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Showing posts with label Glen Powell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glen Powell. Show all posts

Monday, January 22, 2024

MOVIE REVIEW: ANYONE BUT YOU

 






















Despite an amazing first date, Bea and Ben's initial attraction quickly turns sour. However, when they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia, they pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances.

Director: Will Gluck

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths

Release Date: December 22, 2023

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and brief graphic nudity.

Runtime: 1h 43m

Review:

Anyone but You is a fairly paint by the numbers rom-com that toys with being a raunchier romp before settling into the usual genre clichés that we've seen plenty of times before.  To his credit, Will Gluck delivers a slick looking, breezy film that unabashedly uses Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing as its basic template while occasionally lifting full lines of dialogue from the play.   It’s an interesting choice that never works since those moments are played off as a running joke with the characters stating they just made up the rather robust bit of dialogue lifted from the Bard.  It would have been an interesting approach if they'd leaned into it instead of just sporadically shoehorning it randomly with little pretext or payoff.  The film does something similar with its random forays into raunchy territory while never committing to it.  Paired with the random Shakespearean lines, the film never finds its own flow or rhythm since everything in between is overly familiar and broad.  Gluck has proven capable of making a memorable genre film like Emma Stone's Easy A but this film relies far too heavily on tired tropes.  It’s a shame since the cast seems up for pretty much anything especially the overly attractive onscreen couple.  Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are clearly having fun with the material which makes the film an easy watch even if decidedly forgettable.  Sweeney and Powell have solid chemistry, but you never buy the fact that the characters supposedly have a certain level of disdain for each other which makes it readily apparent they'll end up together.  The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces like Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, Michelle Hurd and Bryan Brown but the film doesn't take advantage of the talent instead being mostly satisfied with them delivering broad strokes of comedy.  It all leaves Anyone but You as a passable but forgettable rom-com that could have been far more memorable.

C

Friday, May 27, 2022

MOVIE REVIEW: TOP GUN: MAVERICK

 





















After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise; Miles Teller; Jennifer Connelly; Jon Hamm; Glen Powell; Lewis Pullman; Ed Harris; Val Kilmer

Release Date: May 24, 2022

Genre: Action, Drama

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some strong language

Runtime: 2h 11m

Review:

Top Gun: Maverick is the rare decades delayed sequel that somehow manages to recapture the magic of the original while standing on its own merits.  Joseph Kosinski's film works on multiple levels as it echoes classic scenes from the original while allowing his movie star to shine in his iconic performances.  It’s a fascinating bit of alchemy that allows him to bring back that feeling of a 80's blockbuster while delivering some insanely updated aerial acrobatics which may leave some people with a serious sense of vertigo.  The script is lean with a straightforward story that doesn't dig too deep into many of the characters even though it does manage to touch on themes of legacy and age.  Some of the dialogue does come off as stilted and old fashion in spots but it’s easy to forgive. Tom Cruise eases back into his iconic role with such gleeful ease that you can feel his deep affection for the character.  He carries the film with tangible energy that comes through the screen as he leads the newcomers of fresh faced up actors.  Miles Teller and Glen Powell get the biggest spotlights in supporting turns with Powell echoing Kilmer's Iceman throughout.  Kilmer himself gets a surprisingly touching sequence with Cruise that works well within the film and as a tribute to both characters and actors.  It's the type of moment that plenty of revived franchises have attempted but never quite nailed, it's a testament to the cast and crew to pull off such a satisfying sequel.  

A-

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