Cindy Prascik's Review of Mary

CINDY PRASCIK·SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2019·2 MINUTES As anyone with even a passing familiarity with me or my writing or my Instagram will know: I have a real soft spot for Academy Award winner Gary Oldman. (Yes, you have to say it like that now.) When Gary is in a movie or show, I see it. If I can, I own it. I own a Gary movie that's in Japanese, one where he plays a guy who puts Chapstick on his butt, and one that Gary, himself, has called "the worst movie ever made." (Those are Rain Fall, Nobody's Baby, and Sin, respectively, if you didn't know and were interested.) Today I am a little bit horrified to report on a movie that will be right at home with lemons like Tiptoes, the Backwoods, and that revisionist version of the Scarlet Letter that co-starred Demi Moore. Friends, I give you: Mary.


Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from a trailer if you've seen one. Odds are you haven't.

In hopes of rebooting his life and his marriage, a man buys a boat and takes his family out to sea...but little does he know of the vessel's cursed history! (DUM DUM DUM!) Mary is one of those movies that makes you think everyone involved should sack their agents posthaste. While it's Gary's name above the title, co-stars Emily Mortimer and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo are no slouches. They all deserve better than this thrill-less thriller that ticks every predictable box in the cheap horror movie lexicon. Startle-scares are so obvious they won't raise even a little jump. A paper-thin backstory has been done to death a thousand times before. The dialogue is simply excruciating. I try mightily to say something nice about everything, but the only nice thing I can say about Mary is that it's mercifully short.

Mary clocks in at 84 minutes and is rated R for "some terror, violence, and language."

Mary is available now on most streaming/download platforms.

Mary is a by-the-numbers thriller that'll make Gary Oldman fans pine for the genius of that 1998 Lost in Space movie.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mary gets one (for Gary). Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the highly anticipated (at least by me) Sicario sequel, Day of the Soldado.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing plot-related that the trailers didn't give away.

 

In order to combat trafficking of would-be terrorists across the border, the US aims to set the Mexican drug cartels at war with one another.

 

The usual full and fair disclosure(s)...quite a laundry list this time! First, I love Josh Brolin. Like, I really, really love him...since the Goonies but especially since The Young Riders. He never seems to be one of the guys who comes up in the Gary Oldman-level conversation, but I've loved him so long he's practically part of my DNA, and, despite the fact that he's become a superstar with a hefty collection of accolades, I've never learned to take his position above the movie's title for granted. 

 

Secondly, I am what is not-so-politely referred to as "part of the problem" in Hollywood. I like testosterone-fueled shoot 'em ups, and I didn't miss a female lead this time around. (No hate; I mention it only because it does color my opinion of movies.) Finally, the real world is such a shambles these days that it can be difficult to stomach films that depict some of its worst aspects, and certainly it's never easy to be reminded how awful your own government can be. I was pretty twitchy through Day of the Soldado's opening scene, but I was able to get lost in the story quickly, troublesome as the subject matter is.

 

Onward: Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a solid follow-up to one of 2015's better surprises. The movie loses a bit of momentum in its second act, but, thanks to well-maintained tension, a fully-utilized runtime, and amazing performances all 'round, it never really lets go of your attention. An implausible twist nearly derails the whole shebang (my cinema actually laughed out loud during the grim scene, certainly not the filmmakers' intention), but the film quickly regains its footing. 

 

Brolin and co-star Benicio Del Toro are riveting, and, like the original, Day of the Soldado boasts extraordinary cinematography (this time by the incomparable Dariusz Wolski), and a phenomenal score by Hildur Guonadottir. This felt like the first time in a very, very long time I was truly excited to get out to the movies, and Sicario: Day of the Soldado did not disappoint. Also, small spoiler alert: Josh Brolin eating noodles like he's never seen food before is my new porn.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado clocks in at 122 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, bloody images, and language."

 

Sicario: Day of the Soldado as a whole is never quite as good as some of its parts, but it met my expectations and kept me engaged to the end. 

 

Of a possible nine Weaslesys, Sicario: Day of the Soldado gets eight.

 

Fangirl points: Yeah, still gotta give 'em to Josh Brolin, and also Dariusz Wolski, whose work never ceases to amaze me. AND...Shea Whigham, too!

 

Until next time...

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

FBI agent Matt Graver calls on mysterious operative Alejandro Gillick when Mexican drug cartels start to smuggle terrorists across the U.S. border. The war escalates even further when Alejandro kidnaps a top kingpin's daughter to deliberately increase the tensions. When the young girl is seen as collateral damage, the two men will determine her fate as they question everything that they are fighting for.

Director: Stefano Sollima

 

Cast: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, Isabela Moner, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Catherine Keener

Release Date: June 29, 2018

 

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama

Rated R for strong violence, bloody images, and language

Runtime: 2h 3min

Review:

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a solid sequel even though it is missing that spark that made the original film so impressive.  Losing Denis Villeneuve and Roger Deakins was bound to leave a gap but new director Stefano Sollima tries his best to keep the aesthetics the same and general feel of the original.  Still there’s a noticeable talent gap which is compounded by some truly bleak sequences which are as shocking as they are rather unnecessary.  The script has a strange undercurrent of nastiness which can distract you from some strong performances.  Benicio del Toro drives the film with an impressive showing expanding on his character from the first film.  Del Toro is always the most interesting person on screen while Josh Brolin is a close second.  Brolin adds some needed depth to his character but the film doesn’t spend as much time cultivating it as it should.  Isabela Moner is a strong child performer who emotes fairly well even though she’s not given a ton of dialogue.  Catherine Keener is given a thankless role which wastes her considerable talents which is a real shame.  The film’s twisty plot is kind of muddled and once the film gains momentum it suddenly just ends with a door flapping open for a sequel.  It’s weird to think of this series being a franchise but that’s where the film leads us.

B-