MOVIE REVIEW: AVA

 

An assassin becomes marked for death by her own black ops organization after questioning orders and breaking protocol.

Director: Tate Taylor

Cast: Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, Colin Farrell, Ioan Gruffudd, Joan Chen

Release Date: September 25, 2020

Action, Crime, Drama

Rated R for violence and language throughout, and brief sexual material

Runtime: 1h 36m

Review:

Ava has all the hallmarks of Luc Besson’s late career films, a betrayed assassin fighting for survival with extreme prejudice and a bass heavy techno beat playing the background.  Throw in a nonsensical plot and this is the type of movie you probably end up watching during a sleepless night on Showtime simply due to a lack of options.  The oddity here is that this isn’t a Besson film, Tate Taylor directs this overly busy femme fatale cliché minefield, led by some model turned actress instead it stars Jessica Chastain.  Chastain also produced the film which leads me to believe it might be a bit of a vanity project where she could try her hand as an action hero.  As usual, Chastain is the most interesting person on screen and she handles herself well in the action portions of the film, making for a believable killer.  The supporting cast is also filled with name stars all making what’s onscreen far more interesting than it should be.  The main problem is the film’s script is so hackneyed that once you get past Chastain killing 30 armed guards with her bare hands in a spaghetti strapped cocktail dress you start to notice the film and characters are all kind of ridiculous.  Chastain’s character for example doesn’t just have one thing haunting her instead she’s got a bevy of them, she’s an alcoholic, a terrible sister with daddy issues.  The fact that Chastain makes this all passable is a testament of her strength as an actress but by the point you have John Malkovick karate fighting Colin Farrell it’s a bit tough to overlook the issues with the script.  I can’t say Ava isn’t fun in a trashy sort of way because it is in its own way especially watching all the grade A talent slumming it because of a overcooked script.

C+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Hunter Killer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the only (*sob*) Gary Oldman movie I'll see in 2018: Hunter Killer.

 

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

 

When a coup attempt within the Russian government threatens to start World War III, it's up to Gerard Butler to save the world...as it so often is.

 

Well, dear reader(s), I flippin' LOVED this movie. I'm going to make fun of it a little, or maybe a lot, because it deserves it and because that's what I do with things I love (just ask the Wheeling Nailers), but let nothing give you any impression other than that it has instantly earned a spot in my year-end top ten from which it cannot be unseated.

 

Hunter Killer has so much testosterone it'll put hair on your chest. An almost exclusively male cast spends a great deal of time posturing and exchanging steely glances to mark territory and convey Man Understanding. Coupled with a whole lotta submarines, torpedoes, and missiles...well...Hunter Killer is basically a Sharpie penis that somebody drew on the forehead of passed-out-drunk Hollywood. By no means should any of that be construed as an insult--on the contrary, it is the very reason I still drag out to the cinema instead of waiting for Netflix--but...well...forewarned is forearmed.

 

If you require further justification for shelling out your big-screen bucks for Hunter Killer, the film features exquisite photography...air, sea, and land. The movie looks just glorious, and the locations and scenery are spectacular. Battles and effects and everything else about the picture are huge, so definitely see it on the biggest screen you can find. Though it's silly and often predictable, Hunter Killer maintains a genuine tension throughout which helps hold interest even through way too many kumbaya moments. As an added bonus, Gerard Butler utters classic lines such as, "When somebody's shooting at you, you know their intentions!" and Gary Oldman chews the scenery with relish. A couple weird little notes: Though everything on the American side is state of the art, the Russian technology appears to have been dragged kicking and screaming from decades long past, and Russian sailors look like they've only just escaped from a 60s Broadway musical. In only their own company, Russians generally speak Russian (no subtitles) but every now and again they're conversing in English with no reason for it other than clearly the filmmakers decided that these were the bits that we, the viewers, really needed to understand. Would have worked better to go all or nothing with accented English or subtitles. Oh, and can we get a dialect coach to teach Linda Cardellini how to pronounce "nuclear" correctly, please?

 

Hunter Killer clocks in at a quick 122 minutes and is rated R for "violence and some language."

 

Hunter Killer won't tax your brain overmuch, but you'll be hard pressed to have more fun at the cinema. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hunter Killer gets eight.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2

Legendary hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is once again called out of retirement, this time by a former colleague (Riccardo Scamarcio) who wants him to repay a debt by killing an Italian crime lord (Claudia Gerini). But when the attempted assassination goes awry, Wick finds himself hunted by an international cabal of killers, and his only hope for survival might be a shadowy figure known as the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). Director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad return for this sequel to their 2014 cult action hit. Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, Common, Lance Reddick, and Bridget Moynahan co-star. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Chad Stahelski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Common, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan, Laurence Fishburne

Release Date: Feb 10, 2017

Rated R for Strong Violence Throughout, Some Language and Brief Nudity

Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

John Wick: Chapter 2 does everything a sequel should do by upping the action and expanding the world from the first film.  Chad Stahelski seems to have a firm understanding of what worked from the first film.  As such, we are treated to a virtual ballet of bullets during some impressively choreographed sequences.  The story opens up the network of hitmen and support system which is fun even though it’s ludicrous anyway you cut it.  Still, it’s a fun bit of world building that gives the story a neat frame work which introduces us to a wide variety of characters.  Keanu Reeves does his best work during the action sequences which is hardly a surprise.  Reeves has never been an acting powerhouse so it’s the film benefit that he’s got limited requirements as Wick.  The supporting players like Ian McShane, Common and Laurence Fishburne give the film a bit more body than it probably deserves.  The biggest stretch for the film is Ruby Rose who never really fits in.  It might have something to do with the fact that she looks more like a female Justin Bieber than any sort of menacing badass.  It’s not a major drawback because there are so many people trying to kill John Wick, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle especially since nearly 90% of the population of New York is trained hitmen.  At certain points, the film does begin to suffer from attrition simply because there’s so much going on in the final act.  John Wick: Chapter 2 sets up the 3^rd entry nicely which should make for a fun capper to the series.  

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Run all Night

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for the latest in a seemingly-endless series of "Liam Neeson Kicks Butt" movies, Run all Night.

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

Well, dear reader(s), I have to be honest with you: with two major new releases on the weekend's docket, this was meant to be a double review. Yes, I love you all enough that I was going to force myself to see that damn princess movie.

However, when I got to the theatre and found it crawling with little girls--all of whom were queuing up to have their ideas of life and romance irreparably warped by some fool in a glass shoe--I had to dodge and go with a fourth screening of Kingsman: The Secret Service instead. It was the only responsible thing to do.

Liam Neeson...yadda yadda yadda...family in danger...yadda yadda yadda...guns, explosions, carnage...yadda yadda yadda...my hero!...yadda yadda yadda...the end.

Look, this is one of those movies where I have little sympathy for anyone who sees it and doesn't like it. It couldn't possibly be more exactly what you'd expect, so shame on you if you buy a ticket and then complain about it. Neeson is once again in fine butt-kicking form, perhaps a little rougher around the edges than in some of his other, similar films, but no less convincing as the guy you want to be hanging around with when there's trouble...ANY sort of trouble.

Joel Kinnaman does a terrific job as the neglected son, dragged into the very chaos he's worked his whole life to avoid, and Ed Harris is, of course, great as that guy you'd really be rooting for if only the movie weren't expressly designed to make you root for that other guy. Harris undoubtedly could pull off something like this in his sleep, but it sure is fun watching him.

The movie itself is a bit more grim than some others of its ilk. Not suggesting for a minute that the Taken movies and Non-Stop and A Walk Among the Tombstones are a barrel of laughs, but this one has virtually no lighter moments, and the few it attempts are so crass and abrasive that they don't do much to lift the tone.

The movie is set at Christmastime, and the omnipresent Christmas decorations are a stark contrast to the film's miserable atmosphere. The timing did leave me curious about a thunderstorm towards the beginning of the movie and the coloring trees at the end, though. In New York, in December?

Like the famous ghosts, I think Liam did this all in one night. We really shouldn't have experienced changing seasons, but I guess it's hardly the sort of movie where I'd expect perfect attention to detail. On a personal note, I was delighted to see Bruce McGill (a favorite in our house), Common, and the many, many New York Rangers references scattered about the movie.

Run All Night clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language including sexual references, and some drug use."

It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but if you like watching Liam Neeson kick ass (and who doesn't?) you should be decently entertained. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Run All Night gets five.

And sorry about the princess.

Until next time...

(not my graphic)

Movie Reviews: TERMINATOR SALVATION

aturday, May 23, 2009
Movie Reviews: TERMINATOR SALVATION
IN THEATERS

TERMINATOR SALVATION

In the fourth installment of the Terminator series, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the eventual leader of mankind's fight againts the machines. The setting is 2018, focusing on the war between the humans and the computer network Skynet. Anton Yelchin co-stars as soldier Kyle Reese, and Sam Worthington appears as new terminator Marcus Wright.

Cast: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common

Director: McG

Opened May 21, 2009

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action and language

Genres: Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction

Review:

Terminator Salvation is a loud Sci-Fi film that feels like it might have had something worthwhile to say if the director had given its character a chance to breathe and come to life. As it is, McG’s Terminator entry is more concerned about big showy action sequences, which are done effectively, than with creating any connection with the characters. As mentioned, the action is handled well and there are plenty huge set pieces that provide the spectacle that one would expect from a huge summer tent pole blockbuster. McG’s got a good eye for directing action, a helicopter crash shot via POV early is on in the film is quite impressive, but the problem is that it becomes quite repetitive and tedious very quickly. Very little time is given to the characters that inhabit this wonderfully realized post apocalyptic that had only been hinted at in the previous films. It’s a real shame as the collected talent is quite impressive. Christian Bale turns in a surprisingly forgettable performance as Connor, never really breaking from a general sense of controlled rage and intensity. Sadly, it’s the only thing the script allows and for a character so central to the mythos it’s a massive mistake. Sam Worthington is given a little more meat to work with and he does mildly better when there aren’t explosions and artillery fire to deal with. Anton Yelchin delivers a solid turn as a teenage Kyle Reese, making him a believable precursor to Michael Biehn’s older version in the original. Moon Bloodgood has a small but effective role as a resistance member. Bryce Dallas Howard is merely window dressing as she’s given nothing to do and even less to say. By the time we reach the final showdown and are given all the spectacle and action expected but the pivotal emotional moments really show the massive disconnect between the audience and the characters. In the end, McG delivers an unfocused showy and sometime stylish Sci-Fi action piece but if this franchise is looking to continue post Arnold it’ll need a massive infusion of character and heart.

C+