MOVIE REVIEW: NEWS OF THE WORLD

 

Five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas. However, the long journey soon turns into a fight for survival as the traveling companions encounter danger at every turn -- both human and natural.

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Michael Covino, Bill Camp, Michael Covin, Fred Hechinger, Neil Sandilands, Thomas Francis Murphy

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, thematic material and some language

Runtime: 1 h 58 min

Review:

 News of the World is Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks second collaboration and it couldn't be anymore different than Captain Phillips.  News of the World won't leave your nerves frazzled like that film and Greengrass pulls back his usual kinetic style in favor or a slower more pensive approach.  There are plenty of dusty vistas on display along with a plethora of scenic sunsets to appreciate throughout.  The story itself is a fairly basic conceit and this film is more about the journey than the destination.  Its easy to get some strong True Grit vibes throughout especially with Tom Hanks paternal but grizzled performance here. His Captain Kidd is a weather worn man whose haunted by his past, it's a measured and layered turn. Newcomer Helena Zengel turns in an impressive naturalistic performance which is the linchpin to the entire film.  Zengel and Hanks have a natural repour together and they serve as the lifeblood of the film.  Their relationship is central to the entire film even though you won't find many surprises as the film plays out in a fairly predictable path.  In their trek they meet the kind of characters that typically populate these type of westerns with the good and bad guys being instantly recognizable.  News of the World isn't a film that's interested in trailblazing any new territory but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a well made western that feels like comfort food.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: JASON BOURNE

Matt Damon reprises his role as the titular former CIA agent with a hazy past. Jason Bourne is the fifth installment in the action franchise, and the third to be directed by Paul Greengrass. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Paul Greengrass 

Cast: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, Alicia Vikander

Release Date: Jul 29, 2016

Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of violence and action, and brief strong language. 

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min. 

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller  

Review:

Jason Bourne marks the welcome return of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass to the Bourne franchise.  The results are mostly good with only a few hiccups here and there, mostly script wise.  Matt Damon easily slips back into Bourne’s skin with solid results.  Damon has always given Bourne a tortured quality which is rare in the spy genre and one of the things that makes the franchise so interesting.  There are plenty of new faces in this entry with one lone returning cast member being cast off after setting the plot in motion.  Tommy Lee Jones, at his most scowly, serves as the big bad this go around and he’s serviceable even though his character is slightly underwritten.  Vincent Cassel suffers a similar fate the assassin on Bourne’s trail throughout the film which is a shame because it’s a waste of a fine actor.  Alicia Vikander, who you can tell is serious because her hair is pinned up throughout, does the best she can with the character she’s given.  A late act turn is fairly interesting but would have made for a more interesting plot line had it been explored throughout the movie.  The biggest issue with Jason Bourne isn’t that it’s a bad movie, far from it, its that it feels very familiar, following familiar beats we’ve followed through most Bourne films.  Still, Greengrass delivers some fantastic sequences especially the logistically impressive Greek riot sequence and collateral damage excess of the final act’s Vegas sequence.  The hand to hand fight to top off the film is probably one of the brutal fights I’ve seen in recent memory.  Jason Bourne adds up to a solid film even though it’ll leave you wishing there was a bit more innovation.     

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Jason Bourne

Dearest Blog: Yesterday I took a pass on the company picnic (Outdoors? In July? Are they kidding?) to head up to Marquee Cinemas and catch up with Jason Bourne. 

Spoiler level here will be mostly mild, nothing plot-specific, but I do offer an opinion at the end that some might consider slightly spoilerish. If you're worried, read after you've seen it, please! 

Jason Bourne is back with a vengeance, looking for answers and on the run for his life. 

Ahhhhhhh...dear Reader(s)...remember the good not-so-old days when Jeremy Renner appeared poised to take the reins of both the Bourne and Mission Impossible franchises? 

Fast forward a few years, a pair of Hollywood A-Listers decide to hang onto their cash cows, and Renner is again relegated to being the Avengers' Katniss Everdeen. (But at least he got a backstory, am I right??) 

There's nothing wrong with Matt Damon, of course, but you may count me among the silent minority that would have enjoyed this picture a lot more with Renner at the fore. 

Jason Bourne kicks off with a chase scene that outlasts even that one from Jupiter Ascending that put me to sleep three times and was still rolling when I woke up. I mean, this thing GOES ON. The sequence includes some pivotal moments, but it also highlights one of the movie's key weaknesses right out of the gate: too much filler. 

Jason Bourne has more running than a Ten-era Doctor Who episode and enough vehicular carnage for a Transformers movie; had filmmakers exercised even a bit of restraint, they'd have had a far better end product. Much of the action is filmed in up-close-and-personal fashion. 

The fight scenes are brutal and well executed, but the wiggly camera work is enough to trigger a seizure. It's a passable tactic when used wisely, but, here, again, there's just too much of it. Damon is appropriately grim in the lead, his sour expression a constant reminder of the Very Serious Situation at hand. 

Oscar winner Alicia Vikander is a disaster, bringing all the dimension of a paper doll to her important role, while struggling mightily to hang onto the same accent for any two consecutive scenes. The rest of the supporting cast is unremarkable, but fine for what's asked of them. 

The story is no more or less convoluted than any other installment in the series, sure to leave questions if (like me) you've mostly forgotten the earlier films, but not so deep that any fan of action flicks couldn't enjoy it even if he'd never seen a Bourne movie before. 

Finally, as if Jason Bourne weren't enough of a jumble, three-quarters of it feels very much like an ending, but the last act does a complete about-face and clearly sets the stage for more. Jason Bourne clocks in at an excessive 123 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, and brief strong language." 

Boasting action a-plenty and a solid cast that deserves better, Jason Bourne is, unfortunately, a bit of a snooze. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jason Bourne gets four. 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik’s Reviews of Captain Phillips & Escape Plan

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema for a pair of testosterone-fueled flicks, Captain Phillips and Escape Plan.

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

First I set sail with Captain Phillips.

An American cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates, and its captain taken hostage.

I'll be straight with ya, readers, I expected Captain Phillips to be a slow, overlong movie redeemed by yet another Oscar-worthy turn from Tom Hanks. Instead it's the second film this month (the first being Gravity), to have been a very pleasant surprise.

Captain Phillips does feature an incredible performance by the always-reliable Hanks.

The supporting cast, most notably Barkhad Abdi as the pirates' leader, is no less remarkable for being less well known. Captain Phillips does a terrific job of sustaining tension, to the point that I won't even complain about the 15 minutes or so that easily could have been shaved off the runtime. (See what I did there?)

There's an air of claustrophobia about the movie's second half that literally sucks the air out of the theatre...or maybe I was just holding my breath? The film begins with some of the most insipid movie dialogue I've ever heard (remember, I own that My Bloody Valentine remake!), but not to worry, from the time we board the Alabama, Captain Phillips is absolutely riveting.

Captain Phillips runs 134 minutes and is rated PG13 for, "sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance use." It's a great film spearheaded by another magnificent Tom Hanks performance, for my money, a "must see."

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Captain Phillips gets seven and a half.

Next on my agenda was the Sylvester Stallone/Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick, Escape Plan.

Okay, dear Blog, from the first trailer, I felt like Escape Plan had been made expressly with me in mind. Even though I've never met Sly and Arnie, the movie does nothing to dispel the notion.

A guy who breaks out of prisons for a living faces his biggest challenge yet.

While Escape Plan doesn't quite have the "oomph" of that first Expendables movie, I can't imagine anyone who enjoys the genre wouldn't have a good time with it. Stallone and Schwarzenegger are on point, trading barbs and punches while plotting to escape their maximum-security hell.

The dashing Jim Caviezel brings the crazy as the power-mad warden. The rest of the supporting cast was mostly, "Um...I remember that guy played a thug in..........." The plot features a couple solid twists, and I was very impressed with the film's overall appearance, in particular that first full look at the supposedly escape-proof facility.

I see most movies in an empty or nearly-empty theatre (by design), but I had company for this one and the crowd's response was extremely positive.

Escape Plan clocks in at 116 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language throughout." If you're looking for a fun time at the movies, it doesn't get better than this.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Escape Plan also gets seven and a half.

Until next time...



Escape Plan: puts hair on your chest!

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks teams with Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass and screenwriter Billy Ray to tell the true story of Richard Phillips, a U.S. cargo-ship captain who surrendered himself to Somali pirates so that his crew would be freed. The MV Maersk Alabama was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was surrounded and boarded by a gang of hardened bandits led by the determined Muse (Barkhad Abdi). As the crew of the Maersk Alabama rushed into a fortified "secure room" created for just such an incident, Phillips and Muse found themselves in a tense standoff that threatened to erupt into violence at any moment. Catherine Keener and Michael Chernus co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi

Release Date: Oct 11, 2013

Rated PG-13 for sustained intense sequences of menace, some violence with bloody images, and for substance use

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min

Genres: Action/Adventure, Documentary Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Captain Phillips is an intense experience from start to finish. Paul Greengrass, using visual restraint on his patented handheld style, delivers a crisp and thoroughly engaging run through the harrowing true story of Captain Phillips. Greengrass’s film can be broken down into a traditional 3 story act with each feeling distinctive enough in their own right. The opening act establishes the players and locations. Greengrass smartly gives us a glimpse into both sides, allowing the audience to have a human face to the antagonist not just the titular Phillips. The second act moves us onto the hijacking at sea, delivering some tension filled scenes as the crew, pirates and Phillips move through massive ship. The film hits its stride during this portion while keeping the tension palpable throughout the cat and mouse game. The final act, which is the longest, on the lifeboat loses some of the energy of the middle act. It’s not deflated but repurposed as the film’s setting and events change. The final act does allow Greengrass to further humanize the Somali pirates further, allowing Barkhad Abdi to shine in his shockingly realistic performance as the lead pirate. Greengrass’s direction is excellent throughout while Hanks delivers a believable performance as the stoic captain stuck in a terrible situation. The plot plays out exactly like it did in real life but knowing how it ends doesn’t matter when both director and cast bringing their A game. Hank’s, stoic throughout most of the film, is given an impressive scene near the end which really showcases his acting chops and Greengrass’s ability to bring a sense of reality to his films.

A