularly difficult case of a young girl who is growing increasingly dangerous, as the creature within her takes control.

“Prey for the Devil” fails miserably as a horror film, but the story is not entirely a loss. The poorly conceived jump scares and shoddy special effects interrupt what is otherwise a compelling drama.

I have witnessed first-hand – as a former Dominican Sister – what some of the women in the film struggled with. They were called to a preaching order, but because of archaic rules, the sisters will always be laypeople and therefore unable to give the homily. Teaching a reflection just isn’t the same thing, and they knew it.

Watching Sister Ann being bullied away from her true calling, because that was not seen as her place, felt painfully realistic.

She has an ally in Father Dante (Christian Navarro) who is able to look past dusty doctrine to see her potential. Their resulting shenanigans were my favorite part, from sneaking into the restricted section of the library to sitting around drinking wine after a challenging class session.

Scenes like that turned what should have been a terrifying, ominous setting into a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

The camera would shake its way down a wood-paneled corridor, candles flickering by statues of saints, and I would smile “Nice, that looks like a convent in Kentucky I stayed at. That was fun, they had an indoor pool!”

Director Daniel Stamm leaned far too heavily on the assumption that traditional churches cause unease. I kept pointing at the screen going, “I used to live in a room like that! Sister Ann put her laptop exactly where I kept mine!”

This may be a woefully predictable, clumsy exorcism movie, but they did their research when it came to the daily life of modern nuns.

If you’ve ever wondered what that might be like (other than the whole demons-attacking-you part) “Prey for the Devil” might be an interesting watch. I loved how the costume designer had Sister Anne wandering around in sweatpants and a ratty camo t-shirt when not in habit.

I give this a reluctant thumbs down, because the horror aspect was incredibly cringeworthy.

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‘Armageddon Time’

In theaters

Anderson Templeton

"Armageddon Time" is a deeply personal autobiographical coming of age drama, written and directed by James Gray (“Ad Astra,” “The Lost City of Z”).

Set at the beginning of the school year in 1980 Queens, we see the world through the eyes of artistic sixth-grader Paul Graff (representing Gray as a child) as he navigates a world filled with racial inequalities, broken school systems, political unrest, and his immigrant Jewish family desperately fighting for the "American Dream."

"Armageddon Time" is packed with stellar Oscar-worthy performances all around, from Anthony Hopkins as the gentle patriarch, grandfather and mentor to young Paul, Anne Hathaway as the nuanced and deeply realistic mother desperately trying to build a life for herself while raising a family, and Jeremy Strong as Paul's father, trying to balance being the strong breadwinner and enforcer when in reality, he has no clue what he's doing.

At first, I didn't understand the title, but later researched and found out the film was named after the Clash's cover of singer Willi Williams reggae song, “Armagideon Time.” The lyrics perfectly match the tone of rising tension as Paul's eyes are opened with first-hand discoveries of racism, anti-Semitism, and the socioeconomic divide.

"A lotta people won’t get no supper tonight/A lotta people won’t get no justice tonight/The battle is getting hotter/In this Iration, it’s Armagideon."

Though "Armageddon Time" is set over 40 years ago, it is shocking how current these same exact struggles are. While its themes are definitely heavy, if you're an Oscar movie chaser, this is one you definitely don't want to miss.

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