MOVIE REVIEW: CRUELLA

 

A live-action feature film following the evil exploits of Cruella de Vil, the villain from the Disney film, "101 Dalmatians'. 

Director: Craig Gillespie

Cast: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mark Strong

Release Date: May 28, 2021

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements 

Runtime: 2 h 14 min

Review:

Disney's live action remakes haven't been more than cynical cash grabs.  The films themselves have been bland retreads with little to no innovation to justify their existence.  Craig Gillespie's Cruella manages to break the mold by delivering a visual feast for the eyes and story filled with hefty character development and pathos.  Gillespie channels everything from Tim Burton, Lady Gaga, The Devil Wears Prada and even a touch of Cathy Yang's Birds of Prey to create a vibrant dense character study that exceeds all expectations.   It shouldn't work as well as it does and it'll probably bore plenty of the smaller kids expecting something much lighter and funnier.  Gillespie's direction is impressive but it wouldn't work as well as it does if it weren't for spectacular turns by Emma Stone and Emma Thompson.  Both are clearly having a blast glamping it up as the dueling fashionista with their interactions being the high points of the film.  It's be easy to go broad and coast through the film and it'd still be moderately fun but both actresses give their characters so much lived in depth which makes them all the more interesting.  Throw some award winning costumes and it's a feast for movie lovers who enjoy great performances from stars at the top of their game.  The film even manages to give Cruella's sidekicks more depth and characterization than expected with Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hause turning in strong performances as well.  Once the film ends you are sort of left gobsmacked by the quality of the entire production as your reminded this is still a Disney production which started with the most basic of intentions.  Sure it could have used a few trims here and there but the cast and crew all rise above their trappings to deliver something devilishly delightful.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: A QUIET PLACE PART II

 

Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou

Release Date: May 28, 2021

Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for terror, violence and bloody/disturbing images.

Runtime: 1 h 37 min

Review:

A Quiet Place Part II is a solid if flawed follow up to beloved original.  John Krasinski turns in another impressive directorial effort with this well constructed exercise in a tension building.  The pretense of not seeing the monsters being exhausted in the original leave the door open for more monster action.  Smartly, Krasinski doesn't go totally overboard by forgoing tension for all out action.  The set pieces are impeccably constructed with a smart use of setting and sound to deliver jump scares that feel anything but cheap.  The cast is equally strong with Millicent Simmonds taking a more central role in this entry.  Simmonds displays some impressive acting chops even when she's onscreen with actors like Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy.  Blunt's character takes more of a secondary role here but she still manages to shine in her limited screen time.  Cillian Murphy is appropriately intense even though his character feels terribly underwritten.  Murphy does what he can with the role but the character is simply there to advance the story and little more even though there are nuggets of backstory which are never expanded on.  Djimon Hounsou is just as underused in what amounts to a throw away role, written with little to no depth.  Ultimately, the script is this sequels biggest drawback by delivering thinly written supporting characters and character who simply do incredibly stupid things for no good reason.  The original benefited from Krasinki's strong direction, excellent central performances and a simple but efficient script with some logical leaps you could overlook.  A Quiet Place Part II works on most of the same levels but the script and story here are far more lacking.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: NEW ORDER

 

Members of a wealthy family gather for a wedding as a nearby protest escalates into violence in Mexico City.

Director: Michel Franco

Cast: Naian González Norvind, Diego Boneta, Mónica Del Carmen, Fernando Cuautle

Release Date: May 21, 2021

Genre: Drama

Rated R for disturbing and violent content, rape, graphic nudity, and language

Runtime: 1 h 26 min

Review:

Michel Franco’s New Order bleak dystopian tale is a message movie that can’t quite decide what it’s trying to say.  Franco’s film feels like a Michael Haneke on a larger more political scale.  It’s unnerving from the onset and there’s nary a sign of hope in its entire runtime.  As a result the film’s short runtime feels longer due to the story’s increasingly oppressive nature.  It’s the type of film that is filled with stark and shocking images which will stay with you long after you leave the theater.  The cast deliver authentic performances even if the characterization are overly generic types.  Naian González Norvind is given the spotlight for the better part of the first half before Fernando Cuautle takes over in second half as the story shifts its focus.  The film’s biggest issue is its general lack of focus, story threads start and end abruptly.  The story threads sole purpose being to sledgehammer home the film’s worldview.  Sadly, it’s hard to dismiss the film as unrealistic given recent history which leaves this an uncomfortable viewing experience. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: ARMY OF THE DEAD

 

After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone for the greatest heist ever.

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast:  Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Garret Dillahunt

Release Date: May 21, 2021

Genre: Action, Crime, Horror 

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout, some sexual content and brief nudity/graphic nudity

Runtime: 2h 28min

Review:

Army of the Dead represents a return to the genre that made Zack Snyder a name in the movie business.  His remake of Dawn of the Dead is a film that shouldn’t have worked on multiple levels but ended up becoming something special.  It was enough to make him a marketable director so his return, after his somewhat grueling trek through the DC Extended Universe, to genre is intriguing enough.  Freed of having to navigate established character, you can feel Snyder clear his palette on screen.  In doing so, he channels a slew of sources like Michael Bay’s Armageddon, James Cameron’s Aliens, Romero’s Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead with a splash of Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive for good measure.  It is all draped in a heist film with larger splatter effects and for a large chunk of its runtime works even with some readily apparent pacing issues.  The characters are sufficiently fleshed out, so they don’t feel like fodder for meat grinder.  Dave Bautista leads his motley crew effectively even if he’s given one too many dramatic sequences which he can’t quite nail.  He does have a specific sort of quiet, pensive intensity that gives him a level of authenticity which works well for his character.  He has solid chemistry with his on-screen daughter, Ella Purnell, and love interest, Ana de la Reguera.  Each storyline is given enough time to play out even with some unexpected surprises.   Omari Hardwick and Matthias Schweighöfer also make a fun onscreen duo of lethal philosopher and safecracker who have some of the best comedic moments.  Theo Rossi and Garret Dillahunt both turn in mustache twirling levels of villainy which is fine, but you’re left feeling that the film could have used them to better effect.  The large ensemble keeps the whole thing moving even during some of its slower moments but there some obvious fat that could have been cut.  Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead feels refreshing but it also displays some of his directorial excesses in this love letter to genre filmmaking.

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Woman in the Window

 

My dear reader(s), for the first time in what seems like a very long time, I have two reviews to share this weekend. My second film of the weekend was Netflix' the Woman in the Window.

An agoraphobic woman's credibility comes into question when she claims to have witnessed a terrible crime.

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

Regular reader(s) will know for certain: I am not a movie snob. I'm addicted to the Expendables movies. I actually own that dreadful remake of Lost in Space. My annual top-ten list once included Gnomeo & Juliet *and* one of the Hotel Transylvania sequels (same year, don't judge). I do not believe the cinema is the only credible way to see new movies. I want Netflix, Amazon, and all the other streaming services to do well with their original films. BUT...the Woman in the Window definitely won't help Netflix be taken seriously as a purveyor of quality content.

I have not read the Woman in the Window. I understand filmmakers took some creative liberties with the book, but I can't say if that's what's to blame for this sad waste of a brilliant cast. Even putting my obsession with Gary Oldman aside, how can a movie go so wrong when it has Amy Adams? Julianne Moore? Brian Tyree Henry? Jennifer Jason Leigh? Anthony Mackie, for flip's sake?? I can't say exactly how, but it definitely does go very, very wrong indeed. Dialogue is so wooden that even this company of decorated, gifted actors might as well be reading from cards. The story itself skips around and fails to maintain any tension or mystery; the characters couldn't be more obvious if they were twirling cartoon moustaches. By the time it limps to its pitiful conclusion, you'll wish they all were murder victims, rather than potential witnesses.

The Woman in the Window runs a painful 100 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language."

The Woman in the Window is a criminal waste of an interesting concept and a superb group of actors. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Woman in the Window gets two.

The Woman in the Window is now streaming on Netflix.

Fangirl points: My Gary (of course). MACKIE! Until next time...

PS: Just saw a headline that said "The Woman in the Window has two Captain Americas," and I can state with authority that that is the most interesting thing about it.

Cindy Prascik's Flashback Cinema Review of The Dark Knight

My dear reader(s), this week theaters that subscribe to the Flashback Cinema series were blessed — BLESSED, I tell you — with the return of one of the greatest films of all time: the Dark Knight.

The middle installment of Christopher Nolan's Bat-verse sees the Caped Crusader facing off with his iconic arch-nemesis, the Joker.

Spoiler level here will be...um...no promises. The movie's thirteen years old; I feel like, if you wanted to catch up with it, by now you would have.

There are four movies that, at any given time, I would call "my all-time favorite." The Dark Knight is one of them. I saw it 27 times in its original theatrical run. I've watched it hundreds of times since. It is at once entirely comfortable and entirely fresh. The current Flashback Cinema series represents the first time I've had the opportunity to "retro-review" something I reviewed upon its initial release. I guess that means I'm old. (Thanks to Facebook having discontinued its Notes feature, my original review is lost to time and the vast space of the ethernet.) It also represents my first opportunity to revisit TDK on a big screen since that original run. You needn't read further (though I hope you will) to be assured: the Dark Knight has aged better than the finest wine.

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is defined by many things, not least of which is the exceptional actors his team assembled. If Ben Affleck is my favorite Batman, I don't think a finer actor than Christian Bale has ever worn the cowl, and his Bruce Wayne is surrounded by the best of the best. Michael Caine. Morgan Freeman. Gary Oldman. Aaron Eckhart. Cillian Murphy. William Fichtner. The movie also gave me some folks I now look out for in anything: David Dastmalchian, Keith Szarabajka, Ritchie Coster. And then there's Heath Ledger, of course, whose chilling, Oscar-winning turn as the Joker has become the definitive rendering of a character with a history stretching back more than 80 years.

The Dark Knight features (yes, wait for it...) one of the best, if not *the* best, openings in film history. The picture is distinguished by stunning visuals and extraordinary stunts, which are sometimes enormous but never comically absurd in the way of the Fast saga. The smart, meticulous story boasts well-crafted (and quotable) dialogue. The movie runs two and a half hours, but doesn't seem even one second too long. And the score — Oh! That score! — by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is just exquisite. If Merriam-Webster were to loan me the whole of its collection of superlatives, I still wouldn't have enough to effectively convey the brilliance of the Dark Knight. 

The Dark Knight clocks in at 152 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and some menace."

More than a decade later, the Dark Knight remains the gold standard for its genre, and one of the most extraordinary movies ever made. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Dark Knight gets all nine, plus one for each Weasley grandchild that has come along since the inception (see what I did there?) of the Weasley scale.

The Dark Knight is now playing on big screens wherever Flashback Cinema is shown, and streaming on HBO Max.

Fangirl points: My Gary (of course). Cillian Murphy. My favorite director I've ever worked with*, Christopher Nolan.

*Statement is both technically true and terribly misleading.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW

Working in the shadow of his father, Detective Ezekiel "Zeke" Banks and his rookie partner take charge of an investigation into grisly murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer's morbid game.

Director: Darren Lynn Bousman

Cast: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Samuel L. Jackson, Ali Johnson, Zoie Palmer

Release Date: May 14, 2021

Genre: Crime, Horror, Mystery 

Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, pervasive language, some sexual references and brief drug use

Runtime: 1h 33min

Review:

The Saw franchise, now 9 films in with this most recent entry, has always been a low rent Se7en knock off.  It was gorier but the first few films were mildly clever but they fell into more extreme and nonsensical plots something that happens to most horror franchises that are long in the tooth.  Spiral: From The Book of Saw is a soft reboot of the series which explores some interesting concepts but doesn't really explore them, leaving the whole thing feel predictable and half baked.  Darren Lynn Bousman, who is well versed in the Saw universe, returns behind that camera and delivers grungy look that feels like it borrow from Se7en and Predator 2, it's kinetic and sweaty in spurts.  The film's biggest asset is Chris Rock and  Samuel L. Jackson who inject some life into the lackadaisical by screaming most of their lines, early on in the film it almost feels like some of Rock's stand up was ported into the script.  At the very least they both keep the proceedings interesting while you move from one inventive and gruesome trap to another.  The biggest issue is that the central mystery isn't all that difficult to figure out, the film telegraphs it very early on.  As a result, everything feels perfunctory and predictable not to mention that Max Minghella is wasted for the majority of the film.  The films' biggest fault is that the story could have taken a more interesting thematic turn but it never delves into it with any serious effort.  It's a shame that Spiral ends up being another a non descript gorehound sequel instead of the promised reinvigoration of the series.  

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of Wrath of Man

My dear reader(s), this week it was back to the cinema (yay!) for one thing that always gets me there: Jason Statham. On the docket: Wrath of Man.

Mystery surrounds an armored vehicle guard in Los Angeles.

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

Honestly being the best policy and all that, I shall go on record as saying Wrath of Man is just the sort of testosterone-fueled bloodbath I want to see when I go to the pictures. I'm a woman of simple tastes, and watching Jason Statham beat the crap out of people is one of my favorite things.

Wrath of Man is directed and co-written by Guy Ritchie, and - while it is not incapable of surprising - its general nature is reasonably predictable if you like Guy Ritchie. (I like Guy Ritchie.) The non-linear plot seems muddled at times, some of the dialogue is cringey, and the whole is a bit humorless, but Wrath of Man is still exciting and entertaining.

Statham is in top form, a strong, mostly silent type who carries the film easily. It's always a pleasure to see Holt McCallany in anything, and the rest of the supporting cast is fine for what's asked of them. (If we're being honest, I probably would think Josh Hartnett and Scott Eastwood were the same person if one of them hadn't made out with Reeve Carney for the TV cameras some years back.) The film is well paced, it doesn't outstay its welcome, and a menacing score by Christopher Benstead perfectly accentuates its dark tone. It's not a game-changer, but Wrath of Man is more than enough reason to get on out to the movies.

Wrath of Man clocks in at 118 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence throughout, pervasive language, and some sexual references."

A strong lead, maximum carnage, and a twisty plot make Wrath of Man a thrilling yarn. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Wrath of Man gets seven.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: WRATH OF MAN

 

Mysterious and wild-eyed, a new security guard for a cash truck surprises his co-workers when he unleashes precision skills during a heist. The crew is left wondering who he is and where he came from. Soon, the marksman's ultimate motive becomes clear as he takes dramatic and irrevocable steps to settle a score.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso, Chris Reilly, Raúl Castillo, DeObia Oparei, Eddie Marsan, Scott Eastwood

Release Date: May 7, 2021

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence throughout, pervasive language, and some sexual references

Runtime: 1 h 58 min

Review:

Wrath of Man, Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham forth film together is a bit of a mixed bag of a crime drama.  Ritchie style is less flashy and more focused here but it only partially works since there seem to be a strange disconnect between him and the actors.  The style is slick but each of the actors delivers their lines in the stiffest and most wooden manner possible.  This works for Statham since it’s pretty similar to his usual delivery but it doesn’t quiet work for the rest of the cast.  To his credit, Statham performance is appropriately steely and determined throughout even though he disappears off screen for a big chunk of the film after it’s opening act as the story adopts a Rashomon style of storytelling.  While a solid choice for the story’s plot but none of the other characters are quiet as interesting or engaging as Statham’s H since the other characters are fairly one dimensional.  The story itself is nearly as clever as it thinks it is as all the reveals are fairly predictable from the start.  The impressive part of the film that it overcomes it’s shortcomings by being continually watchable and engaging, so much so that you can ignore some of its massive plot holes and paper thin characters. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES

 

Young Katie Mitchell embarks on a road trip with her proud parents, younger brother and beloved dog to start her first year at film school. But their plans to bond as a family soon get interrupted when the world's electronic devices come to life to stage an uprising. With help from two friendly robots, the Mitchells must now come together to save one another -- and the planet -- from the new technological revolution.

Director: Michael Rianda

Cast: Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Rianda, Eric Andre, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Blake Griffin, Conan O'Brien

Release Date: April 30, 2021

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Rated PG for action and some language

Runtime: 1 h 53 min

Review:

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a light breezy animated family film that has heart to spare.  Michael Rianda’s film has a bright and appealing visual style that’s distinctive enough to separate it from other animated films.  The story is a nice hybrid of a standard family film and a fun sci-fi story.  Neither is particularly groundbreaking but it hits the sweet spot where it finds a meaningful story to tell with engaging characters.  The primary family play off standard tropes but the script is smart enough to give them enough depth to make them engaging and interesting.  The entire thing wouldn’t work if the voice cast didn’t deliver strong performances, thankfully they do in spades.  Danny McBride delivers one of the more restrained performances of his career and it works well for this role.  McBride’s performance is sincere and heartfelt throughout which is a great change of pace for him.  McBride and Abbi Jacobson have believable chemistry as the father daughter duo who are at the heart of the story, as such they are the driving force of the film.  The supporting cast is rounded out with Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Eric Andre and Olivia Colman with each getting their time to shine.  Colman in particular seems to be having a ball as diabolical AI who can’t deal with rejection.  The Mitchells vs. The Machines also delivers a hefty amount of laugh out loud moments that are sure to keep young and old entertained for the better part of its runtime.  There are portions of the film that feel like they could have been trimmed because there really no reason for the film to be nearly 2 hours long, regardless it’s strong family film that works on multiple levels.

B+