MOVIE REVIEW: BEING THE RICARDOS

 

In 1952, Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face personal and professional obstacles that threaten their careers, their relationship, and their hit television show.

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg

Release Date: December 10, 2021 

Genre: Biography, Drama

Rated R for language

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Being The Richardos is a showy biopic that's held together by a wonderful turn from it's cast but it lacks consistency from start to finish.  Writer/director Aaron Sorkin brings his signature dialogue to his film and it drives the narrative as expected.  A strange and unnecessary faux documentary framing device though saps the film of forward momentum by moving the focus off the titular couple. Once onscreen, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem make for an interesting couple even if their physical similarities to the real people are less than convincing especially Bardem.  Kidman is fully committed to the role and delivers a strong performance, capturing Ball's signature raspy voice and mannerisms.  There are portions of the film where she just disappears into the role especially in the few scenes where iconic moments from the original show are recreated.  Outside of mere mimicry, Sorkin and Kidman give us moments that display Ball's eye for comedy and others that display her strength as the TV heavyweight she was.  Bardem is solid throughout even though his performance isn't able to escape his gravelly voice and distinct style.  Its a minor issue as Bardem and Kidman share some strong moments together onscreen especially in the film's final act.  The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces like Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale and Jack Lacy who all deliver workman turns.  J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda though leave the biggest impressions, once you overlook the fact that neither looks anything like their real life counter parts, with memorable turns as William Frawley and Vivian Vance who played the Mertz.  It all makes for an entertaining biopic that uses heavy dramatic license to condenses multiple life events in the Balls life but Being The Richardos is not the homerun it should have been.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: TOY STORY 4

Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang embark on a road trip with Bonnie and a new toy named Forky. The adventurous journey turns into an unexpected reunion as Woody's slight detour leads him to his long-lost friend Bo Peep. As Woody and Bo discuss the old days, they soon start to realize that they're worlds apart when it comes to what they want from life as a toy.Director: Dexter Fletcher

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves

Release Date: June 20, 2019

Biography, Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated G

Runtime: 1 h 40 min

Review:

Toy Story 3 really felt like a proper and fitting send off for the venerable franchise while leaving fans an emotional wreck.  This fourth entry had some work to do to explain its reason for existing besides an obvious money grab.  Thankful this fourth entry is a fitting epilogue to the franchise that ties up storylines while maintaining the high level of layered storytelling that’s always been a calling card of the franchise.  The story isn’t going to level your emotions the way part 3 did but it’s still got a solid bit of bite in spots particularly in the final frames.  Thematically it’s got some heady issues at play, particularly finding your personal worth and self actualization which is hefty stuff for a kid’s movie.  That’s not to say kids won’t enjoy it because they will, it’s probably one of the most vibrantly animated entries in the series.  The setting like the antique shop and carnival are visual cornucopias of colors and details that you’re liable to need a few views to see everything they put in.  The cast delivers across the board like they always do even though some of the characters are regulated to the 2^nd or 3^rd tier.  The new additions of Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele make that easier to deal with but I would have liked a bit more of a spotlight on some of the established characters. Tom Hanks’ Woody is the primary focus here with most of the story serving his character arch.  Adding Annie Pott’s Bo Peep back into the mix as a strong self realized female character makes for an interesting dynamic that really adds to the overall impact of the story.  If this truly is the end of the series, it’s a fitting bittersweet send off. 


A-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of American Ultra & Hitman: Agent 47

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the pictures for a pair of shoot-em-up flicks, American Ultra and Hitman: Agent 47.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

This week's first kudos go not to either movie, but to the schedule maker(s) at Marquee Cinemas, who receive a full nine Weasleys for two 90-minute films with 30 minutes in between. Perfection!

First up on that ideal schedule: American Ultra.

All is not as it seems with a pair of stoners in a (made-up) little West Virginia town.
American Ultra is one of those movies that has the potential to be accidentally awesome. It doesn't look like anything special, but all the pieces are there so it *could* be, you know? It isn't quite awesome, but it's still pretty solid.

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart share an awkward chemistry that serves them well as a couple pretty awkward people. Eisenberg moves effortlessly from mellow to panicked to deadpan to badass, always believable and sympathetic.

Stewart is often accused of being expressionless, but she's solid here as well. The supporting cast is uniformly decent, for as much as they need to be (what a waste of Bill Pullman!), but basically, if you don't like Eisenberg and/or Stewart, that's going to be an almost insurmountable hurdle with this movie. American Ultra has plenty of twists and turns, with fast, brutal, bloody action, and a dry wit that holds it all together.

American Ultra clocks in at 95 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use, and some sexual content."

American Ultra is missing that *something* that would have made it exceptional, but I still found it smart, exciting, and entertaining.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, American Ultra gets six and a half.

Next on the agenda, Hitman: Agent 47.

A woman reluctantly teams with a super assassin to unravel the mysteries of her past.

Dear reader(s), there's no sugar-coating it: Agent 47 is a real snooze-fest, and, if not for my mad crush on Zachary Quinto, I might have nodded off. There's not a hint of genuine emotion or excitement to be found anywhere in Agent 47. Nicely-designed stunts are blandly executed, and the leads are as dry as my lawn invariably is 'round about this time of the year. Hannah Ware has all the expression of the freshly-Botoxed, and Rupert Friend looks like a perpetually-annoyed Orlando Bloom. Ciaran Hinds gets the job done, but he doesn't turn up until it's far too late to salvage anything. It's quite a feat for a movie this short to wear out its welcome, but that seems to be the one area where Hitman: Agent 47 actually succeeds.

Hitman: Agent 47 runs 96 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong violence, and some language."

Agent 47 is so dull I was hardly even annoyed when the guy next to me played on his iPad the whole time.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hitman: Agent 47 gets two.

Until next time...

Curiously, this is also how my homecooked Sunday dinners usually turn out!

TV SHOW REVIEW: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT SEASON 4

“And now, The Story Of A Wealthy Family Whose Future Was Abruptly Cancelled…”

Writer / Director: Mitchell Hurwitz & Troy Miller

Cast: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walters

Release Date: May 26, 2013

Genres: Comedy

Review:

The return of one of my favorite comedies of all time had my sights set high, very high. Years of seemingly endless discussions about a possible movie seemed more like a death knell than anything else. Diehard fans rejoiced at the news that Netflix had picked up the series for a new season. The result is an impressively intricate plot with a puzzle like structure. It starts a little slow but rolls towards hilarity as it all comes together. Due to scheduling, Mitchell Hurwitz & Troy Miller had to devise a way to work with the cast members they had at any particular time. As a result, most episodes focus on one family member typically interacting with some but rarely the entire family member. It takes a little while to get used to but as you make your way through the episodes you’ll the genius in viewing the same situations from different point of views. It’s all lovingly crafted and even more self aware than it was before. The jokes are just as rapid fire as you remember with plenty of call backs to previous seasons and a bevy of new instantly quotable jokes. Some of the jokes reach a crazy level of meta comedy at play. The main cast slip back into their roles with impressive ease. The format allows each actor or actress to shine usually accompanied by returning recurring characters or new guest stars. The one drawback to the format is that if you don’t like a particular character you are kind of stuck with them for an episode or two. Since the episodes are so well written it’s never a big issue but some drag a tad more than others, George Bluth Sr.’s plot is a good example. I will warn you that the season does seem to have slightly darker twisted feel to it throughout which might take some people by surprise. Additionally, some of the budget restraints are apparent and even joked about. Even with these minor drawbacks, the season as a whole is a massive success. I was more than a little depressed when I reached the last episode of season 4. It was short lived of course because I knew I’d be watching the episodes again very soon.

A-