MOVIE REVIEW: IT ENDS WITH US

 

Lily Bloom moves to Boston to chase her lifelong dream of opening her own business. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid soon sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, she begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her parents' relationship. When Lily's first love, Atlas Corrigan, suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle gets upended, leaving her with an impossible choice.

Director: Justin Baldoni

Cast: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj

Release Date: August 9, 2024

Genre: Drama, Romance

Rated PG-13 for domestic violence, sexual content and some strong language.

Runtime:  2h 10m

Review:

It Ends with Us is a glossy romantic drama that tries to broach the issue of domestic abuse and generational trauma with mixed results.  Justin Baldoni directs the film with a Nancy Meyers style sheen that gives everything a music video/perfume commercial look and feel.  A hefty amount of musical montages only add to the effect, giving everything an artificial sense of detachment from reality that is part in parcel in this genre.  This approach does make it difficult for the film to change gears once it starts to deal with the more grounded issues of domestic abuse that loom larger in the story's back half.  Baldoni never finds a real tonal balance between the storybook romance and harsh reality of abuse leaving the latter underserved as it tiptoes around some of the uglier elements at play.  Blake Lively, for her part, delivers an earnest heartfelt performance in the central role.  Its clear from the start that Lively has a deep affection for the material, she also a producer on the film, and character with a measured performance that tries desperately to give the character some real sense of depth outside of her chic bohemian exterior.  The issue is that the characters are generally thin across the board with each having one or two defining traits but little more.  Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar's character are essentially two halves of one person with neither being able to bring something more to the role outside of smoldering looks. Jenny Slate does provide some much need energy when she pops up as Lily's best friend but the film never takes full advantage of her as the film never bothers to really establish their friendship and instant connection.  Its an issue across the board a series of contrivances brings characters together which kills any sense of authenticity.  The film's lackadaisical pacing paired with some incredibly clunky dialogue that probably reads better on the page than it does on screen keeps It Ends with Us from making the sort of impact it sets out to make. 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: A SIMPLE FAVOR

A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town.

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells

Release Date: September 24, 2018

Genres: Comedy, Crime, Drama

Rated R for sexual content and language throughout, some graphic nude images, drug use 
and violence

Runtime: 1h 57min

Review:

A Simple Favor is a twisty yet funny mystery that could have easily been written off like a Gone Girl knock off if not for Paul Feig’s style and wit.  Paul Feig has quietly become on of the stronger filmmakers working today.  Feig’s work has a great sense of style and humor that hard to find, in this film he crafts a classic Hitchcockian type of mysteries while satirizing it as well. It’s a delicate balance but he keeps going for the better part of the film even if the major reveal is slightly bungled and losing its impact.  The film’s strength is that it’s so fun and engaging that it barely matters.  Feig is also blessed with a stellar cast.  Anna Kendrick drives the film with a role that could be anymore suited to her talents.  Her and Blake Lively share solid chemistry with each playing off each other perfectly.  Their interactions are some of the best parts of the film.  Henry Golding is solid as the husband but in all honestly this film belongs to Kendrick and Lively.  A Simple Favor is one of the more unexpected cinematic surprises of the year. 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: SAVAGES

IN THEATERS

SAVAGES



Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone adapts author Don Winslow's best-selling novel into this all-star ensemble crime drama about a pair of peaceful, Laguna Beach marijuana dealers who are targeted for extortion by the ruthless Mexican Baja cartel. Ben (Aaron Johnson) is a devout Buddhist and dedicated philanthropist, and his best friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch) is a former mercenary who trained as a Navy SEAL. They may not seem like major drug dealers, but together they make a comfortable living selling top-quality marijuana. And they share more than just a profitable business; their mutual girlfriend O (Blake Lively) is more than enough woman for the two ambitious young entrepreneurs to handle. But just as Ben and Chun are feeling like they're on top of the world, their blissful life of lawless hedonism threatens to yield dire repercussions. The Mexican Baja cartel wants a piece of the action, and their cruel leader Elena (Salma Hayek) has dispatched her top hatchet man Lado (Benicio Del Toro) to ensure that she gets it. When the cartel kidnaps Ophelia and threatens to kill her unless Ben and Chun comply, the desperate pot dealers enlist the aid of a shady DEA agent (John Travolta) to try and avert a tragedy. Emile Hirsch and Uma Thurman also star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Jul 06, 2012

Rated R for Language Throughout, Drug Use Throughout, Nudity, Some Graphic Sexuality and Strong Brutal/Grisly Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Director: Oliver Stone Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del
Toro, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Emile Hirsch, Demián Bichir

Review:

Oliver Stone has wallowed in the pits of mediocrity since the mid 90’s, producing films that neither excite nor intrigue. His film’s started to feel like he was phoning it in, putting in as little effort as possible which was readily apparent onscreen. Thankfully Savages is a return to a more confident and self secure filmmaker, closer akin to Natural Born Killers without the film school excess. Working on a script based on a novel by Don Winslow, Stone is kept on course making his most coherent film in years. Savages is a gleefully violent crime tome told in an wonderfully engaging manner. A rather impressive feat since some of the character arch are terribly clichéd and clunky. Even with that, Stone’s film never disengages or loses your interest during its 2 hours plus run time. Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson are stuck playing two halves of what could have been one character in reality. Kitsch does his best to bring some gravity to his role, occasionally succeeding. Johnson is far too passive, a result of how his character is written, to register much. A golden baked and busty Blake Lively is given far too much screen time, made even worse with an annoying voiceover throughout, for my taste bringing very little to the role. The supporting cast, made up of grade A talent, is clearly having a ball playing overblown exaggerated characters. Salma Hayek in a black bob wig is a steely spitfire of a villain. Benicio Del Toro delivers one of his best performances, along with a mullets, in years playing an unhinged psychopath with subtle strength and ease. John Travolta rounds out the cast, playing a small but equally fun role which grows in importance as the film reaches its climax. It’s great to see Stone back on the top of his game let’s hope this is a sign of things to come.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN

IN THEATERS

GREEN LANTERN



A test pilot embraces his destiny as a cosmic superhero in Casino Ropyale director Martin Campbell's adaptation of the popular DC Comics series. Ever since he saw his fearless father perish in a tragic aviation mishap, all Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) could think about was flying -- it was the only thing the brash, cocky, and irresponsible test pilot ever truly excelled at. Little did he realize he was destined for something much bigger. Somewhere out in space, a powerful force of evil known as Parallax is spreading fear and destruction; the only hope for defeating Parallax is the Green Lantern Corps, a group of intergalactic warriors powered by the force of will. When legendary Green Lantern Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) is sent hurtling toward planet Earth after a deadly encounter with Parallax, his ring chooses Hal to continue the fight. The ring spirits our hero away to the Green Lantern’s home planet of Oa for training. The first human ever to receive the honor of becoming a Green Lantern, Hal is viewed with scorn by the league’s leader, Sinestro (Mark Strong), who trains him alongside the hulking Kilowog (voice of Michael Clarke Duncan). Later, on planet Earth, frail scientist Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes infected with Parallax’s evil while performing an autopsy on Abin Sur, and uses his newfound powers to stake claim on Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), Hal’s lifelong friend and fellow test pilot. When Hal learns that Parallax plans to consume all life on Earth to gain the energy needed to conquer Oa, he begins looking inward for the courage to defeat the malevolent force and embrace his destiny as a super-powered peacekeeper. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Martin Campbell

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Jay O. Sanders

Release Date: Jun 17, 2011

Rated Pg-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

Green Lantern is a film that feels bloated from the start. A fool’s errand gone wild, the budget was reported to have ballooned to 300 million dollars +, like blob like the primary villain in the film. Martin Campbell tries his best to steer the ship in an enjoy fashion but is left with just the most basic of comic book movie tropes and clichés. As a result, everything feels incredibly familiar and unexciting. It’s an inert film that rarely thrills or excites. Ryan Reynolds tries his best to give life to a character that’s so poorly written that he’s an enigma throughout. Reynolds does deliver his usual charm and wit when the script allows him to actually breathe which is incredibly rare. He never gets a good footing and the character kind of just movies along because he has to but not out of a natural sense of evolution. Blake Lively carries all the emotional weight of an invisible barbell. Her lines are delivered in the same wooden fashion throughout, not that there’s much she could do with a terribly underwritten and archaic female character. Peter Sarsgaard fairs no better as he’s handed an incredibly underwhelming role which serves no purpose in the long run other than run a tired dual daddy issues subplot into the ground. Mark Strong’s Sinestro is far and away the most fascinating and intriguing character, sadly he’s in the film for a criminally shortly amount of time. Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett suffer through some of the most embarrassing paycheck roles in recent memory. Their casting is a perfect example of how mishandled the entire enterprise is. The film stumbles and drags as it reaches its climax which feels more like an afterthought. Green Lantern works best when it’s in space, the FX are impressive and the characters there are far more interesting than their human counterparts, sadly most of the film takes place on generic comic book Earth.

D+

Bluray quality; Video is surprisingly poor for a film this new; Sound is excellent but hardly makes up for the poor qualities of the visuals.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.

[Trailer] Green Lantern via Wonder Con

Well this looks a lot better than the original trailer. I've always enjoyed the space police aspect of the Lantern stories and it's great to see some of that highlighted in the footage....

Green Lantern Trailer