MOVIE REVIEW: MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU

 

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader -- the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance -- Wild Knuckles himself -- and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

Director: Kyle Balda

Cast: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Alan Arkin

Release Date: July 1, 2022

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family, Sci-Fi

Rated PG for some action/violence and rude humor

Runtime:1h 27m

Review:

Your enjoyment of Minions: The Rise of Gru will depend heavily on whether you still find the yellow denim clad underlings adorable or grating.  The target audience is sure to be delighted by the colorful hijinks and adults will appreciate the bevy of 70s references thrown on screen in rapid succession.  Kyle Balda directs the film with energetic ease in this unapologetically light and breeze children's film.  Sure there is a message ingrained through the film's story but none of it is overly heavy or heart wrenching and for this franchise it works.  The three central Minions, voiced again by Pierre Coffin, are the central focus of the film regardless of the film's title and their adventures deliver the biggest laughs.  Their training with Michelle Yeoh's Master Chow is a particularly fun sequence especially since you get the feeling she's really enjoying herself.  Taraji P. Henson's Belle Bottom is set up as the primary villain and she's fun when she's onscreen but the film doesn't take advantage of her or her crew which are voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren.  Alan Arkin gets a bit more time to shine as Wild Knuckles who is Gru's idol and ultimately his mentor.  If you are still in business with this franchise by the fifth entry,  Minions: The Rise of Gru will offer an fun easy going family film.  

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Spenser Confidential

Well, hey there. Remember me? It's been awhile. As yet another weekend has gone by without time for a visit to my poor, neglected local cinema, I decided to give the Netflix original Spenser Confidential a try, just so I'd have something for you — yes, YOU, dearest reader(s) - to read about.

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

Upon his release from prison, a disgraced ex-cop steps right into a mystery that threatens not only his freedom, but his life.

Spenser Confidential is hardly gritty realism, but it's not quite as comical as I expected, either. Neither keeps it from being an entertaining ride, but sometimes it feels a bit tonally unsettled.

Mark Wahlberg is perfectly capable in the lead, as well he should be; this is basically the same not-as-dumb-as-he-looks tough guy he's played dozens of times before. No surprises, no complaints. Winston Duke is a treat as his more subdued sidekick, and the movie is, of course, better for having the brilliant Alan Arkin.

Spenser Confidential kicks off to the strains of Boston's Foreplay/Longtime, in what may be the most effective use of a dinosaur rock classic in a film since Kingsman's Freebird church massacre. Following are some fisticuffs, a chase scene or two, the standard troubled love affair, and a decent number of excuses for Wahlberg and Duke to appear shirtless. The movie gets funnier as it goes along, building to a ridiculous climax that starts out a little like a poor man's Fast & Furious. Ultimately, Spenser Confidential is the film equivalent of comfort food: it's pretty basic and not at all challenging, but you won't mind because it's exactly what you want and expect.

Spenser Confidential clocks in at 111 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language throughout, and sexual content."

If you're tired of worrying about everything going on in the real world right now, Netflix' Spenser Confidential is a great escape. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Spenser Confidential gets six.

Until next time...let's hope there is a next time.

MOVIE REVIEW: DUMBO

Struggling circus owner Max Medici enlists a former star and his two children to care for Dumbo, a baby elephant born with oversized ears. When the family discovers that the animal can fly, it soon becomes the main attraction -- bringing in huge audiences and revitalizing the run-down circus. The elephant's magical ability also draws the attention of V.A. Vandevere, an entrepreneur who wants to showcase Dumbo in his latest, larger-than-life entertainment venture.

Director: Tim Burton

Cast: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin

Release Date: March 29, 2019

Genres: Family, Fantasy

Rated PG for peril/action, some thematic elements, and brief mild language

Runtime: 1h 52min

Review:

Dumbo, the latest live action money grab from Disney, is a film that’s visually lush but fairly sterile and bland.  Tim Burton seems like a solid fit for this retelling of this tale of an outsider, something Burton excels at.  The odd thing is that it’s a visually impressive film but it fails to connect on an emotional level consistently.  The CGI creation that is Dumbo is impressive but it’s difficult to connect to the character since it doesn’t talk like in the original film.  Going for a more grounded approach is a bit of a misstep since you’re supposed to connect with your lead character in order for the whole thing to work.  To compound the issue, Tim Burton seems far more focused on the visuals of the film than the performances of his A list cast.  As a result we get some fairly stilted performances that come off as overly broad and soulless which is just startling considering the fact that you have such a strong and likable cast.  They each manage to shine in spots but it never comes together to create a cohesive story since their characters are so thinly written.  As a result, this live action redux feels fairly unnecessary and uninspired.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: GRUDGE MATCH

Two retired boxers (Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro) decide to settle a long-standing beef by heading back into the ring in this sports comedy from director Peter Segal. Back in the day, Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (De Niro) and Henry "Razor" Sharp (Stallone) were the two biggest bruisers in the Pittsburgh boxing scene. Their fierce rivalry drawing nationwide attention, Razor and The Kid were deadlocked for the title of overall champion when the former announced his retirement just before the decisive 1983 match that would have determined the supreme champion. Three decades later, enterprising boxing promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart) lures the aging pugilists back into the ring for the fight that everyone has been waiting for. Alan Arkin, Kim Basinger, and Jon Bernthal costar. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Peter Segal

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Kim Basinger, Alan Arkin, Kevin Hart, Jon Bernthal

Release Date: Dec 25, 2013

Rated PG-13 for sports action violence, sexual content and language

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

Grudge Match is those type of film’s that’s heavy on clichés and light on surprises. It’s about as harmless as a sleeping kitten. The plot borrows liberally Rocky and Raging Bull mixed with generic family drama (lost loves and children). There are old jokes by the barrel full with plenty of room left for the most obvious ones like Ben Gay and Geritol. It’s about as vanilla a film as they come with only one real surprise. Its watch able, occasionally lots of fun and surprisingly heartfelt in spots. You’d expect the cast to phone it in but most are surprisingly engaged with Stallone and De Niro giving the whole thing a pulse. Stallone in particular delivers his most authentic performance in years. De Niro seems to be having a ball perhaps reliving old glories. He and Bernthal, who does look like he’s related to De Niro, have a nice father long lost son chemistry on screen. Alan Arkin and Kevin Hart provide harmless comedic relief which never veers into anything close to dangerous territory. Kim Basinger meanwhile seems to have thought that it was a good idea to whisper all her lines regardless of the situation. The movie moves along at a nice pace rarely lingering and almost making its 2 hour runtime seem worthwhile. Along the way you’ll get the expected training montages, reunions leading up to the big fight. The climatic fight is impressively edited, making the whole thing seem as real as possible, even if boxers in movies never seem to defend themselves but I digress. It ends on a feel good moment which feels earned even in the most generic of all films.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: ARGO

When militants seize control of the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the height of the Iranian Revolution, CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) creates a fake Hollywood film production in order to rescue a group of American diplomats who have sought refuge at the home of the Canadian ambassador. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ben Affleck

Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Taylor Schilling.

Release Date: Oct 12, 2012

Rated R for language and some violent images

Runtime: 2 hr. 0 min.

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Argo is a wonderfully crafted film. The fact that Ben Affleck did not get an Oscar nomination for work behind the camera is nearly criminal. His skill is readily on display throughout culminating with a tension filled 30 minute climax. The film itself is easily accessible and immediately engaging, an impressive feat considering the subject matter. Affleck onscreen delivers an understated and subtle performance as Mendez. He gets plenty of help from some excellent supporting players. Alan Arkin chews up the scenery with gleeful delight. He and John Goodman make for an impressive team leaving you wishing there was more of them in the film. It’s always good to see Bryan Cranston get good film roles and here he’s given a nice part that lets him flex his acting chops. Argo is one of those films you know the ending to already but it doesn’t detract from the experience in the slightest.

A