MOVIE REVIEW: SNAKE EYES: G.I. JOE ORIGINS

 

An ancient Japanese clan called the Arashikage welcomes tenacious loner Snake Eyes after he saves the life of their heir apparent. Upon arrival in Japan, the Arashikage teach him the ways of the ninja warrior while also providing him something he's been longing for: a home. However, when secrets from Snake Eyes' past are revealed, his honor and allegiance get tested -- even if that means losing the trust of those closest to him.

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Henry Golding, Andrew Koji, Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving, Iko Uwais

Release Date: July 14, 2021

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and brief strong language

Runtime: 2 h 1 min

Review:

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is a busy film serving as an origin story and franchise starter.  The fact that its serving multiple masters should be a recipe for disaster but Robert Schwentke’s still manages to deliver some enjoyable ninja action.  Schwentke’s film harkens back to cult 80’s ninja films like American Ninja with a glossy exterior.  The action sequences are well staged with a keen visual outside of some questionable overuse of shaky came.  The choreography of them is top notch and those sequences are the high points of the film.   Henry Golding and Andrew Koji make for an intriguing duo onscreen and their relationship drives the entire film.  Golding possess leading man charisma but you get the sense he could have used a tad bit more depth to make him more interesting than his counter part.  Andrew Koji performance and character is terribly intriguing as he plays him with a silent intensity that always makes him the most interesting character on screen.  Some fun supporting turns from Úrsula Corberó, Samara Weaving & Iko Uwais add some strong female punch to the proceedings with the latter two there to set up the larger G.I. Joe universe.  The film’s biggest issue is its script that doesn’t take advantage of its cast.  Everything plays out in a perfunctory manner while it checks certain boxes since its primary goal was to put pieces in place for future installments.  Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins ends up being forgettable fluff that might have excelled had it possessed some tighter scripting and direction.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GENTLEMEN

Mickey Pearson is an American expatriate who became rich by building a marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he's looking to cash out of the business, it soon triggers an array of plots and schemes from those who want his fortune.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan, Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant

Release Date: January 24, 2019

Genres: Action, Crime

Rated R for violence, language throughout, sexual references and drug content

Runtime: 1h 55min

Review:

The Gentlemen is a fun return to the genre that made Guy Ritchie a name back in the early 2000s.  It’s easy to forget how fun his older films like Lock Stock and Smoking Barrel and Snatch were because his subsequence films have fallen into a general blandness that’s made unmemorable.  That’s not to say that certain films like his Sherlock Holmes movies or his underrated The Man from U.N.C.L.E. aren’t fun but they felt way too polished and glossy.  The Gentlemen is a film that’s far better than it deserves to be.  The plot isn’t quite as clever as it thinks it is but the cast of characters and actors make the film so incredibly fun and watchable that you can overlook some of those failings.  Each of the cast delivers performances that make it clear that they are having the time of their lives in this film.  McConaughey gives us a solid mix of charm and underling menace with Charlie Hunnam delivering one of best film work thus far.  The supporting cast shines throughout with Hugh Grant, playing against type with great gusto, and Colin Farrell leaving the biggest impressions.  The story drags here and there but when the cast is clicking it’s the kind of throwback that makes you remember why people noticed Guy Ritchie’s type of filmmaking in the first place instead of something like Aladdin.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Gentleman

Yesterday it was off to the pictures for back-to-back screenings of Guy Ritchie's the Gentlemen.

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

The kingpin of Britain's largest marijuana enterprise attempts to ease into retirement and finds there's nothing easy about it.

Dear reader(s), it's important for me to note that I saw the Gentlemen twice yesterday. While I often see movies more than once (hey there, Jack Sparrow!), seldom do I see them more than once before I write about them. In this case, it made a difference of a half to a full point improvement on the film's final Weasley score, so that's material enough to warrant a mention.

The Gentlemen is a rollicking tale that's as clever as it is crass. A wordy script is liberally seasoned with swearing and slurs, weaving its way from twist to unexpected turn. The movie gets off to a bit of a slow start (which I found much less noticeable the second time around), but once it gets rolling, it is ROLLING, through a tense, violent, funny, and often surprising tale. The Gentlemen is blessed with a cast that is perfect in every way. Matthew McConaughey is crafty, dashing, and just the right amount of menacing as the mogul with an eye on retirement. Hugh Grant is hilarious as a sleazy PI looking out for number-one, while Henry Golding impresses as an up-and-comer with his eye on the prize. Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery holds her own with the guys, no refined Lady Mary, this one, but, per usual, it's Colin Farrell who steals the show with a smart, funny turn. Annnnnnnd...to my Charlie People (and all you future Charlie People): this is a GREAT role for Charlie Hunnam. He gets just about the most screen time of anyone in the terrific ensemble, and he absolutely nails it. One of the reasons I'm proud to call myself a Charlie Person (and why I continue to evangelize new Charlie People) is because, despite his obscenely good looks, Charlie Hunnam has never traded on that commodity. He takes interesting roles in interesting projects, almost always aiming higher than he really has to. As McConaughey's smart, stoic, sweatered wing man, Hunnam is given a great opportunity to shine in the Gentlemen, and shine he does. One of my favorite performances from him to date.

The Gentlemen clocks in at 113 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language throughout, sexual references, and drug content." (I really, really feel like the "drug content" should be first there, but oh well.)

The Gentlemen is a humorous, exciting, well-crafted, and perfectly-cast film that takes viewers on a wild ride and effectively corrals an almost impossible number of moving pieces.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Gentlemen gets eight. Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Last Christmas & Midway

This weekend was a "because the schedule says so" weekend at the cinema. I really wanted to see Doctor Sleep, but the two-and-a-half-hour runtime, coupled with a wrench in its Saturday showtimes, left me with Last Christmas and Midway. Can we say "ho" and "hum?"

I think we can. Spoiler level here will be mild for anything plot-specific, but there's a general observation about Last Christmas that I think any fair review has to make.

First on my agenda: Last Christmas.

It's the holiday season in London, and a young woman who has made a habit of poor life choices hopes to get back on a good path.

Last Christmas is, in the words of one wise friend, Not A Cindy Thing (TM). The trailers sell a feel-good holiday romance/redemption story, maybe a step up from what the Hallmark Channel's going to be feeding you for the next month and a half. Dearest reader(s), I'm here to tell you: Last Christmas is quite a bit more than that, and I expect that's a double-edged sword. I've fallen a bit out of love with the cinema this year, and I was delighted to be reminded that movies can still surprise, even in the Internet age. Those who have their hearts set on straight-up warm holiday fuzzies might be less pleased with the picture's extra layers.

Last Christmas benefits greatly from the inherent charm that seems to permeate all British entertainment. Emilia Clarke has it in spades, and--even when she's at her worst--you find yourself worrying about the road our lead character is on. Once she meets swoon-worthy (relative) newcomer Henry Goulding, well, you'll be holding your breath, just waiting for true love to fix the mess she's made of her life. Co-writer Thompson is, as always, a scene-stealer with limited screen time, but the real star of Last Christmas is the music of George Michael. Much like Yesterday and Blinded by the Light, Last Christmas has made creative use of an iconic artist, and it is a delight to behold. The movie's festive holiday atmosphere is enhanced nearly to its breaking point by the fact that Clarke's character works in a Christmas shop and spends a good bit of the film dressed as an elf. Ho. Ho. Ho. It's a sharp, well-paced, funny, and moving film that's one of the cinema's happiest surprises of 2019.

Last Christmas clocks in at 102 minutes and is rated PG13 for "language and sexual content."

Last Christmas finds its way to some holiday spirit, but the trip doesn't take the road you expect. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Last Christmas gets eight.

Fangirl points: Patti LuPone! (My queen!) Peter Serafinowicz!

Next up: Midway.

The true story of the 1942 Battle of Midway. Midway is an incredible story that deserves far better than this broadly-drawn telling. The film boasts exceptional visuals, with sweeping aerial shots and magnificent panoramas of great ships. It is truly a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately, its physical beauty is no match for awkward dialogue, shameless posturing, exaggerated accents (plenty of growly Batman voices too), and a melodramatic score. Over-acting throughout is so extreme as to be laughable, and a bloated runtime makes even the tensest battle scenes seem plodding. It's easily-digestible "patriotism" for the chest-thumping set, and it is nowhere near worthy of the story it attempts to tell.

Midway runs 138 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of war violence and related images, language, and smoking."

If you'd have told me Midway would somehow be the worse of the two movies on my agenda yesterday, I'd have said you were crazy, but...here we are.


Of a possible nine Weasleys, Midway gets four. Fangirl points: Luke Evans! (And if I had to say something really nice about the movie, it only made me wait eight minutes for him to turn up.)

This Veterans' Day/Remembrance Day weekend, I would like to say thank you to all those who serve and have served, whose bravery and sacrifice make it possible for me to sit here and make fun of a movie that tells their story so badly.

I remain in your debt. Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: LAST CHRISTMAS

Nothing seems to go right for young Kate, a frustrated Londoner who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. But things soon take a turn for the better when she meets Tom -- a handsome charmer who seems too good to be true. As the city transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, Tom and Kate's growing attraction turns into the best gift of all -- a Yuletide romance.

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh

Release Date: November 8, 2019

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content

Runtime: 1h 42min

Review:

Last Christmas looks and smells like a romantic comedy and for the better part of its runtime it is a wonderful one. Anyone who has been paying attention though should know to expect something a little different from Paul Fieg. Fieg directs the film with a deft hand, delivering a charming breezy film populated with incredibly likable characters. Emilia Clarke at her charming best here and ably carries the film. She's so damn loveable that it hard to take her character's disastrous life seriously. She's matched with an equally impressive Henry Golding whose character is just too good to be true. If this all sounds like basic rom com fodder it is and it isn't. Fieg and the razor sharp script have a turn that makes the film so much more than it appears at it's onset and it gives the film a much stronger message than you would have expected. 

A-

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-