MOVIE REVIEW: MATERIALISTS

 

A young New York City matchmaker's lucrative business gets complicated as she finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.

Director: Celine Song

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal

Release Date: June 13, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Rated R for language and brief sexual material.

Runtime: 1h 49m

Review:

Celine Song's sophomore film, Materialist, isn't quite as focused as Past Lives but it’s a fascinatingly uneven rumination on dating powered by strong performances from its central trio.  Song's film initially feels like a standard rom-com set up but it clear from the outset that she's got more on her mind than that as she uses tropes to lure us into something more interesting.  The debonair rich suitor vs downtrodden, love sick loser is a classic set up but here its deconstructed to something more honest.  Each suitor plays to one half of Dakota Johnson's Lucy with one serving as the answer to her analytical and more materialistic side while the other remains more abstract in spite of history and common sense.  Johnson and Pedro Pascal scenes together are played up with an air of elegance and refinement while maintaining as sense of artificial detachment.  Pascal has his charm level set to max with his character's ultimate failing not being the standard issue anger, womanizing or drug problem that these characters are typically saddled with but something inaner and shallow.  Pascal still manages to bring an air of humanity to the role, something that's typically missing from this kind of character.  He and Johnson make for a solid screen couple but some of their discussions feel a bit too artificial and scripted, far removed from natural conversation.  Johnson’s scenes with her ex-beau, played with just the right level of hapless innocence by Chris Evans, come across a bit more naturally and nuanced.  They deliver solid, subtle work as we get a sense of their shared history with every look and pause conveying volumes of information.  Evans is given plenty of sweet, swoon worthy moments that are sure to melt many hearts serving as effective foil to Pascal's more measured and calculated aura.  A handful of tonal shifts shake up the film's flow, making it a choppier experience as the focus shifts far too often at inopportune times.  A more focused approach on the central trio would have made the whole thing more effective but those looking for a more thoughtful rom-com will find plenty to enjoy with Materialists.    

 

B

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ALTO KNIGHTS

 

In the 1950s, notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello and Vito Genovese vie for control of the city streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that reshapes organized crime forever.

Director: Barry Levinson

Cast: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli

Release Date: March 21, 2025

Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama, History

Rated R for violence and pervasive language

Runtime: 2h 3m

Review:

The Alto Knights is a solid, if unremarkable mafia tale from Barry Levinson with the main draw being Robert De Niro playing dual roles.  Levinson's film is efficient enough to move through Costello's life at a steady pace even though it suffers from an unshakeable sense of familiarity due to the sheer glut of mafia stories that have hit the screen.  It lessens the effect of this true-life story since there are very few surprises in store as we  follow Costello's retelling of his friendship and feud with Vito Genovese.  Robert De Niro is still more than capable enough to carry dual roles and does it fairly effortlessly here.  He seems to be enjoying himself playing back in the mafia sandbox as he cycles through variations of characters, he's played in the past along with a few hints of Raging Bull thrown in for good measure.  It’s hard to deny how fun it is to see De Niro perform against himself when the characters come face to face, but you can't shake the feeling that the film would have been better off casting someone else as Vito, Joe Pesci would have been perfect for multiple reasons.  It doesn't help that the script from Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Goodfellas and Casino, is surprisingly thin in terms of fleshing out the characters across the board.  Costello and Genovese are always at arm’s length as we never really get much insight into their minds outside of one's perchance for violence in contrast to the other's more measured, less brutal, approach.  The supporting characters suffer even more as we get painfully little to flesh them out leaving solid performers like Debra Messing and Cosmo Jarvis with very little to work with.  Adding a bit more depth to the characters across the board would have made The Alto Knights far more engaging than it ends up being once everything is said and done.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND

 

Old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.

Director: James Griffiths

Cast: Tim Key, Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Sian Clifford

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance

Rated PG-13 for some language and smoking.

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

The Ballad of Wallis Island is one of those indie gems that pops up every so often that's so subtly heartfelt and funny that you barely notice how engaged you’re with it until it lingers in your memory long after the film ends.  The film is surprising on multiple levels as it traffics in various rom-com/awkward comedy tropes but takes them in refreshingly unexpected directions.  Director, James Griffiths, reunites with writers/stars Tom Basden and Tim Key for this feature length adaptation of their 2007 short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island.  Their familiarity working together and the subject matter is readily apparent as they create something disarmingly funny, sweet and meaningful.  Tim Key brings an endearing but oblivious awkwardness that could have bordered on creepy if his performance wasn't so carefully nuanced.  Key gives his character a well-meaning authenticity to the man simply trying to memorialize his deceased wife with a performance from his favorite musicians.  Tom Basden brings an appropriate sense of self-importance to his half of the musical duo at the center of the film.  Basden performance is a fascinating blend ego paired with self-loathing as he’s desperate to find his musical groove again after pursuing a more commercial career at the cost of his relationship.  Carey Mulligan is pitch perfect as his ex-who’s moved on but is willing to revisit that part of her life as part of the gig.  Mulligan's character is measured and layered in a way that you rarely see in these kinds of movies.  Her character acts like a real person throughout especially in the final act which touches on the recurring themes of regret, loss and acceptance.  It all builds together to make The Ballad of Wallis Island something truly special and memorable in the best way possible.  

A

MOVIE REVIEW: THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME

 

Wealthy businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast: Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Mathieu Amalric, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Friend, Hope Davis, F. Murray Abraham, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, Bill Murray

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, some sexual material, nude images, and smoking throughout.

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

Wes Anderson's latest film, The Phoenician Scheme, finds his esoteric style increasingly refined which is sure to please a long time but it'll do little to bring others into the fold.  Anderson meticulous visuals always give his films their distinctive style with that being true again here.  He toys with more hallucinatory detours that give this film a more spiritual sensibility centered around themes of legacy and redemption of self.  It’s a fascinating subject matter, one that's laced some of his previous films such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Hotel Budapest, but his approach is even more overt here.  There's a mediative contemplation to it all as we follow Benicio del Toro's Zsa-zsa Korda plan to cement his legacy while attempting to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter played wonderfully by Mia Threapleton.  The overly complex plans sometimes hamper the central themes he's exploring which leaves you wishing he'd chosen something a bit less involved to focus on the father/daughter relationship which drives the film.  Those moments possess the kind of tender, soulfulness that have made some of his best films stand out.  It’s a difficult balancing act that he can't pull off this time around as the film occasionally comes to a screeching halt thanks to an over indulgence on the quirky scenario and cameos which are fun but feel far more superfluous than usual.  Those cameos are peppered with a cavalcade of A listers with each making the most of their screentime with Jeffrey Wright's character sorely begging for more time to shine.  Benicio del Toro and Mia Threapleton make for a strong onscreen duo as two different sides of the same coin even though she may or may not be his biological daughter.  Michael Cera fits right in as the third primary cast member with him easily working himself into Anderson's world, so much so that you're left wondering why they haven't worked together sooner.  The Phoenician Scheme may not land in the upper echelon of Wes Anderson's but that doesn't mean that fans won't find plenty to enjoy in this fanciful excursion.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of John Wick Chapter 4 & Captain America Brave New World

 My dear readers: This past week I caught up with a pair of action flicks from franchises in which I was once invested.

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

First on my agenda, John Wick: Chapter 4.

Hoping to finally earn his freedom, our hero John Wick is on the run again.

The John Wick franchise seems to blow up its universe pretty much every movie, only to find a way of repeating the same formula with the next outing. JW4 is no real exception, and if the schtick is wearing a bit thin, there's still a lot to like here. Keanu Reeves was born for this role, and there will always be some joy in seeing him play it. Ian McShane elevates any project lucky enough to have him. The cinematography, set design, and fight choreography remain head-and-shoulders above average for the genre, but...maybe there's something to be said for franchises that quit while they're ahead. Chapter 4 is overlong, and the fight scenes, well-done as they are, drag on and on. The movie doesn't manage to hold any real suspense, so ultimately its aesthetic virtues can't save it from being uninspiring.

John Wick: Chapter 4 runs 169 minutes (I'm not kidding) and is rated R for, "pervasive strong violence and some language."

John Wick: Chapter 4 retains some of the assets that make the franchise great, but it might be time to put this one to bed. Of a possible nine Weasleys, John Wick: Chapter 4 gets six.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now streaming on Peacock.

Next on the docket was Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World.

Sam Wilson officially takes the shield and must foil a nefarious international plot.

In my house, we stan Anthony Mackie, so I was very much looking forward to him taking the top(ish) spot in the Marvel hierarchy. Brave New World gives him a serviceable film with a strong supporting cast and a decent storyline. The movie is almost entirely without the forced humor and convoluted timeline/universe jumping that plague most Marvel output. If the movie is a bit longer than it needs to be, it's not nearly as bloated as most Marvel pictures, and it's well paced enough to (mostly) get away with it.

Captain America: Brave New World clocks in at a pretty reasonable 118 minutes and is rated PG13 for, "intense sequences of violence and action and some strong language."

Captain America: Brave New World is a solid beginning for an iconic hero's new chapter. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Captain America: Brave New World gets seven and a half.

Captain America: Brave New World is now streaming on Disney+.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: BALLERINA

 

An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge after her father's death.

Director: Len Wiseman

Cast: Ana de Armas, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves

Release Date: June 6, 2025

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong/bloody violence throughout, and language.

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Ballerina is preposterous on multiple levels, but the inventive action and Ana de Armas' laser focused performance makes it far more watchable than it deserves to be.  Len Wiseman is no stranger to directing kick ass heroines, having helmed the Underworld franchise in the early 2000's, so he makes an easy fit for this John Wick spin off.  He's more than capable of emulating the look and feel of the main line films, especially the increasingly outlandish action sequences highlighted by a flamethrower fight in the final act.  There's also a fun injection of tongue in cheek comedy during the barrage of action sequences highlighted by a sequence in a Bavarian Cafe that might have people of a certain age have Three Stooges flashbacks.  It’s a nice way to mix things up for the usual formula along with making a point of Eve having to make up for the strength disparity with the majority of her male adversaries.  That's not to say she doesn't mow through a boat load of people throughout the film's runtime but it’s refreshing to see them get a bit more inventive with the character relying more on knives and bombs in addition to the cornucopia of guns she uses.  Sure, it’s ultimately lip service since her character has a video game style rechargeable life bar which recharges shortly after the assorted injuries she endures throughout.  Ana De Armas is impressively focused throughout, making it all the mayhem and carnage immensely watchable even as it starts to overstay its welcome.  There's also a sense that she's searching for something meatier, character wise, to bite into which is sadly lacking for her and the cast across the board.  The script offers the bares of a story thread, leaning heavily on the established lore while throwing out some interesting ideas like an assassin cult but never really doing anything with it.  If there had been a bit more time and attention given to the story and characters, it would have made Ballerina more than a fun but forgettable detour from the main series.     

C+