MOVIE REVIEW: FREAKY TALES

 

An NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teenage punks, neo-Nazis and a debt collector embark on a collision course in 1987 Oakland, Calif.

Director: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, Jay Ellis, Normanit, Dominique Thorne, Jack Champion, Ji-young Yoo, Angus Cloud

Release Date: April 4, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout including slurs, sexual content and drug use.

Runtime: 1h 47m

Review:

Freaky Tales is a quirky, Interconnected Tarantinoesque anthology that delivers a hefty dose of 80's Bay area nostalgia with increasingly off the wall chapters that benefit from a strong vibe and cast.  Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden borrow elements from a variety of sources for the four chapters that make up the story with noticeable nods to Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill being readily evident and even some sprinkles of Scott Pilgrim in the opening.  The pairs deep love and affection for this time and space seeps through the screen as they touch on everything from the punk and hip-hop scene to dirty cops, Nazis and basketball ninjas.  Some chapters are far more grounded than others with the filmmakers asking you to roll with the punches especially as events get nuttier in the final act.  Like most anthologies, some chapters work better than others with the first two really nailing down the vibe of each setting before stalling out in a more straightforward crime drama with the Pedro Pascal focused third chapter.  That's not to say the third chapter is bad, it just marks a notice shift in the film's tone to establish the connective tissue that brings everything together in its final act.  It’s a minor hiccup but it does have a fun cameo that makes the tonal change easier to deal.  The ensemble cast turns in solid work across the board with Jack Champion and Ji-young Yoo sharing some believable romantic chemistry in the opening act with Normanit and Dominique Thorne bringing a similar authenticity to their friendship in the rap battle portion.  Pedro Pascal is given the least showy role in the whole thing but delivers a solid turn as usual.  Ben Mendelsohn and Jay Ellis are given more fun roles as a sleazy detective and rather lethal point guard.   It all makes Freaky Tales a rather unexpected surprise of a film that's sure to become a cult classic in the years to come.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: A WORKING MAN

 

Levon Cade left behind a decorated military career in the black ops to live a simple life of working construction. However, when human traffickers kidnap his boss's daughter, his search to bring her home uncovers a world of corruption far greater than he ever could have imagined.

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jason Statham, Michael Peña, David Harbour, Jason Flemyng, Arianna Rivas, Noemi Gonzalez

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, and drug content.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

A Working Man, David Ayer's second collaboration with Jason Statham, is self-serious but entertainingly over the top at the same time which makes it feel like an old school, 80's actioneers likely due to the influence of Sylvester Stallone who co-wrote the script.  Ayer brings his usual grim style to the proceedings while lifting bits and pieces from the John Wick franchise in the form of garishly, cartoonish villains that populate the vast underworld that Statham is tasked with annihilating in steady succession.  The script does try to humanize Levon Cade with relationship to daughter, but it never lands the way it should since Cade is pretty much an invincible killing machine with a singular mission.  Statham has made a career of playing these sorts of characters with his steely gaze even as he unleashes increasingly violent and extreme forms of violence on whoever stands in his way.  Michael Peña and David Harbour have small supporting roles with each popping up sporadically throughout, but neither is given much to work with outside of the most generic characteristics.  Harbour's character in particular seems to be screaming for a bit more depth which the script never offers.  The villains are equally forgettable with each serving as paper thin versions of countless clichéd bad guys we've seen before.  The final act starts to border on Schwarzenegger's Commando territory without the one liner as we watch Statham's Cade mows down wave after wave of bad guys.  A Working Man will make people of certain age feel like they've been transported back to the 80's where action films weren't terribly concerned with logic as much as it was with kicking ass.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: DEATH OF A UNICORN

 

When a man and his daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn with their car, his boss tries to exploit the creature's miraculous curative properties -- with horrific results.

Director: Alex Scharfman

Cast: Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Rated R for strong violent content, gore, language and some drug use.

Runtime: 1h 48m

Review:

Death of a Unicorn works best as a cartoonish black comedy thanks to its collection of talent, led by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, but it struggles to merge the satirical and horror elements which keeps it from being something special.  Alex Scharfman's freshman film has a quirky, energetic vibe that comes through the screen especially during some of the film's more outlandish sequences.  The straightforward narrative works in the film's favor with it, wasting very little time before moving into the meat of the story.  Some judicious edits would have helped streamline some of the clunkier moments that sap the film of some of its energy.  The parts that work is goofy, gory fun like its Aliens riff that proves to be one of the film's high points.  Scharfman would have been wise to lean into that sort of nuttiness rather than bluntly hammer home tired takes on the entitled elite and pharma exploitation of nature.  The father/daughter storyline is basic as well, but it’s salvaged by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega likable turns.  Rudd could play this sort of character in his sleep while Ortega is fully embracing her role as this generations Winona Ryder as the smart, quirky but emotional distressed daughter.  Richard E. Grant and Téa Leoni are fun as the obscenely wealthy couple that Rudd's character aspires to work for, it’s just a shame that the script doesn't give them a ton to work with outside the most clichéd traits.  Will Poulter fares far better as the couple's overly entitled son that gets more and more intense as the effects of unicorn's dust take hold.  Poulter's comedic timing is perfectly suited to the role and he's clearly having a ball onscreen as he's bursting with energy especially in the final act.  Anthony Carrigan and Sunita Mani are both solid comedic performers, but they're mostly wasted in underserved roles, which is a shame to say the least.  It’s one of the elements in Death of a Unicorn that feel undercooked or unfinished much like the shoddy CGI that brings the magically vicious creatures to life which keeps it from really hitting the sweet spot.    

 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: LOCKED

 

When Eddie breaks into a luxury SUV, he steps into a deadly trap set by a self-proclaimed vigilante who delivers his own brand of twisted justice. Trapped inside the car, Eddie soon discovers escape is an illusion and survival is a nightmare.

Director: David Yarovesky

Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins, Ashley Cartwright, Michael Eklund, Navid Charkhi

Release Date: March 21, 2025

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated R for strong violent content/bloody images, language throughout, and brief drug use.

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

Locked is a claustrophobic, single location thriller that gets the most mileage out of the conceit thanks in large part to strong turns from Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins.  David Yarovesky's slickly directed film feels like a spiritual successor to Joel Schumacher's 2002 film, Phone Booth with its static setting, flawed protagonist and malevolent, mostly unseen, antagonist.  The script provides a handful of blunt discussions about societal decay and class disparity which are intriguing ideas but done in such a heavy-handed manner that they feel inorganic to the story.  Discussions of Tolstoy's War & Peace and Karl Marx coming from Skarsgård's street urchin, deadbeat dad feels more than a little inauthentic regardless of how committed he is to the role.  Thankfully, Skarsgård is allowed more than enough time to overlook that bit of heavy-handed messaging by delivering an intriguing turn as the unlucky loser to step into Anthony Hopkins' twisted trap.  He's onscreen for nearly the entire film's runtime with little to react to outside of planted torture devices hidden in the vehicle and Hopkins' disembodied voice.  Skarsgård, who looks like Pete Davidson clone here, manages to keep the whole thing afloat by having his character go through a variety of emotional states as he's subjected to a variety of torturous situations that increasingly become more ludicrous.  Hovering over it all is Anthony Hopkins' dying one percenter with a grudge, William.  Hopkins gives the character a noticeable spark even though the character's motivations are rather clichéd by the time it’s all said and done.  He manages to mine every bit of gravitas he can out of the role even though he's offscreen for 90% of the time.  Sadly, by the time he shows up onscreen, the script and David Yarovesky struggle to close out the story in a satisfactory manner relying instead on a jarring ending that feels like they pulled the emergency brake on the film once they couldn't land on a more meaningful.    

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: SNOW WHITE

 

Disney's Snow White, or simply Snow White, is a 2025 American musical fantasy film directed by Marc Webb and written by Erin Cressida Wilson.

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap, Martin Klebba, Ansu Kabia, Patrick Page, Jeremy Swift, Tituss Burgess

Release Date: March 21, 2025

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Rated PG for violence, some peril, thematic elements and brief rude humor.

Runtime: 1h 49m

Review:

Disney's live action Snow White had a rather turbulent ride on its way to the big screen with the result being a rather inoffensive, albeit forgettable, family musical carried by a strong, earnest turn from Rachel Zegler.  Marc Webb's visually garish production is lively for most of its runtime even though it does rely too much on CGI for my taste.  Webb delivers some solid set pieces for the film's catchy musical number with Good Things Grow, Heigh-Ho and Whistle While You Work being the best of the bunch.  There's a real sense of energy that comes through during those sequences even if the film struggles to maintain it on a consistent level.  The mash up of classic tunes from the original animated film and new tracks is hardly seamless as there's a noticeable contrast between them with the new songs which have a very modern Broadway feel to them.  Rachel Zegler proves to be more than capable of traversing the choppiness of the mash up with impressive ease by delivering a strong vocal performance along with a wide-eyed authenticity that works well for the character.  Zegler's vocal talents are put on full display here, which allows her to shine during her musical numbers.  The character is written with a bit more agency here but like the mash up of songs there's a clunkiness to it all that feels like it could have been worked more subtly into the narrative especially the ending which feels tacked on.   Andrew Burnap's Jonathan is solid and likable but there's nothing close to any sort of chemistry here between him and Zegler to make you believe the "true love" thread that's central to the final act.  Gal Gadot embraces the look of the Evil Queen with a vamp/camp performance that's sure to be a point of discussion along with her musical number which does more to hide her voice than highlight it.  After all the belly aching about this film's version of the seven dwarfs, they appear pretty much like they did in the animated film but with a strange realistic look that is more distracting than anything.  Martin Klebba's vocal work as Grumpy leaves the biggest impression with the others proving to be rather interchangeable and non-descript.  Once it’s all said and done, Snow White ends up in the same category as the majority of the other live action remakes, passable entertainment that never reaches the heights of the classic animated film.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK BAG

 

When his beloved wife, Kathryn, is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test -- loyalty to his marriage or his country.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, Pierce Brosnan

Release Date: March 14, 2025

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Rated R for language including some sexual references, and some violence.

Runtime: 1h 33m

Review:

Steven Soderbergh's sleek spy thriller crackles off the screen thanks to a pitch perfect script and stellar turns from its cast.  Soderbergh's film instantly pops off the screen with its stylized aesthetic that gives every shot and the film overall a certain verve that's infectious.  This film has no interest in being gritty in any shape or form as every person and locale looks like it was lifted from a fashion catalogue.  As a spy thriller, it’s more of a throwback to old school films that focus more on the machinations at play than large scale carnage.  David Koepp's script provides the cast with plenty of meaty dialogue that moves from biting and wry to sexy with incredible ease.  Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are perfectly in their element as the central spy spouses who may or may not be hiding something from each other.  Blanchett's statuesque frame and refined voice make her an imposing figure that can inspire a bevy of emotions with a simple look.  Fassbender, on the other end, plays his character much more analytically and cerebrally as you watch him dissect every person and moment throughout.  They share a wonderful, believable chemistry onscreen that makes their deep emotional connection ring true even through all the deceptions that are part of their lives.  Marisa Abela leaves a strong impression as a firecracker of a data analyst who's ensnared in a larger plot but proves to be more than capable of standing on her own volition.  Regé-Jean Page, Tom Burke and Naomie Harris all have smaller supporting roles with each leaving their mark in their limited screentime.  Pierce Brosnan has what amounts to an extended cameo as the section chief and serves a bit of a garnish to the decadent dish that Soderbergh delivers with Black Bag.

A