Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Catherine O'Hara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catherine O'Hara. Show all posts

Friday, February 2, 2024

MOVIE REVIEW: ARGYLLE

 






















Reclusive author Elly Conway writes best-selling espionage novels about a secret agent named Argylle who's on a mission to unravel a global spy syndicate. However, when the plots of her books start to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, the line between fiction and reality begin to blur.

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson

Release Date: February 2, 2024 

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong violence and action and some strong language.

Runtime: 2h 19m

Review:

Argylle, the latest spy riff from Matthew Vaughn, is overstuffed to the point of exhaustion as it hurls a seemingly endless barrage of twists at the screen which would make even M. Night Shyamalan blush.  Initially, Vaughn's film has a breezy feel as it plays with a fun premises.  The early action sequences that pepper in bits of Henry Cavill doing his best Bond impression is energetic and engaging.  Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell have some fun chemistry with both making the best of their likeable onscreen charm.  Howard is appropriately nebbish early on as insanity plays out around her.  Rockwell seems to be having a blast playing the superspy guiding her and it all works fairly well in the film's opening act.  Bryan Cranston hams it up as the film's central villain but much like the movie's plot, his performance gets progressively more exaggerated and outsized especially as the first reveal which alone would have been a fun thread to chase.  Instead, that initial reveal is barely given anytime to breathe before another U Turn takes in another silly direction follow by another and another.  There are a few fun action sequences interspersed between it all, but those slower moments are noticeably slow especially as the film gets more aggressively silly, highlighted by a colorful bullet filled dance and skating sequence which makes it clear that it’s all intentionally stupid.  In a weird way, Vaughn and his cast end up delivering a modern day Naked Gun film which would have been fun if it weren't so incredibly overstuffed.  

C-

Saturday, June 17, 2023

MOVIE REVIEW: ELEMENTAL




















In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.

Director: Peter Sohn

Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, Matt Yang King

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language

Runtime: 1h 42m

Elemental is a charming romantic comedy disguised as a children's movie which shows that Pixar can still deliver the kind of emotional resonance that makes their films special.  Peter Sohn delivers a beautifully animated journey into a fully realized world of anthropized elemental that's simply dazzling to look at.  The animation packs a mindboggling amount of detail into each frame that's its almost impossible to catch every bit of it in one showing.  The character designs themselves are wonderfully crafted with each elemental given a distinctive look and feel.  Story wise it does feel like it might lean a bit older since the central plot is a rather sweet romance pair with a not so subtle immigrant subplot which will likely go over younger kids heads.  Its a straightforward story done with believable and personal stakes that makes you invested in the story.  A major reason the story resonates is the voice work turned in by film's leads Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie.  Lewis and Athie make a believable and likable onscreen pair with both turning in strong vocal performances that really shine throughout.  Lewis, in particular, provides a nuanced level of emotional range that makes Ember all the more memorable.  Together they share a special kind of chemistry which works in the film's favor.  The subplot involving Ember's immigrant father and his wish to have her run his story is the film's secret weapon and sure to elicit a tear or two by the time the film ends thanks in large part to a heartfelt turn from Ronnie del Carmen.  Elemental may surprise people who haven't been impressed with some of Pixar's more recent offering because it delivers the kind of emotional heft that makes you forget your watching a kids movie.

A-

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Movie Reviews: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Movie Reviews: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
IN THEATERS

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Misunderstood at home and at school, mischievous Max (Max Records) escapes to a land populated by majestic, and sometimes fierce, creatures known as the Wild Things. The Wild Things allow Max to become their leader, and he promises to create a kingdom where everyone will be happy. However, Max soon finds that being the king is not easy, and that his relationships with the Wild Things are much more complicated than he originally thought.


Opened ..October 16, 2009..


Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min.


Cast: Max Records, James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano, Tom Noonan, Catherine O'Hara, ..Forest.. Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Michael Berry Jr.


Director: Spike Jonze


Genres: Children's Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Adventure, Fantasy


Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language.


Review:


Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is fascinating adaptation of the legendary children’s book. Visually stunning, the film has a palatable sense of youthful energy capturing the dizzying highs along with the painful lows. Jonze’s is able to capture this with extremely effective use of handheld cameras during certain portions of the film. The island is beautifully surreal giving it a dream like feel which fits perferctly into the story. The wild things themselves are technical marvels, created using a mix of puppetry and CGI. The voice actors complete these creations and bring them to life; Gandolfini in particular is surprisingly effective throughout. Lauren Ambrose also impresses as KW providing tenderness to her role mixed with a quiet strength. The rest of the voice cast are equally effective even if they aren’t given as much time as Ambrose or Gandolfini. New comer Max Record is a real find; he’s wonderfully naturalistic perfectly suited for the role. He has the gift to phase through the different emotions in a believable manner, something rare in child actors. Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers had the task of adapting a book with only a handful of sentences. They used the book as a starting point and expanded outward and created something magical, poignant and occasionally a little terrifying. It works a multitude of levels and can be enjoyed either as a straight forward tome or on more allegorical terms. Jonze’s had plenty of issues making this film and it could have fallen into a blackhole because of studio meddling. Luckily the film finally made it to the screen and we can see the fruits of Jonze’s labor. He has creating something that’s respectful of the book but able to stand on its own.


A
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...